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Record of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting - July 5, 2022

City Council — Tuesday, July 5, 2022
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 5, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

Technical hold.

0:10

We're live now, Mayor.

0:11

Thank you.

0:13

I would like to call to order the city council meeting of July the 5th, 2022.

0:18

Tonight's meeting is a hybrid meeting.

0:20

Community members are welcome to join us either in person or remotely through Zoom or by telephone.

0:26

Before calling the role for this meeting, I'd like to entertain a mess or a motion to excuse Council Member Pascal.

0:34

So moved.

0:35

Move by Council Member Curtis, seconded by Council Member Falcon.

0:41

I did that alphabetically.

0:46

All those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

0:48

Aye.

0:49

Aye.

0:50

Opposed.

0:51

The motion carries.

0:53

And Councilmember Pascal is excused.

0:55

Clerk, will you please call the roll for today's meeting?

0:58

Councilmember Nixon.

1:00

Here.

1:00

Council Member Black.

1:02

Here.

1:02

Council Member Curtis.

1:03

Here.

1:04

Council Member Falcone.

1:06

Here.

1:07

Deputy Mayor Arnold.

1:08

Here.

1:08

Mayor Sweet.

1:09

Here.

1:11

Our study session tonight is on a transportation benefit district update and a school resource officer program update.

1:18

We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at approximately 7 30.

1:23

City manager.

1:25

Okay, so thank you, Madam Mayor.

1:27

So we have these two topics tonight, and we have up to 45 minutes for each topic.

1:32

They may not take that long, or they could go a little bit longer.

1:35

The first one is a joint presentation on the transportation benefit district between finance and public works.

1:42

It's going to be kicked off by George Dugdale, our financial planning manager, and then Ray Steiker, sorry, one of our capital projects manager will also be part of it.

1:49

And then I also have with us live in the chambers, Julie Underwood, our public works director, and Glenn Akromov, who's our acting superintendent, in case you have questions.

1:58

So with that, I will turn it over to George.

2:03

Thank you, City Manager.

2:04

Just gonna share my screen quickly here.

2:09

Okay, can everybody can everybody see that?

2:11

Perfect.

2:12

Great.

2:13

Okay, thank you.

2:14

So as I said, thank you, City Manager.

2:16

Um, good evening, Mayor, Council members.

2:18

So we have 17 slides for you tonight on the potential TBD.

2:22

Um, there are a number of places we're looking for council feedback, and we also have another topic on the as mentioned on the agenda.

2:28

So I'm going to be uh not exactly rushing but moving through the slides.

2:32

So if there is anything that's not clear, um please stop me and ask.

2:35

And as the city manager mentioned, we have a team from both public works and finance here ready to answer questions on both the projects and the timing details, should those arise.

2:47

Okay, so a quick look at the agenda.

2:50

Um, we'll start with some background on how we got here to this presentation.

2:54

After that, there's a few slides uh to go of the public works operational assessment and how that relates to the transition benefit district.

3:01

I'll then hand over to Ray to go through some um possible CIB project options for the TBD before we'll finish by looking at some of the timing and uh other considerations on the administrative side.

3:15

George, can you speak up just a little bit?

3:18

Yeah, apologies, is it too quiet?

3:20

I will I was I would try and speak up.

3:22

I'm not sure why my computer's been a bit quiet, but um, let me know again if I if I get too quiet.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety██████████████████18%
Technology and Innovation██████████10%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Affordable Housing█████████9%
Transportation████████8%
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Belonging███████7%
Community Engagement█████5%
Racial Equity█████5%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting - July 5, 2022

