Bainbridge Island City Council Study Session – March 17, 2026

The Bainbridge Island City Council held a study session on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 8:25 pm in Council Chambers and via Zoom. Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos presided; Mayor Moriwaki attended remotely. Councilmembers Fantroy-Johnson, Lant, Mathews, Nelson, and Schneider were present in chambers. The council unanimously approved the agenda, 7-0, and no conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Utility Advisory Committee (UAC) 2025 Report and 2026 Work Plan

• Andy Maron, a UAC member, presented the report on behalf of the seven-member volunteer committee. He described 2025 work focused on the utility rate study, the stormwater system plan, the utilities element of the Comprehensive Plan, and the groundwater management plan.
• The proposed 2026 work plan continues groundwater management work, adds a water system business plan to assist smaller island water systems, includes a sewer pre-treatment ordinance, and provides comments on the utility budget and capital improvement plan.
• Councilmember Land raised Kitsap Public Utility District's South End water capacity notice and suggested water conservation and utility-construction coordination as possible work plan topics. Councilmember Schneider also asked for options on water conservation. Councilmember Nelson asked about long-term consolidation of island water systems and whether UAC could contribute to the city's guiding principles. Councilmember Mathews asked about coordinating with the Planning Commission and ensuring UAC is involved in future sewer build-out analysis. Mayor Moriwaki cautioned against expanding UAC's scope beyond city-owned utilities and overlapping with the Climate Change Advisory Committee.
• Maron emphasized UAC is advisory to the council and will take council direction. Council did not adopt the UAC work plan at this meeting.

Race Equity Advisory Committee (REAC) 2025 Report and 2026 Work Plan

• REAC Co-Chair Caitlin Lombardi presented the committee's report. 2025 highlights included supporting the council's reaffirmation of the welcoming city ordinance and police immigration policy, collaborating on a zero-emissions hand tools recommendation, participating in a racial equity toolkit workshop, submitting affordable housing recommendations, working with the Planning Commission on revised guiding principles, and recommending that the council oppose federal grant conditions tied to immigration enforcement or DEI representations.
• The 2026 work plan includes advising council on policy and national-level issues, regular meetings with city leadership, applying a racial equity lens, community engagement events such as bystander trainings and responses to hate behavior, guiding principles work, affordable housing support, and use of an equity lens in the city manager hiring process.
• Councilmember Mathews read the draft revised guiding principles prepared with the Planning Commission and expressed support. Councilmember Nelson asked about the draft racial equity toolkit, REAC's past budget of about $20,000, the meaning of "events responsive to anticipated hate behavior," and raised scope concerns, including a REAC member's coordination with UFCW 3000 to organize public comment on the 625 Winslow Way project. Lombardi defended the effort as ensuring excluded worker voices were heard.
• Councilmember Fantroy-Johnson said REAC's direction was already established by the welcoming city ordinance and historic hate incidents on the island. Councilmember Land said the new council needs more alignment, including ward meetings and a council retreat, before giving final direction on new work. Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos suggested that ongoing work can continue while council feedback is refined. No vote was taken on the REAC work plan.

Mobility for Islanders: Recommendations to Address Transportation Access Gaps

• Climate Sustainability Manager Ryser introduced the report; Greg Dronkert of Mobility for All presented, with Kitsap Transit's Sanjay Bhatt present to offer agency context.
• The study addressed three transportation gaps: after-hours and weekend travel for ferry passengers arriving in Bainbridge; non-commute connectivity between the Winslow business area, High School Road, Coppertop, and Winslow Way; and connectivity between Winslow and Lynwood Center.
• The proposed approach is a phased pilot circulator plus demand-responsive service, supplementing Kitsap Transit and flexing after Kitsap Transit leaves the island. The modeled pilot would use two vehicles plus a third flex vehicle, with service from 4:00 am to midnight on weekdays and 8:00 am to midnight on weekends, at an estimated cost of $1.3 million to $1.6 million including planning; steady-state operations would be about $1.2 million to $1.3 million annually.
• Council members asked about school district partnerships, pets and service animals, grant opportunities, accessible vehicles, pilots creating dependency, funding constraints, city liability and staffing, integration with the BI Ride/Pingo app, and ways to coordinate with Kitsap Transit. Mayor Moriwaki questioned whether the city should operate the service and noted ongoing budget constraints. Dronkert said city operation was possible but not recommended, and contracting or partnering with Kitsap Transit should be explored first.
• Sanjay Bhatt noted Kitsap Transit operates 21 mobility services on Bainbridge Island, including fixed routes, on-demand services, vanpools, paratransit, and the bike barn. He cited a 2021 survey in which a quarter of respondents did not know fixed routes operated on the island and 45% did not know about BI Ride or vanpools. He also noted an earlier Winslow circulator, Route 100, was discontinued due to low ridership and that a Copper Top stop has seen little use, cautioning against the assumption that "if you build it, they will come."

Committee Reports

• Councilmember Mathews reported on the Planning Commission, which continued Comprehensive Plan work, approved a Comprehensive Plan amendment application subject to legal review, and will hold a special meeting March 18 to continue housing and other elements.
• Councilmember Nelson reported the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee orientation: about $400,000 is available, while applications total about $749,000, with presentations scheduled Monday.
• Councilmember Land reported on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, including a wood stove replacement program that has removed 9,150 stoves since 2006, equal to about 141 tons of emissions.
• Councilmember Schneider shared regional commute data from PSRC showing that residents in several small communities have the highest shares of workers commuting over an hour, with Bainbridge Island also ranking high; she called it a significant transportation issue.
• Mayor Moriwaki reported on Kitsap Transit's morning meeting on a potential Bremerton–Bainbridge passenger-only ferry. The study estimated more than $60 million for vessels, terminals, and operations, and the agency concluded it lacked capacity to pursue the service; the report was accepted with no further action.

Key Outcomes

• The council unanimously approved the agenda, 7-0, and disclosed no conflicts.
• The council received the UAC and REAC 2025 reports and 2026 work plans but took no formal approval action; comments and requested follow-up items were directed to staff and the committees.
• The council unanimously accepted the Mobility for Islanders report and referred it to the Mobility Advisory Committee's 2026 work plan to develop next-step recommendations, 7-0.
• The meeting adjourned at 8:25 pm.