Bainbridge Island City Council Regular Business Meeting - March 10, 2026
Bainbridge Island City Council Regular Business Meeting - March 10, 2026
The Bainbridge Island City Council met on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers and via Zoom. Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos presided. Councilmembers Lant, Mathews, Nelson, and Schneider were present. Mayor Moriwaki joined remotely for the first proclamation. Councilmember Fantroy-Johnson was absent and excused. The meeting included two proclamations, public comment, consent agenda, city manager report, and eight regular business items.
Presentations
- Proclamation for "Nidoto Nai Yoni - Let It Not Happen Again Day": Mayor Moriwaki read the proclamation designating March 30, 2026 as the day to remember the exclusion of Japanese Americans. Carol Reitz, President of Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community, accepted. Mayor Moriwaki left at 6:12 PM.
- Proclamation Declaring March 2026 as Women's History Month: Councilmember Mathews read the proclamation. Representatives from Bainbridge High School's Feminist Forum accepted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Stella Collier (Stormwater Management Program Coordinator) spoke on behalf of her union, stating their contract expired Dec 31, 2025, and they have not reached a new agreement. She asked the council to support a living wage and cost-of-living adjustments.
- Rob Drury mentioned a letter from "Responsible Bainbridge" and urged the council to review and respond.
- Pam Churchill criticized the comprehensive plan process for ignoring limited water resources, noting that KPUD is providing no new hookups in the south end due to declining aquifer levels. She called for the city to base decisions on scientific reality.
- Glynnis Cowdery (President, Arts & Humanities Bainbridge) expressed concerns about the Community Arts Plan, stating that existing arts nonprofits were not involved in its development and that the city risks duplicating efforts. She suggested the city support existing organizations rather than creating a new staff position.
- Joanne Mendenhall (Associate Planner, union bargaining committee) asked the council to authorize additional compensation for union employees, noting that over 60% of staff has been with the city less than five years and that the island's demands require above-average wages.
- Mary Clare Kersten criticized the council for ignoring scientific evidence on the sole source aquifer drawdown and urged them to reconvene the Environmental Technical Advisory Committee (ETAC).
- Bevin Taylor discussed racial restrictive covenants on Bainbridge Island identified by UW research, noting that Winslow was a possible sundown town. He called for acknowledgment and action.
- Ron Peltier thanked the council for approving a peer review of the groundwater management plan and urged questions on the upcoming NPDES audit.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda was approved (5-0) after removing item 5.D (budget carry-forward ordinance). Item 5.D was then approved separately (5-0) after explanation by Interim City Manager Schroer.
City Manager's Report
- Interim City Manager Schroer addressed recent disruptive comments at a prior meeting, emphasizing the city's commitment to respectful public participation and asking for community partnership in maintaining constructive meetings.
- Provided an update on the Head of the Bay project: curb islands and bike lane work continuing through March 20; intermittent lane closures through March 24; a pause in May; and full pavement sealing in late June, possibly at night.
Discussion Items
7.A: EMC Research Poll on Transportation Funding
- Jessica Polsky-Sanchez and Emerson Rogers presented results of a statistically-valid poll of 300 Bainbridge Island voters conducted Jan 7–14, 2026. Margin of error ±5.7%.
- Key findings: 58% initially supported a potential transportation levy; support rose to 60% after cost information ($15/month for median home), and to 62% after additional information. After a critic message, support dropped to 56%.
- Council discussion focused on whether a levy should be for road maintenance only or include bike/pedestrian improvements. Councilmembers expressed desire for clear, focused messaging and preferred to defer action until after budget review and council retreat, and after a new city manager is hired.
7.B: NPDES Permit Audit Report
- Public Works Director Chris Wierzbicki presented findings from a Washington State Department of Ecology audit conducted in September 2025. The city was the first in the state to undergo such an audit in many years.
- Audit focused on three areas: mapping, illicit discharge detection, and operations/maintenance (including the decant facility). Findings included compliance items on mapping records, record-keeping gaps, and housekeeping issues at the decant facility. All issues have been or are being addressed.
- The city has a new GIS technician, is hiring a stormwater technician, and may seek consultant help to accelerate mapping. Council discussed costs and the adequacy of stormwater treatment in Winslow.
7.C: Photo Enforcement Community Engagement Plan
- Sergeant Fastaia presented options for a community engagement plan regarding automated traffic safety cameras. Proposed pre-implementation outreach budget of $15,000.
- Council debated privacy and cybersecurity concerns versus safety benefits, especially in school zones. A motion to authorize the $15,000 for pre-implementation communication and engagement passed 4-1 (Councilmember Nelson dissenting).
7.D: Community Arts Plan with Addendum
- Management Analyst Adam Nebenzahl presented the plan developed over two years with consultant Designing Local, including 200+ community engagements and an addendum based on feedback from arts organizations.
- Council accepted the plan 3-2 (Councilmembers Nelson and Lant dissenting). Councilmember Mathews noted acceptance does not mean adoption; further budget and prioritization work needed.