The Kirkland City Council held a regular meeting on July 5, 2022, starting with a study session at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m., adjourning at 10:57 p.m. The meeting included a study session on the Transportation Benefit District (TBD) and the School Resource Officer (SRO) program, followed by honors, public hearings, special presentations, a consent calendar, and several business items. Key decisions included approving the consent calendar (6-0), extending the moratorium on autonomous personal delivery devices (6-0), adopting the police body-worn camera ordinance with facial recognition restrictions (6-0), adopting the DEIB 5-Year Roadmap with multiple amendments (6-0), and directing staff to bring back a fiscal note for $50,000/year for three years for the Kirkland Parks and Community Foundation (6-0). Council also discussed tenant protection policies and the SRO program, providing direction for further outreach.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously (6-0) including:
    • Minutes of June 21, 2022 (two sets)
    • Audit of accounts: payroll $4,741,786.70 and bills $9,541,940.05
    • Award of bids for the 2022 Street Overlay Project
    • Approval of a hotel voucher program with Catholic Community Services (up to $117,482)
    • Art concepts for Fire Station 22 (artist Shelley Beishline) and Fire Station 27 (artist Thomas Drugan)
    • Acceptance of a $21,000 donation for a labyrinth at 132nd Square Park (Resolution R-5549)
    • Ordinance O-4804 regulating busking (adopted new Chapter 11.85 of KMC)
    • Ordinance O-4805 amending notice of public meetings (KMC 3.10.010)
    • May 2022 Sales Tax Report and Procurement Report

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Firefighters (Caleb Coke, Justin Becker, Evan Hurley, Jonathan Ishmael) – Expressed deep concern about a staffing crisis in the Kirkland Fire Department following the termination of 12 unvaccinated firefighters. Cited mandatory overtime, risk of sleep deprivation, inability to staff aid cars and a fourth engine on July 4, low morale, and loss of probationary firefighters to other departments. Urged council to reconsider the vaccine mandate or conduct a new risk analysis.
  • Jeanne Large – Supported expansion of the no-idling policy, requesting a public policy with signs and enforcement.
  • MJ Carlson – Opposed the SRO program, stating it causes harm to black students, and criticized the lack of community engagement in the proposal.
  • Kirsten Hansen – Asked council to consider a third option: pause the SRO program to conduct proper community engagement.
  • Margaret Bull – Opposed amplified music in parks, preferring a natural environment.
  • Jeff Cleeland (Amazon) – Supported the moratorium extension and expressed willingness to collaborate on autonomous delivery device regulations.
  • John Tymczyszyn (Planning Commission) – Dissented from the planning commission's recommendation, criticizing Amazon's lack of engagement with the commission and suggesting the process was undermined.

