Bainbridge Island City Council Regular Business Meeting – October 14, 2025
Bainbridge Island City Council Regular Business Meeting – October 14, 2025
The Bainbridge Island City Council held a regular business meeting on October 14, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers and via Zoom. Mayor Ashley Mathews presided, with six councilmembers present (Fantroy-Johnson absent). The meeting included three proclamations, public comment, a consent agenda, several regular business items, and communications. Notable outcomes included the adoption of an ordinance for pre-approved accessory dwelling units, a failed vote on an affordable housing covenant amendment, and approval to place a $30,000 emergency funding request for Helpline House on a future agenda.
Consent Calendar
- Approved accounts payable and payroll for multiple dates (September 4 through October 9, 2025) and meeting minutes from September 23, 2025.
- Authorized the City Manager to enter into a construction contract with Van Ness Construction for the Mobile Home Site Preparation Project ($62,088.60).
- Authorized a second contract amendment with Joe Tovar for the Comprehensive Plan Update (increase of $2,520 plus $225 for expenses).
- Item 5.E (affordable housing covenant amendment for 560 Madison North, allowing incomes at 80% of AMI) was removed from the consent agenda per Councilmember Quitslund's request and considered separately.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Sarah Blossom (Planning Commission Chair, speaking personally) asked for more information on item 5.E, noting that 867 units (over 40% of the city's housing allocation) require incomes at 50% AMI or below and questioned why the city would voluntarily reduce inventory for that tier.
- Kevin Fetterly discussed House Bill 1220 and suggested alternative solutions to blanket rezoning, such as ADUs, subsidies, and using existing properties (e.g., Suzuki, Bethany, churches) to meet affordable housing needs.
- Maggie Rich (Housing Resources Bainbridge) spoke in favor of item 5.E, explaining that since acquiring the units in December 2024, HRB has had to turn away applicants earning just over 60% AMI. She noted that six of the 13 units already serve 50% AMI and below due to Kitsap County funding, and the change would only affect the remaining seven units, allowing flexibility up to 80% AMI.
- Heather Burger (Executive Director, Friends of the Farms) supported the $30,000 emergency funding for Helpline House, citing a 40% loss in federal commodity funding and the elimination of $100,000 in annual local food purchasing funds by January 2026. She highlighted that over 400 families depend on Helpline weekly, double the number from two years ago.
- Maria Metzler (Executive Director, Helpline House) supported the emergency funding, reporting that last year the food bank supported over 18,500 visits and distributed nearly a million pounds of food. She noted $660 million in USDA cuts, including $100,000 in local food purchasing for Kitsap County, and $200,000 in TFAP food cancellations annually.
- Mev Hoburg (Helpline House Board Member) supported the funding, stating that SNAP benefits for a family of four will drop by about $127/month (13%) due to federal cuts, while grocery prices are up nearly 30% since the pandemic. She noted a 66% increase in food bank visits over two years, now serving 400 families/week.
- Lara Lant supported the emergency funding and requested a public conversation about potential impacts of federal/state cuts on city projects that have already accepted funding.
Discussion Items
- Amendment to Affordable Housing Covenants (Item 5.E): The council debated a motion to authorize the City Manager to enter into Amendment No. 1 with Housing Resources Bainbridge for 560 Madison North, raising the income limit from 60% to 80% of AMI. Supporters (Quitslund, Deets, Mathews) argued it provides needed flexibility and reflects real-world applicant incomes. Opponents (Hytopoulos, Moriwaki, Schneider) emphasized the city's obligation to preserve deeply affordable units (60% and below) and questioned whether demand at that tier had been fully explored. The motion failed 3–3.
- Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Units (Ordinance 2025-26): Acting Planning Director Darren Buchanan presented the ordinance, which amends the municipal code to allow pre-approved ADU plans from the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council. Changes include increasing maximum square footage from 900 to 1,000 sq. ft., allowing a 50% setback reduction via variance for single-story ADUs, removing the requirement that ADUs match the primary dwelling's appearance, and replacing "shall" with "should" for shared driveways. The motion passed 6–0.
- State Lobbying Services: The council authorized issuing a Request for Qualifications for state lobbying services and selected Councilmember Moriwaki to serve on the selection committee. The contract would shift from a two-year to a three-year term to align with the state budget cycle. Motion passed 5–1, with Hytopoulos voting no citing the length of the term.
- Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) Update: Deputy City Manager Ellen Schroer reported difficulty recruiting committee members due to the city's policy barring organizations that receive LTAC funds from having representatives on the committee. Only one application has been received. The council directed the City Manager to continue recruitment with the goal of completing the LTAC award process as early as practicable in 2026. Motion passed 6–0.
- Interview Panel for City Attorney: The council appointed Councilmember Hytopoulos to join the interview panel for the City Attorney position. Hytopoulos noted a medical leave conflict but agreed to participate if scheduling allowed. Motion passed 6–0.
