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Record of Proceedings

Bainbridge Island City Council Study Session - July 21, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, July 21, 2026
BodyBainbridge Island, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:26:41

Original source
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0:08

I know, I know, it's very nervy, but we've been more unnerving with it.

0:46

We have a little bit of that.

0:52

Recording in progress.

0:55

Okay.

0:56

Calling to order the city council study session of Tuesday, July 21st, 2026.

1:03

All seven council members are here, and the city manager and our city attorney.

1:08

Um clerk, could you please call the roll?

1:11

Yes, thank you.

1:12

Christine Brown, City Clerk.

1:13

Please state for the record if you're present after I call your name.

1:16

Mayor Morwaki.

1:17

Present.

1:18

Deputy Mayor Hytopolis.

1:19

Present.

1:20

Councilmember Matthews.

1:21

Present.

1:22

Councilmember Fantroy Johnson.

1:23

Present.

1:24

Councilmember Nelson.

1:25

Present.

1:26

Councilmember Land.

1:27

Present.

1:28

Councilmember Schneider.

1:29

Present.

1:30

Thank you.

1:30

Thank you.

1:31

May I have a motion to approve the agenda.

1:34

I move to approve tonight's city council study session agenda is presented.

1:39

All those in favor?

1:41

Aye.

1:41

Aye.

1:42

Any opposed?

1:43

Motion carries unanimously.

1:45

Any conflicts of interest to disclose.

1:49

All right.

1:49

Seeing none, we'll move on to regular business.

1:51

Item 3A receive training from Washington City's insurance authority.

1:55

City manager.

1:57

Thank you, Deputy Mayor Hytopolis.

1:59

Occasionally the council and staff set aside time for training in a study session, and tonight is one of those nights.

2:05

I'd like to welcome Ann Bennett from WCIA, who's going to be sorry, the Washington City's insurance authority to provide some training today to us.

2:13

I think Ms.

2:14

Bennett is available for questions as well.

2:16

So happy to step through this presentation and answer your questions as they come up.

2:21

Thank you.

2:21

Thank you.

2:22

Welcome.

2:22

Thank you very much.

2:27

This presentation is really about educating you as to what we do at WCIA and to help you avoid liability.

2:36

So we'll go through several topics tonight.

2:43

If there's something I say or you have a follow-up question, please, please, please feel free to ask along the way.

2:51

You do not have to hold your questions to the end.

2:55

So who are we?

3:20

After the first, well, I'll go through that in a minute.

3:23

Um, we use a series of uh reinsurers uh as well as our own retention.

3:30

But the main thing we're around for is for the benefit of members.

3:35

We are a member-driven organization.

3:37

Members are the ones that sit on our full board.

3:41

Members um also are elected to our executive board, and so members make all of the decisions regarding the direction and the strategic plan of WCIA.

3:53

We also exist to help you reduce losses through risk management, and that is really our goal to help you be a very well risk managed city, and that's one of the reasons I'm here tonight.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement███████████████████████████████31%
Technology and Innovation███████████████████19%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████11%
Insurance Liability████████8%
Risk Management████████8%
Pending Litigation███████7%
Community Engagement██████6%
Procedural████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Bainbridge Island City Council Study Session - July 21, 2026

The Bainbridge Island City Council held a study session on July 21, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers and via Zoom. All seven council members were present. The meeting included a training session from the Washington Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA), a discussion on potential revisions to the Governance Manual regarding social media use, and a discussion on the Council budget process, engagement, and priorities. The council also heard committee reports and adjourned at 8:25 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Agenda: The agenda was approved unanimously (7-0) with no conflicts of interest disclosed.

Discussion Items

  • Receive Training from WCIA: Ann Bennett, WCIA Executive Director, provided a presentation on risk management, liability, and best practices for council members. Topics included immunity during legislating, land use liability, personnel issues, negligent misrepresentation, defamation, public works and road design, executive session confidentiality, and social media risks. Questions were addressed by Ms. Bennett and the City Attorney.
  • Discuss Governance Manual and Potential Revisions Relating to Social Media Use: Council discussed the need for clearer policies on social media use, open public meetings, and record retention. There was consensus to address this topic at a future council retreat. Councilmember Nelson noted specific errors in the manual (e.g., term expiration years, mayor/deputy mayor selection frequency). No formal motion was made on this item.
  • Discuss Council Budget Process, Engagement and Priorities: Interim City Manager Schroer presented the budget timeline, a community budget survey (June-July 2026), and survey results showing top priorities: road maintenance, water/sewer infrastructure, affordable housing, and groundwater management. The survey was not statistically valid. Council discussed the process for updating work plan priorities. A motion was made and seconded to direct the Interim City Manager to work with council on gathering priorities and schedule further discussion.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion on Budget Process: Councilmember Lant moved, and Councilmember Nelson seconded, to direct the Interim City Manager to work with Council to gather information on Council's priorities and areas of emphasis and schedule further discussion at a future meeting. The motion passed unanimously (7-0).
  • Governance Manual Revisions: No formal action taken; council agreed to continue discussions at a future retreat.
  • Next Steps: Staff will provide council with a simplified project list for priority ranking by August 3, 2026, with discussion scheduled for August 11, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

I know, I know, it's very nervy, but we've been more unnerving with it. We have a little bit of that. Recording in progress. Okay. Calling to order the city council study session of Tuesday, July 21st, 2026. All seven council members are here, and the city manager and our city attorney. Um clerk, could you please call the roll? Yes, thank you. Christine Brown, City Clerk. Please state for the record if you're present after I call your name. Mayor Morwaki. Present. Deputy Mayor Hytopolis. Present. Councilmember Matthews. Present. Councilmember Fantroy Johnson. Present. Councilmember Nelson. Present. Councilmember Land. Present. Councilmember Schneider. Present. Thank you. Thank you. May I have a motion to approve the agenda. I move to approve tonight's city council study session agenda is presented. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Any conflicts of interest to disclose. All right. Seeing none, we'll move on to regular business. Item 3A receive training from Washington City's insurance authority. City manager. Thank you, Deputy Mayor Hytopolis. Occasionally the council and staff set aside time for training in a study session, and tonight is one of those nights. I'd like to welcome Ann Bennett from WCIA, who's going to be sorry, the Washington City's insurance authority to provide some training today to us. I think Ms. Bennett is available for questions as well. So happy to step through this presentation and answer your questions as they come up. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you very much. This presentation is really about educating you as to what we do at WCIA and to help you avoid liability. So we'll go through several topics tonight.

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