Discussion Items

  • Transportation Benefit District (TBD) Update – Staff presented options for a $20 car tab to fund median maintenance ($300,000/year) and capital projects (active transportation, safer routes to school). Council consensus: support proceeding with the TBD as part of the 2023-24 budget, wait until December 2022 for final decision, and conduct public outreach. Councilmembers expressed interest in equity considerations (e.g., waiving fees for low-income residents) and a preference for councilmanic adoption rather than a public vote.
  • School Resource Officer (SRO) Program Update – Staff presented two options: (1) reduce from 6 to 4 SROs with a learning community focus, reallocating two positions to neighborhood resource and PROACT units, plus $186,000 for human services; (2) sunset the program. Council feedback: Mayor Sweet, Councilmember Curtis, Councilmember Black, Deputy Mayor Arnold, and Councilmember Nixon supported option 1 as an interim step, with the DEIB manager convening stakeholders. Councilmember Falcone strongly supported option 2 (sunset). Council directed staff to continue the program with modifications and bring back further evaluations.
  • Autonomous Personal Delivery Devices (APDD) – Public Hearing & Ordinance O-4806 – Extended the moratorium for six months to allow further study of regulations. Council discussed concerns about sidewalk safety, data privacy, ADA accessibility, and compensation for use of public infrastructure. Ordinance passed 6-0.
  • Police Body Worn Cameras (Ordinance O-4796) – Adopted ordinance restricting facial recognition technology, authorizing body-worn cameras, and establishing civilian oversight. Passed 6-0.
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) 5-Year Roadmap (Resolution R-5548) – Adopted with three amendments: (1) annual progress updates and an LRM process for updates (Councilmember Falcone), (2) inclusion of public art in DEIB objectives and training for council, boards, commissions, and community organizations (Councilmember Curtis), (3) a new objective (1.6) to study decreasing barriers to serving on council and boards (Deputy Mayor Arnold). Passed 6-0.
  • Development Services Fee Update – Council directed staff to proceed with a 38% cost recovery for code enforcement, a tiered pre-submittal conference fee structure (no fee for single-family, $1,000 for developer-driven without public hearing, $2,300 for complex projects), and continued work on incentivizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) through pre-approved plans and expedited permits.
  • Tenant Protection Policies Update – Staff presented feedback from tenant advocates (supportive of Arch proposals) and housing providers (preferred alternatives like 90-day notice for any increase, higher late fee caps, and flexibility on move-in fees). Council direction: bring back both the Arch proposals and potential alternatives for comparison at the August 3, 2022 meeting, with further discussion on enforcement mechanisms and focusing on low-income tenants.
  • Kirkland Parks and Community Foundation (KPCF) Funding Discussion – Council approved a motion to bring back a fiscal note for $50,000/year for three years (first year from special projects fund, subsequent years through budget) to support the foundation's hiring of an executive director. Councilmembers expressed support for the partnership and requested minor MOU updates on equity and human services alignment.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar – Approved 6-0.
  • Ordinance O-4806 (APDD Moratorium) – Approved 6-0.
  • Ordinance O-4796 (Body Worn Cameras & Facial Recognition Ban) – Approved 6-0.
  • Resolution R-5548 (DEIB 5-Year Roadmap) – Adopted 6-0 with three amendments.
  • KPCF Funding – Council directed staff to bring back a fiscal note for $50,000/year for three years (first year at July 19 meeting) – motion carried 6-0.
  • Transportation Benefit District – Council supported proceeding with the $20 car tab, public outreach, and a December 2022 timeline.
  • School Resource Officer Program – Council directed staff to proceed with option 1 (modified program with 4 SROs, learning community focus, and DEIB engagement), with intent to evaluate further.
  • Tenant Protections – Council directed staff to return on August 3, 2022, with both the Arch proposals and alternative options for comparison.
  • Calendar Update – Council voted 5-1 to add Resolution R-5550 (supporting reproductive health care and marriage equality) to the July 19 agenda (Councilmember Nixon opposed).

Meeting Transcript

Technical hold. We're live now, Mayor. Thank you. I would like to call to order the city council meeting of July the 5th, 2022. Tonight's meeting is a hybrid meeting. Community members are welcome to join us either in person or remotely through Zoom or by telephone. Before calling the role for this meeting, I'd like to entertain a mess or a motion to excuse Council Member Pascal. So moved. Move by Council Member Curtis, seconded by Council Member Falcon. I did that alphabetically. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed. The motion carries. And Councilmember Pascal is excused. Clerk, will you please call the roll for today's meeting? Councilmember Nixon. Here. Council Member Black. Here. Council Member Curtis. Here. Council Member Falcone. Here. Deputy Mayor Arnold. Here. Mayor Sweet. Here. Our study session tonight is on a transportation benefit district update and a school resource officer program update. We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at approximately 7 30. City manager. Okay, so thank you, Madam Mayor. So we have these two topics tonight, and we have up to 45 minutes for each topic. They may not take that long, or they could go a little bit longer. The first one is a joint presentation on the transportation benefit district between finance and public works. It's going to be kicked off by George Dugdale, our financial planning manager, and then Ray Steiker, sorry, one of our capital projects manager will also be part of it. And then I also have with us live in the chambers, Julie Underwood, our public works director, and Glenn Akromov, who's our acting superintendent, in case you have questions. So with that, I will turn it over to George. Thank you, City Manager. Just gonna share my screen quickly here. Okay, can everybody can everybody see that? Perfect. Great. Okay, thank you. So as I said, thank you, City Manager. Um, good evening, Mayor, Council members. So we have 17 slides for you tonight on the potential TBD. Um, there are a number of places we're looking for council feedback, and we also have another topic on the as mentioned on the agenda. So I'm going to be uh not exactly rushing but moving through the slides.

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