Bainbridge Island City Council Regular Business Meeting - October 27, 2026

The City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in Council Chambers and via Zoom. All council members were present, the agenda was approved unanimously, and no conflicts were disclosed. The meeting included a Native American Heritage Month proclamation, general and budget public testimony, approval of the consent agenda, the first public hearing on the preliminary 2027-2028 biennial budget and 2027-2032 capital improvement plan (CIP), a package of budget amendments, and forwarding of the 2027 home compostable food service ware product list.

Native American Heritage Month Proclamation

• Mayor Clarence Moriwaki proclaimed November 2026 as Native American Heritage Month, recognizing the Suquamish people, the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855, and the city's government-to-government relationship with the Suquamish Tribe.
• Joy Rapata Belmont, the first Native American and Filipino graduate of Bainbridge High School, accepted the proclamation. Her daughter, Tracy Tabafunda, described her mother's resilience and the Nooksack tribal disenrollment experience, and praised the Suquamish Tribe's Since Time Immemorial curriculum.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Rick Eckert, vice commander of VFW Post 2463, introduced the post as the VFW for Bainbridge Island, described its veteran assistance work, and invited residents to upcoming events and the Poulsbo Veterans Day Parade.
• Matt Rain, a South Bainbridge water customer of Kitsap Public Utility District (KPUD), thanked city and KPUD leaders, reported that he was denied a building permit because water supply could not be guaranteed, and urged careful stewardship of water resources. He described the proposed water system intertie as an act of community solidarity.
• During the budget hearing, Lydia Henning urged the Council to restore annual funding to the housing trust fund and to tie human services grants to an external measure such as the CPI. She noted the city had contributed $100,000 per year in the past, has not funded the trust fund since 2022, and that grant requests totaled over $1 million against $660,000 available.
• Phaedra Elliott, executive director of Housing Resources Bainbridge, said HRB manages 121 rental homes and 75 ownership homes. She asked the Council to allocate money to the housing trust fund and to increase human services funding, noting the trust fund had zero dollars in the draft budget.
• A third budget commenter said he was not paid for his advocacy, encouraged more ambitious affordable housing funding, and stated that six of seven council members listed affordable housing as a budget priority and that all council members recognize subsidies are necessary.

Consent Calendar

• The Council approved the consent agenda as amended, pulling items H (short-term rentals), J (Mobility Advisory Committee work plan), and K (KPUD water intertie) for separate discussion. All other routine items, including accounts payable, meeting minutes, multiple purchase and agreement authorizations, and the cancellation of the November 3 study session, were approved together.
• Item H, Ordinance No. 2026-03 on short-term rentals, was amended to require that short-term rental advertisements not state a bedroom count greater than the number in Kitsap County property records. The amendment and the ordinance as amended were each approved 7-0.
• Item J, the 2026-2027 Mobility Advisory Committee work plan, was amended to encourage members to attend or view meetings of like-minded mobility groups without representing the city and to research relevant data sources. The amendment and the work plan as amended were each approved 7-0.
• Item K, authorizing the City Manager to execute the interlocal agreement with KPUD for an operational water system intertie, was approved 6-1, with the Deputy Mayor voting no. Supporters cited the seven-year term, no-fault cancellation, conservation check-ins, and specific summer limits; the Deputy Mayor wanted stronger reporting on super-users and long-term aquifer planning.

City Manager's Report

• The City Manager reported on attending the ICMA annual conference, upcoming recruitment for permanent planning and public works directors and a city attorney, community safety reminders, a slight uptick in car thefts, receipt of a permit for the Winslow Way and SR 305 protected bike lane project, completed road repairs in Fletcher Bay and Madison, and the listing of Frog Rock and the Ladybug on the Washington Heritage Register. He also encouraged voting.

Public Hearing: Preliminary 2027-2028 Budget and 2027-2032 CIP

• The City Manager framed the public hearing as the first of two. The proposed two-year budget, including transfers, was $154.5 million: $84.3 million for 2027 and $70.2 million for 2028. The next and potentially final hearing was scheduled for November 10, 2026.
• A motion to add $100,000 to help complete the Bainbridge Island Senior and Community Center was approved 5-2.
• A motion to remove the Olympic Drive Park Project, which included $1 million in REET funding proposed for 2029, from the CIP was approved 6-1.
• A Deputy Mayor's motion to add a public works budget line item addressing disproportionately high residential water consumption in the city's water utility, with attention to seasonal and discretionary outdoor use, was approved 7-0 after being amended to require staff to identify funding within the existing budget.
• A motion to direct the city manager to provide a recommendation on adding hydrogeology or hydrology expertise for groundwater management plan implementation failed 3-4.
• The Council approved an additional $75,000 for human services grant funding over the 2027-2028 biennium, after discussion about the human services grant having been flat at about $330,000 per year for a decade. The measure passed 7-0.
• A motion to reallocate $100,000 from the unrestricted general fund balance of the affordable housing fund to the housing trust fund, to be spent under the purpose of the trust fund, was approved 7-0.
• The Council approved a motion directing the city manager to bring back a recommendation on wastewater beneficial reuse, and later approved a community needs assessment line item estimated at about $125,000.
• A motion directing the city manager to provide a recommendation on incentives for monitoring individual wells was defeated.
• A motion to defer the $100,000 triennial building and development services fee study, later reframed as a request to consider whether deferring it would ease comprehensive plan cost pressures, was approved 5-2.
• The Council moved the preliminary budget ordinance to a second public hearing on November 10, 2026.

Regular Business: Home Compostable Food Service Ware Product List

• Management Analyst Adam Nevinsal presented Resolution No. 2026-06, the 2027 home compostable disposable food service ware product list. The proposed list contained 21 items, with seven added and one removed. Takeout catering trays and breakfast platters were removed because their price exceeded the 15 percent cost comparison threshold.
• The Council voted 7-0 to forward the resolution to a future business meeting for adoption.

Council Announcements

• Councilmember Nelson reported that the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee completed its allocation of $400,000 and would bring final recommendations to the Council on November 10.
• Councilmember Matthews reported on the Finch Green affordable housing groundbreaking. Councilmember Schneider noted a Helpline House EV charger ribbon cutting and a $10,000 Puget Sound Energy donation.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent agenda as amended, including the short-term rental ordinance, the Mobility Advisory Committee work plan, and the KPUD water intertie authorization.
• Held the first public hearing on the 2027-2028 budget and 2027-2032 CIP; scheduled the final hearing for November 10, 2026.
• Approved multiple budget amendments, including $100,000 for the Senior and Community Center, $75,000 for human services grants, $100,000 for the housing trust fund, a water-consumption management work item, a community needs assessment, and removal of the Olympic Drive Park CIP project.
• Directed the city manager to return with recommendations on wastewater beneficial reuse and other budget-related items.
• Forwarded Resolution No. 2026-06 on the 2027 home compostable food service ware product list to a future meeting.