Bainbridge Island City Council Study Session - December 2, 2025
Bainbridge Island City Council Study Session - December 2, 2025
The Bainbridge Island City Council held a study session on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers and remotely via Zoom. Deputy Mayor Quitslund chaired the meeting. All council members were present: Mayor Mathews, Deputy Mayor Quitslund, and Councilmembers Deets, Fantroy-Johnson, Hytopoulos, Moriwaki, and Schneider. The meeting covered three major topics: an update on wastewater beneficial reuse and groundwater management, strategies for subsidized affordable housing production, and consideration of automated traffic safety cameras for speed enforcement. The council also heard committee reports and adjourned at 8:39 PM.
Consent Calendar
- The agenda was approved unanimously (7-0) on a motion by Councilmember Moriwaki and second by Councilmember Fantroy-Johnson.
- No conflicts of interest were disclosed.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the session.
Discussion Items
3.A Wastewater Beneficial Re-Use and Groundwater Management Update
Public Works Director Chris Wierzbicki presented an update on the wastewater beneficial reuse project, first presented to council in February 2025. The presentation covered two alternatives: (1) additional treatment at the existing Winslow Wastewater Treatment Plant with distribution for irrigation or groundwater recharge, with costs ranging from $6 million (irrigation only for Wing Point Golf Course) to $19 million+ (expanded distribution and recharge); and (2) a new satellite treatment plant near Sakai Park, costing $12 million (irrigation only) to $15 million+ (including recharge). Potential uses include irrigation of parks, schools, and golf courses (e.g., Wing Point Golf Course uses 19 million gallons/year) and groundwater recharge. A groundwater recharge favorability map was shown, identifying public properties such as Grand Forest, Janice Johnson Farm, Sakai Park, and Rotary Park as potential recharge sites. Additional updates included the Manzanita stormwater recharge park (2.2 million gallons/year recharge capacity, funded by an $800,000 state grant), coordination with Kitsap Public Utility District on water system interties, and progress on the Groundwater Management Plan (peer review complete, additional analysis with Keto Waters planned, final adoption expected by end of Q1 2026). Council discussed project costs, revenue sources (bonds, ratepayer funds), seasonality of irrigation vs. recharge, and the potential for these projects to extend sewer capacity. Director Wierzbicki noted that the planning is long-term (5+ years out) and tied to growth projections.
3.B Strategies for Subsidized Affordable Housing Production
City Manager King introduced consultant Tory Laughlin Taylor, who presented strategies for producing subsidized affordable housing on Bainbridge Island. The presentation framed the challenge using HB 1220 income-tier targets (from less than 30% AMI to over 120% AMI) and highlighted that Bainbridge needs approximately 1,055 housing units over 25 years, with 965 requiring some form of subsidy. Three key elements were described: land (publicly owned or donated), zoning policy (density, parking, height), and subsidized capital (federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, state funds, city Housing Trust Fund). Current pipeline projects include Finch Green (affordable homeownership, land donation by Bethany Lutheran Church), Wintergreen Townhomes Phase II (14 units in land trust), and Ericsson Apartments (rental, deeper affordability). The 625 Winslow project (90 units planned) was referenced as a potential large-scale development. Councilmember Schneider proposed an overlay zone with mandatory inclusionary zoning and a cap on building permits to manage growth, but City Attorney Joe McAleer expressed skepticism about permit caps based on the Sammamish case, though he offered to research further. Council discussion also covered ADU production (94 projected, actual numbers to be provided), the importance of community outreach, and the tension between building small infill projects vs. large tax-credit-financed developments. No formal vote was taken; the council agreed to continue the discussion.
3.C Consider Use of Automated Traffic Safety Cameras for Speed Enforcement
Police Chief Joe Clark and Sergeant Joseph Fastaia presented findings on automated traffic safety cameras. A proof-of-concept for ferry line-cutting enforcement was deemed infeasible due to technical challenges (capturing all maneuvers) and obstruction of non-motorized users. The presentation then shifted to speed cameras, citing reductions in collisions (54% per FHWA) and successful examples in Kirkland, Seattle, and Poulsbo (zero collisions at their camera location since installation). Speed data from three candidate locations was shared: Miller Road (85th percentile speed 42-46 mph on a 30 mph road, estimated 1,000+ violations/day), Blakely Elementary School zone (85th percentile 31 mph in a 25 mph zone, 850-950 violations/day), and Commodore Lane school zone (85th percentile 28 mph, 500+ violations/day). Implementation would require an equity study, 30-day signage and warning period, and revenues used only for traffic safety improvements. Council discussion revealed mixed opinions: some members supported a pilot on Miller Road, others expressed privacy concerns and preference for community outreach first. A motion by Councilmember Schneider, seconded by Councilmember Moriwaki, was passed 7-0: "I move to direct the City Manager to present for Council consideration at a future business meeting a public engagement plan for Council consideration for the use of automated traffic safety cameras for enforcement purposes." The city manager indicated a report would be brought back in February 2026.