- Emergency Funding for Helpline House: Councilmember Deets requested placing a $30,000 emergency funding request from the Council's Contingency Fund on a future agenda to supplement Helpline House's Foodbank Program. The council voted 6–0 to place it on the nearest possible agenda.
- Groundwater Management Consultant Attendance at Planning Commission: The council requested that the Acting Planning Director ask the Groundwater Management consultant to attend the Planning Commission meeting following the City Council's October 21, 2025 study session, as soon as possible, to answer questions. Motion passed 6–0.
Key Outcomes
- Failed Motion: Amendment to affordable housing covenants for 560 Madison North (allowing incomes up to 80% AMI) failed 3–3 (Quitslund, Deets, Mathews aye; Hytopoulos, Moriwaki, Schneider no; Fantroy-Johnson absent).
- Adopted Ordinance: Ordinance 2025-26 for pre-approved accessory dwelling units passed 6–0.
- Authorized RFQ: The city will issue a Request for Qualifications for state lobbying services; Councilmember Moriwaki appointed to the selection committee (5–1).
- LTAC Recruitment: Directed continued recruitment with goal of completing awards as early as possible in 2026 (6–0).
- Interview Panel: Councilmember Hytopoulos appointed to the City Attorney interview panel (6–0).
- Emergency Funding on Agenda: The $30,000 emergency funding request for Helpline House will be placed on a future council agenda (6–0).
- Groundwater Consultant: Requested that the consultant attend the Planning Commission meeting after the October 21 council study session (6–0).
- Proclamations: The council proclaimed October 2025 as Resiliency Awareness Month, Filipino American History Month, and National Community Planning Month.
Meeting Transcript
Recording in progress. Good evening. And welcome to the Tuesday, October 14th, twenty twenty-five City Council regular business meeting. I'm Mayor Ashley Matthews, and I'd like to call this meeting to order. Council Member Hytopolis. Present. I pledge allegiance to the United States. To the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic. One nation. Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. And I'd like to say the Sequamish land acknowledgement. Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Chief Seattle, 1854. We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the Suquab, people of clear saltwater, Suquamish people, expert fishermen, canoe builders, and basket weavers. The Suquab live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington's central Salish Sea as they have for thousands of years. Here are the Suquab live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855. And let's approve our agenda. Councilmember Morwaki. Thank you, Mayor Matthews. Okay. Oh, we had a okay. Uh motion made and seconded. Um, motion made by Council Member Morowaki, seconded by Deputy Mayor Quitsland. All those in favor. Aye. Aye. And any conflicts of interest this evening. No. All right, seeing none, we'll move on to our first presentation, which is presenting a proclamation declaring October 2025 as resiliency awareness month. I don't see Victoria, but I will read it. Um a proclamation by the City Council of the City of Bainbridge Island, Washington, declaring October 2025 as resiliency awareness month. Whereas there is compelling scientific evidence of a correlation between negative childhood experiences, known as adverse child experiences, ACE, or toxic stress and lifelong health and social challenges. And whereas ACEs may include physical, sexual or verbal abuse, physical and emotional neglect, witnessing domestic violence, the loss of a parent through separation or divorce, or having a family member who experiences mental illness, substance use disorder, or incarceration. And whereas toxic stress may arise from the broader community and structural challenges such as poverty, homelessness, racism, sexism, homophobia, colonization, community violence, and natural disasters. And whereas in Kitzap County, 62% of residents report having experienced at least one ACE, and over 30% 37% of residents report three or more ACEs. And research indicates the greater number of ACEs, the higher risk for social, emotional, behavioral, and physical health challenges, including school suspension, dropout, unemployment, homelessness, incarceration, chronic disease, and substance abuse. And whereas ACEs are linked to many of our most costly community issues, including 78% of intravenous drug use, 69% of mental illness, 67% of suicide attempts, 65% of alcoholism, 62% of domestic violence and homelessness, 61% of adult incarceration, 54% of prescription drug abuse, and significant percentages of major chronic health conditions. And whereas resiliency is the anecdote built through supportive relationships and adaptive skills such as emotional regulation, stress management, decision making, and healthy relationships, which can transform potentially toxic stress into tolerable stress and foster lifelong well-being. And whereas resiliency must be nurtured across the lifespan through consistent, meaningful engagement with caring adults, supportive environments that foster agency, pathways and goals, and community-wide collaborative efforts that empower individuals and families to thrive. And whereas KitSap Strong envisions a flourishing community where all children are raised with consistency and nurturance and is mobilizing residents, organizations, and leaders to present prevent ACEs in future generations by strengthening individual and community resilience. Now, therefore, I, Ashley Matthews, Mayor of the City of Bainbridge Island, on behalf of the City Council, do proclaim October 2025 to be resiliency awareness month in the city of Bainbridge Island and urge all residents to learn about the impact of ACEs. To embrace resilience building practices in daily life and work and to support the mission of KitSap Strong in creating a community of hope and healing and opportunity. I see you, Christina. And I'd like to present this to Christina Rorthy. Can I can I just get one? So I apologize for being late, but she's actually strong. Oh, do you want to say any words? I would love to.
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