Sumner City Council members have adopted a memorandum of agreement with the Port of Tacoma, a joint effort that will seek ways to fund transportation projects in Sumner.

Members of the Port Commission met with council Aug. 31 and presented the agreement.

Sumner City Administrator John Doan said the port may help by assisting with the acquisition of grant money through letters, testimony and lobbying.

Projects in need of funding are the Traffic Avenue and Main Street corridor, the 136th Avenue corridor, the state Route 410 interchange study, and truck routes.

Doan said funding for projects can come from different sources, one of which is through grants that have become harder to receive.

“All of those grant processes have become more competetive with fewer dollars and more projects,” he said.

Councilman Matt Richardson disagreed with entering the legal agreement with the Port of Tacoma. The memorandum established Sumner as the lead agency, a designation Richardson was not comfortable with. He said previous agreements with agencies did not establish a legal agreement.

“I just don’t see the need to begin a precedent,” he said.

Councilmember Randy Hynek said he felt the language of the memorandum offered protection for the port, but not the city.