Key Outcomes
- Wastewater/Groundwater: No formal action. Staff will continue evaluating recharge sites, ongoing collaboration with KPUD, and finalize the Groundwater Management Plan by Q1 2026.
- Affordable Housing: No formal vote; the council agreed to continue discussions and requested follow-up on ADU data. The city attorney will further research permit cap legality.
- Automated Traffic Safety Cameras: The council passed a motion (7-0) directing the city manager to present a public engagement plan for council consideration at a future business meeting. The plan is expected in February 2026. The ferry line-cutting camera concept was dropped.
Meeting Transcript
Recording in progress. Like to call to order the city council study session for Tuesday, December second, twenty twenty-five. Yes, thank you. Christine Brown, City Clerk, please state for the record if you're present after I call your name. Mayor Matthews. Every part of this soil is sacred at 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. We begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the people of Clear Salt Water, Suquamish people, expert fishermen, canoe builders, basket weavers. The Suquabs live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington's Central Salish Sea, as they have for thousands of years. Here the Sequabs live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations, as promised by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855. And I'd like to add some words from the writer Jedediah Purdy. Land is perennially the thing we share that holds us apart. Its ownership means power for some over others down through time. Ownership is the beginning of credit. The way to turn a modest claim on the world into a grander one. Owning nothing means having to make wealth out of your own hide. Now let's ask for approval of the agenda. Councilmember Morowaki. Thank you, Deputy Merrick Witslin. I move approval of tonight's study session agenda as presented. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. So ordered. Are there any conflicts of interest to declare? Seeing none. Our regular business. First, we'll receive a presentation and an update on the wastewater beneficial reuse project and other groundwater management work. Yes, thank you, Deputy Mayor. Public Works Director Chris Works Vicky will present this. Just want to remind the council that the last time you received an update on beneficial reuse of wastewater, which is what this is, was back in February. And then at that time, the council had expressed an interest in the potential for groundwater recharge through beneficial reuse of wastewater, and also the development of satellite treatment facility. In October, very recently now, you did receive a presentation on the draft groundwater management plan peer review. And the council again expressed interest in the city's efforts related to the beneficial reuse of wastewater. What we want to do is review with you that presentation from February and provide you some updates and talk about the next steps with that and also uh the next steps in completing the groundwater management plan. And that will be something that will be before the council at your meeting on December the 9th. We have been looking at beneficial reuse of wastewater since 2021, when the council allocated a portion of the American Rescue Plan at ARPA funds for this purpose. And again, uh Chris Word Vicky will provide you a presentation and will review some of the information from earlier and then update that and look at where we are incorporating the issue of recharge and the groundwater management plan. See you this evening. As the uh city manager mentioned, uh, this presentation this evening will focus on our uh beneficial reuse and other groundwater management updates uh stemming from a conversation that you last had with the peer reviewer of the groundwater management plan uh who expressed uh how groundwater recharge is a uh really critical component of our groundwater management action plan moving forward uh for the next couple of years. Uh so we will give you a bit of a recap and update on that project as well as um information on some peripheral uh work that is going on around groundwater and water resources generally. Uh, we're really trying to kind of help the council and the community understand kind of the overlapping efforts we have that uh related to water, wastewater, stormwater, and all of our water resources. But we'll start with the beneficial reuse project. Um, as you may remember, uh there are two sources of reclaimed water on Bainbridge Island. The first is the Winslow Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the second, um, well, in Winslow, uh, we are also considering a potential satellite wastewater treatment plant, which we will talk a little bit more about in a minute, uh, which would be a smaller facility in the upper uh northern part of the sewer shed. The other uh source of reclaimed water is down in South Island at the Fort Ward wastewater treatment plant, which is currently run by Sewer District 7, but we'll be transferring uh ownership to um Kittsap Public Utility District on January 1st. Uh, this presentation will not cover that plant, but that is another potential source uh for future work. Um the uh consultant identified two alternatives for us for reclaimed water, uh, one using the wastewater uh treatment plant in Winslow and distributing sources to either recharge or or reclaimed uses uh in the region or in the vicinity of the plant.
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