Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Bainbridge Island City Council held a study session on October 20, 2026, primarily focused on a detailed presentation from the Public Works Department regarding the proposed 2027-2028 biennium budget ($71.3 million) and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). A scheduled update from the EPA on the Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor project was removed from the agenda due to the presenter's illness and will be rescheduled.
Interim Public Works Director Henry S., City Engineer Peter Carellis, Assistant Director Tom Edwards, and Administrative Supervisor Kathy Misenberg presented the department's 5 divisions, 59 employees, and the proposed $71.3 million biennium budget.
Councilmembers engaged in extensive Q&A with staff on several key themes:
City Clerk, would you call the roll, please? Yes, thank you. Christine Brown, City Clerk. Please state for the record if you're present after I call your name. Mayor Milwaukee. President. Deputy Mayor Hytopolis. Present. Councilmember Matthews. Present. Councilmember Fantray Johnson. Present. Councilmember Land. Present. Councilmember Schneider. Present. Thank you. Thank you. Before we move forward with approving the agenda, we just need to clarify that item A will be being removed. I don't know if we want to maybe have if we need to have a motion on that, or we can just remove it. I don't believe you need a motion, but we will note that the item has been removed due to illness of the presenter and will be rescheduled in the future. Great. So may I have a motion to approve the agenda as amended. I moved to have tonight's study session approved. Study session agenda approved as amended. Second. Okay. All those in favor. Aye. Aye. Carries unanimously. Um any conflicts of interest to disclose today. Seeing none, we'll move on to item four A, regular business, receive department presentation from public works and discuss budget. Uh thank you, Council. Uh tonight, the focus of our meeting is the proposed budget, specifically the public works operating budget and the capital improvement plan. Public works is our largest department in terms of people, and through the capital spending, also the largest portion of the city's budget. I want to welcome our staff who are here tonight to talk about that. A couple of comments before I hand this over. First, you'll see items in the public works budget that align closely with the priorities that we've established for roads, for groundwater management, for water conservation, and all the ongoing programs and services of public works. And then just a quick look at the deliberation process last week and this, you are receiving information from the departments on their budgets. We are hoping to have discussion and questions about that tonight. And then if you can go back, I'm sorry. Thank you, Deputy City Manager. Uh good evening, Mayor Council. Deputy City Managers. City Attorney, City Clerk, Ben, and the wonderful people of public works here. It's really a pleasure to be here tonight.