OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bainbridge Island City Council Study Session, August 18, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, August 18, 2026
BodyBainbridge Island, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, August 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:10:29

Transcript — Verbatim
0:30

Recording in progress.

0:45

I'd like to call tonight's city council study session for Tuesday, August 18th, 2026, to order.

0:51

City Clerk, would you please call the roll?

0:55

Yes, thank you, Mayor.

0:56

Christine Brown, City Clerk.

0:58

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

1:01

Mayor Morrowaki.

1:02

Present.

1:02

Councilmember Matthews.

1:04

Present.

1:04

Councilmember Fantroy Johnson.

1:06

Present.

1:07

Councilmember Nelson.

1:08

Present.

1:09

Councilmember Land.

1:11

Present.

1:12

Councilmember Schneider.

1:14

Present.

1:14

Thank you.

1:15

And it should be noted that the Deputy Mayor Christian Itoulos would normally chair this meeting, but she has the week the day off for some very important business that she has to take care of.

1:25

So note that we have six members present and one excused absence.

1:30

All right.

1:31

Take a motion for approval of tonight's study session agenda.

1:34

So moved.

1:35

Thank you, Councilmember Nelson.

1:36

There's a second.

1:36

Second.

1:37

Move my councilmember Nelson, second and my councilmember Frentler Johnson to approve tonight's agenda.

1:42

All in favor, please say aye.

1:43

Aye.

1:44

Aye.

1:44

Opposed.

1:46

Council votes 5-0 to chair votes.

1:48

Ayes and total was 6-0.

1:50

Any conflict of interest to discuss this evening.

1:54

All right.

1:55

So let's just dive right in.

1:57

Uh 3A, regular business.

1:59

So let's receive the 2025 annual report and review 2026 work plan for the ethics board.

2:06

Thank you, Mayor.

2:07

Alan Trower, interim city manager, and I'd like to welcome the chair of the ethics board to the podium.

2:12

We hear from our city advisory groups, commissions, bodies, boards, and committees annually.

2:19

And the chair typically provides a report and presents a work plan for you.

2:24

This is the first time we have heard this work plan, and uh we will consider it again at a future business meeting for final approval.

2:32

Thank you, Chair Keating.

2:34

Great.

2:34

Um good evening, and thank you guys for the opportunity to let you know what we're doing and what we want to do.

2:39

Um I'll just run through it quickly, and if you have any questions, let me know at the end of that.

2:42

I'm Dona Keating.

2:43

I am the former chair, um, but I'm here tonight to finish up you know the work that I started.

2:49

So um the report on our 2025 activities.

2:52

Um we had some complaints and advisory opinions uh in 2025, uh three previously deferred complaints that were related to the City Code of Conduct and Ethics Program.

3:02

And the outcomes were as follows.

3:05

Uh EB 2021-04.

3:08

The board dismissed this complaint after determining that the alleged facts did not meet the threshold of a violation under Article 2, Section D1C of the program.

3:18

Um EB 202105, the complaint was also dismissed by a vote of four to one.

3:24

The board found that even if the facts presented were accurate, they did not amount to a significant financial or private interest as defined under Article 2, Section D1B.

3:33

EB 202106, the board voted to dismiss this complaint with four members in favor and one abstention, concluding that the allegations did not meet the definition of a property-related conflict according to Article 2 Section D1C.

3:49

Prior to the deliberations, we conducted a thorough conflict of interest review and found no disqualifying conflicts.

4:12

Leadership appointments for the year reaffirmed me as chair.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Short Term Rentals█████████████████████████25%
Personnel Matters████████████████16%
Comprehensive Planning██████████████14%
Procedural███████████11%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Public Safety█████5%
Technology and Innovation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Bainbridge Island City Council Study Session – August 18, 2026

The Bainbridge Island City Council held a study session on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 7:09 PM in Council Chambers and via Zoom. Mayor Moriwaki presided with Councilmembers Fantroy-Johnson, Lant, Mathews, Nelson, and Schneider present; Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos was absent and excused. The council discussed three regular business items: the Ethics Board annual report and workplan, proposed amendments to the short-term rental ordinance, and prioritization of the Planning Commission's deferred items list. All agenda items were approved, and motions were passed with one dissent.

Ethics Board Report

Former Ethics Board Chair Dona Keating presented the 2025 annual report and 2026 workplan. In 2025, the board dismissed three deferred complaints (EB2021-04, EB2021-05, EB2021-06) after finding no violations under the City Code of Conduct and Ethics Program. Votes were 4-1 or 4-0 with one abstention. The board experienced vacancies and new appointments, and training updates were delayed pending council action on code changes. Outstanding recommendations include establishing a statute of limitations for complaints, maintaining mandatory annual training, updating the code to allow city manager advisory opinions, and increasing youth participation. Councilmember Land asked about communication without a council liaison; Keating noted direct communication with the mayor and deputy mayor. Councilmember Nelson questioned Article 1 (code of conduct) and supported a statute of limitations. Keating emphasized the educational role of the board. Council moved to forward the report and workplan to a future business meeting; the motion carried 6-0.

