City Council Session, Tuesday, September 8, 2026 Public Comments

The City of Airway Heights City Council session on September 8, 2026, included procurement actions for legal services and a reclaimed-water reservoir. Council unanimously approved moving forward with Ogden Murphy Wallace for long-term city attorney services after an RFQ process; staff had also described an interim legal-services contract with Kenyon Disend. For the reservoir project, the low steel-tank bid was reported at approximately $3.52 million, about 4.6% below the engineer’s estimate, with total project costs reported at approximately $4.59 million. Council unanimously approved using about $858,717 in utility reserves as a funding measure and authorizing the public works director to proceed with the project. The consent agenda, including a $31,057 payment to Payne Hamlin, passed 5–1 with one abstention.

Public comments raised concerns about a proposed data center’s potential water use and environmental effects, and a resident challenged Ziply fiber work on private property; no data-center or fiber procurement decision was made. The council also unanimously adopted relocation-appeal procedures for the city’s right-of-way procedures, as required for alignment with WSDOT local agency guidelines. Staff announced public outreach for the comprehensive plan update and described the reservoir as part of the city’s reclaimed-water system for parks and future growth.