7.E: Call for Poetry for Council Chambers Public Art
- Nebenzahl presented a request from the Public Art Committee to issue a call for poetry and run a selection process, with expenditure up to $10,250 from the Public Art Subfund.
- Motion passed 4-1 (Councilmember Nelson dissenting).
7.F: Winslow Way Eastbound Right Turn Lane Conversion to Bicycle-Only Lane
- Public Works Director Wierzbicki described converting the right turn lane at Winslow Way and Highway 305 to a bicycle-only lane with a bike box, similar to other legs of the intersection. Estimated cost $25,000, not in current budget.
- Council authorized a budget amendment of $25,000 from the Streets Fund to support construction before July 4. Motion passed 5-0.
7.G: City Manager Recruitment Process Update
- Councilmember Mathews provided an update from the subcommittee (Hytopoulos, Fantroy-Johnson, Mathews). A community survey is open until March 20 to gather input on desired qualities. A special council meeting on March 31 will review the recruitment brochure. Position posting in April, initial selection in May, final selection in June.
7.H: Appointments to Lodging Tax Advisory Committee
- Council confirmed four appointments (Keith Brofsky, Aljolynn Sperber, Shannon Fitzgerald, Kathleen Thorne) each by 5-0 vote.
Key Outcomes
- Approved consent agenda with removal of 5D, then approved 5D separately (5-0 each).
- Accepted the Community Arts Plan (3-2).
- Approved $15,000 for photo enforcement community engagement (4-1).
- Approved $10,250 for poetry call for council chambers public art (4-1).
- Approved $25,000 budget amendment for Winslow Way bike lane conversion (5-0).
- Confirmed four appointments to Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (each 5-0).
- Deferred further action on transportation levy until after budget review and new city manager onboarding.
Meeting Transcript
Recording in progress. Calling to order the city council regular business meeting of Tuesday, March 10th, 2026. Um we have two council members absent. Or sorry, we have one remote briefly, uh, the mayor, uh, one council member Panfray Johnson will be absent today uh with an excused absence, and we have five council members present, as well as the as the um not acting city manager as the interim city manager and our city attorney. Uh City Clerk, could you please call the role? Yes, thank you. Christine Brown, City Clerk, please state for the record if you're present after I call your name. Deputy Mayor Hytopolis, present, Councilmember Matthews, present. Council Member Nelson, present. Council Member Land, present. Council Member Schneider. Present. And Councilmember Morowaki. Present. Thank you. Thank you. Um could I have a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Seconded. Okay. All those in favor. Okay. I think we're supposed to do Pledge of Allegiance, it's not on the flag. And not on the another in the meeting. Is that next? Okay, sorry, folks. Individual liberty and justice for all. I'm going to quickly ask if there are any conflicts of interest to declare. And seeing none, I believe we do want to move on to the land acknowledgement. And that will be read by Councilmember Nelson. Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove has been hollowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the Sequamish people of clear saltwater. Expert fishermen, canoe builders, and basket weavers, the Sequamish live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington's central Salish Sea, as they have for thousands of years. Here the Sequamish live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations, as promised by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855. Thank you. Next up, we have two presentations. And whereas on March 30th, 1942, only six with only six days notification, 227 Bainbridge Islanders of Japanese American descent were herded aboard the ferry Kolokin and sent to concentration camps in California and Minidoka, Idaho, the first of thousands of Japanese Americans forced to abandon their homes and belongings to live undergarded camps scattered throughout the United States. And whereas under a nationwide fog of fear, war hysteria, and prejudice, our community stood by their Japanese American friends and neighbors, notably Bainbridge Bainbridge Review Publishers, Walt and Millie Woodward, who consistently opposed the actions of our government. And whereas after World War II, over half of the exiled islanders returned to Bainbridge Island, where they were welcomed and returned and resumed their roles as valued members of the Bainbridge Island community. And in 2008, it was designated as a satellite unit of the Minidoka National Historic Site in Idaho. And whereas the mission of the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial is Nedotonayoni, let it not happen again, which serves as both an aspiration and a call to action. And whereas the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 allowed the unconscionable events of Japanese exclusion, and also for today's unjust acts of prejudice, assault, and death against immigrants of color and those who protect them. Now I, Clarence Moriwaki, mayor of the City of Bainbridge Island on behalf of the City Council to hear why proclaim March 30th, 2026 as Nidoto Nayoni Let It Happen Again Day in the City of Bainbridge Island and urge Islanders to speak to this issue and attend a commemoration event with the theme Remember Me. We have lived with the scars of Japanese American exclusion for many years. We have not forgotten, and we insist that this history not repeat itself dated 10th day of March 2026, signed by me, Mayorable Clarence Moriocki. And to present us to receive this proclamation is uh the president of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American community, uh Carol Wrights, and I would invite all my colleagues on the dais to please join her in the presentation of that proclamation. Thank you very much. And I I would just like to say a few words. I think one of the most important things that the Bainbridge Island Japanese American community can do is to lead tours of the exclusion memorial.
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