Short-Term Rental Ordinance 2026-03

Management Analyst Laura Shear presented clarifying amendments to the short-term rental (STR) code after two years of implementation. Current stats: 155 licensed STRs, 200 applications resulting in 120 new business licenses, 97% registration rate, and six noise/party violations involving three properties. Proposed amendments clarify the STR definition (removing kitchen requirement), update penalties/enforcement, and streamline registration. A revised purpose statement adds language about operating standards for compatibility with residential neighborhoods. Councilmember Land reported consulting with innkeepers, Airbnb, and staff; supports adding bedroom count consistency with city-approved records instead of septic capacity. Councilmember Nelson expressed concern about allowing STRs (effectively hotels) in conservation areas and moved to strike “bed and breakfast” from Section 2.E, but the motion failed for lack of a second. Councilmember Mathews noted the 21st Century Road to Housing Act limits institutional investors in single-family homes. The council then voted 6-1 (Nelson opposed) to forward Ordinance 2026-03 to a future meeting for consideration of approval.

Planning Commission Deferred Items (Post-Adoption List)

Planning Commission Chair Chris Garcia described the list of 10+ items carried over from the Comprehensive Plan update as a “junk drawer” needing validation and prioritization. The list had not been reviewed by the full planning commission and varies in scope from minor fixes to major structural changes (e.g., park zoning, form-based code, inclusionary zoning). Garcia proposed a workshop on August 27 with Interim Planning Director Emily Terrell to triage, estimate effort, and build a 2027 workplan. Council supported sending the list back to the planning commission for refinement. Councilmember Mathews emphasized the value of new member orientation. Councilmember Nelson suggested park zoning as a high priority and raised concerns about in-lieu fees for inclusionary zoning. Councilmember Schneider asked for estimated effort and an impact/why statement for each item. Councilmember Land requested staff input (Emily Terrell) and favored prioritizing quick wins. Council voted 6-0 to refer the post-adoption list to the Planning Commission for refinement and prioritization in connection with its 2027 workplan.

Committee Reports

Councilmember Mathews shared experiences volunteering at Chief Seattle Days and noted recent Kitsap Public Health District board interviews and a state health board meeting regarding upcoming OSS (on-site sewage system) regulations. Councilmember Land reported interviewing five applicants for the Human Services Funding Task Force. Mayor Moriwaki noted the senior center project is progressing well. Councilmember Schneider raised concerns about traffic safety at the intersection of Winslow Way and Highway 305 during a demonstration, with dangerous pedestrian and vehicle conflicts.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of Agenda: Approved 6-0.
  • Ethics Board Report and Workplan: Motion to forward to a future business meeting for approval carried 6-0.
  • Short-Term Rental Ordinance 2026-03: Motion to forward to a future council meeting carried 6-1 (Councilmember Nelson opposed).
  • Planning Commission Deferred List: Motion to refer to Planning Commission for refinement and prioritization in connection with the 2027 workplan carried 6-0.
  • Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 7:09 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress. I'd like to call tonight's city council study session for Tuesday, August 18th, 2026, to order. City Clerk, would you please call the roll? Yes, thank you, Mayor. Christine Brown, City Clerk. Please state for the record if you're present after I call your name. Mayor Morrowaki. Present. Councilmember Matthews. Present. Councilmember Fantroy Johnson. Present. Councilmember Nelson. Present. Councilmember Land. Present. Councilmember Schneider. Present. Thank you. And it should be noted that the Deputy Mayor Christian Itoulos would normally chair this meeting, but she has the week the day off for some very important business that she has to take care of. So note that we have six members present and one excused absence. All right. Take a motion for approval of tonight's study session agenda. So moved. Thank you, Councilmember Nelson. There's a second. Second. Move my councilmember Nelson, second and my councilmember Frentler Johnson to approve tonight's agenda. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed. Council votes 5-0 to chair votes. Ayes and total was 6-0. Any conflict of interest to discuss this evening. All right. So let's just dive right in. Uh 3A, regular business. So let's receive the 2025 annual report and review 2026 work plan for the ethics board. Thank you, Mayor. Alan Trower, interim city manager, and I'd like to welcome the chair of the ethics board to the podium. We hear from our city advisory groups, commissions, bodies, boards, and committees annually. And the chair typically provides a report and presents a work plan for you. This is the first time we have heard this work plan, and uh we will consider it again at a future business meeting for final approval. Thank you, Chair Keating. Great. Um good evening, and thank you guys for the opportunity to let you know what we're doing and what we want to do. Um I'll just run through it quickly, and if you have any questions, let me know at the end of that. I'm Dona Keating. I am the former chair, um, but I'm here tonight to finish up you know the work that I started.

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