Bainbridge Island City Council Regular Business Meeting – August 11, 2026

The Bainbridge Island City Council met on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 9:33 pm in Council Chambers and via Zoom. Mayor Moriwaki presided; Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos and Councilmembers Fantroy-Johnson, Lant, Nelson, and Schneider were present, and Councilmember Mathews joined remotely at 6:02 pm. Councilmember Fantroy-Johnson read the Land Acknowledgement. The agenda was approved 7-0 and no conflicts were disclosed.

Presentations

• Mayor Moriwaki and Councilmember Schneider presented a proclamation declaring August 2026 as National Emergency Management Awareness Month. Emergency Manager Ann LeSage accepted and invited residents to a disaster hubs open house on August 14 at 4:30 pm at Highland Middle School.
• Tony Ives, Executive Director of Kitsap Community Resources (KCR), presented the Community Needs Survey. KCR's 2025 data includes supporting 210 veterans, assisting nearly 8,800 households with energy assistance, and producing 75,000 meals. Bainbridge-specific results from the prior survey showed 50% of respondents reported no concerns, 25% cited cost of rent, 16% cited not enough housing supply, 15% cited utility costs, 12% cited weatherization needs, and 3% cited fear of eviction or insufficient shelters. The current survey opened July 6 and closes at the end of October; Kitsap Public Health District epidemiologists help validate responses. Last survey's top needs were housing, multilingual resource information, health care access, and transportation.

Consent Calendar

• Councilmember Nelson pulled item 5.F, and Councilmember Lant pulled item 5.E. The remaining consent agenda was approved 7-0, including accounts payable/payroll, meeting minutes, and Amendment No. 8 to the Skillings, Inc. professional services agreement ($42,715 from the Sewer Fund).
• Item 5.E, an interlocal agreement with Kitsap County for noxious weed control, was approved 7-0 after Interim Public Works Director Hash explained use is limited to designated noxious weeds, applied only when requested and after homeowner notification/opt-out.
• Item 5.F, the Pleasant Beach Drive Extension construction contract with Nordland Construction NW, Inc. for $490,087.41 plus an $86,000 budget amendment, was approved 6-1. A prior motion to rebid failed 1-6. Councilmember Nelson voted against, citing a single bid $115,000 over the engineer's estimate.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Several residents discussed infrastructure costs, road maintenance, and budget priorities. Chris Frey noted the combined water tower and Head of the Bay projects he estimated at $17 million and urged fiscal caution. David Schutz cited a 2023 road condition score of 70 out of 100 for 280 lane miles and said over 50% of community survey respondents prioritized roads. Carole Clement called for a post-mortem on overruns and asked council to review staffing/FtE growth since COVID. John Grinter, speaking as a private individual, supported pragmatic infrastructure investments and local funding. Ron Peltier opposed a road bond or levy lid lift and urged prioritization of core services. Lisa Neal raised road maintenance, code enforcement, and infrastructure costs for housing projects. Dawn Janow supported the Finch Green and Wintergreen grant applications and urged a holistic budget and comp plan approach.
• Stephen Hoskins addressed the Department of Commerce extension: he asked council to submit the 'February values' plus the two-acre mandatory inclusionary zoning program to Commerce, warning that large parcels could otherwise be lost to market-rate development; he said if Commerce rejects it, going non-compliant may be preferable. Jon Quitslund criticized lack of public information about the extension and comp plan process, calling the extension request a mistake.
• Mary Hekman, speaking as a community member, urged responsible contracting, especially regarding the Lehigh contract, and said design-build contracts are inherently risky and require certification under state law; she asked for parent guarantees and 'skin in the game.' Hayes Gori, on behalf of Wintergreen Townhomes, spoke in favor of the Wintergreen CHIP grant application, noting last year's application scored 74 points, one point below the 75 cutoff, and the project needs funding due to rising costs and loss of USDA financing.

Discussion Items

• Council Budget Priorities: Interim City Manager Schroer presented a consolidated priority list based on council members' project selections. The top areas with at least four votes were affordable housing, water conservation/groundwater management, road maintenance, climate action, and sustainable transportation. Councilmembers discussed missing items, including comprehensive plan implementation and equity/climate lenses. A motion to endorse the list as a strong tentative list for a future business meeting carried 7-0. The council took a recess from 8:14 pm to 8:18 pm.
• Housing Accountability Act Extension Response: Staff explained Commerce denied the 120-day extension and set August 26 as the deadline for interim development regulations; noncompliance would trigger the builder's remedy. Council approved, 6-1 with Councilmember Nelson opposed, an amended motion directing staff to submit development regulations to Commerce for a 60-day review by August 12, including the Planning Commission's July 23 mandatory inclusionary zoning recommendation, and to schedule interim adoption consideration for August 25. A second motion to direct staff to obtain a land capacity analysis comparing July 14 council direction and July 23 Planning Commission recommendation carried 5-1, with Mayor Moriwaki voting against and Councilmember Lant abstaining.
• Finch Green CHIP Grant: Council unanimously authorized the Interim City Manager to prepare an MOU with Housing Resources Bainbridge and apply for a $418,000 CHIP grant for the Finch Green 100% Affordable Housing Project.
• Wintergreen Phase II CHIP Grant: Council unanimously authorized an MOU with Central Highland Homes and a CHIP application for the Wintergreen Phase II 32% Affordable Housing Project. The agenda listed the request as approximately $744,000, while the approved motion and minutes stated approximately $774,000.
• Eagle Harbor Drive / Wyatt Way Change Order: City Engineer Corelis explained Change Order No. 3 ($474,867.46) resulted from bid and WSDOT review delays, traffic control costs, design fixes, utility conflicts, and PSE scheduling disruptions. Total change orders were about $718,000, roughly 28% of project cost; the engineer's estimate was $2.95 million and final costs with maintenance items were about $3.174 million, with a future credit of $50,000–$60,000 expected. Consolidated spending for the road, water main, and culvert projects is $8.7 million, not $17 million. The change order was approved 7-0.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda and interlocal agreement approved; Pleasant Beach contract approved with one dissent.
• Endorsed tentative council budget priority list unanimously.
• Directed staff to submit interim Housing Accountability Act regulations with mandatory inclusionary zoning by August 12 and scheduled interim adoption consideration for August 25 (6-1).
• Directed staff to obtain a land capacity analysis on mandatory inclusionary zoning (5-1, one abstention).
• Authorized CHIP grant applications for Finch Green ($418,000) and Wintergreen (approximately $744,000 per agenda; approximately $774,000 per motion/minutes), both 7-0.
• Approved Change Order No. 3 for the Eagle Harbor Drive/Wyatt Way project 7-0.
• Agreed to place residential sport court standards on a future council agenda (7-0).