Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting and Study Session - September 6, 2022
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Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting and Study Session - September 6, 2022
The Kirkland City Council held a study session beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. on September 6, 2022. The meeting included three proclamations, a public hearing, presentations on the city's biennial survey and progress on Resolution R-5434, and several business items. The council approved a planned action ordinance for the Google campus, an agreement with WSDOT for the I-405 improvement project, and a consent calendar with numerous routine items. Key discussions focused on the solid waste reserve policy, capital facility charges, the surface water master plan, and the two-year review of the city's equity work.
Proclamations
- National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15, 2022): Proclamation read by Councilmember Nixon, accepted by Gabriela Lopez Vazquez (Human Services Commissioner and King County Promotores Network member), Debbie Lacy (Eastside For All), Mercedes Cordova-Hakim (King County Promotores Network), and Antoinette Smith (City of Kirkland).
- National Recovery Month (September 2022): Proclamation read by Councilmember Pascal, accepted by Barbie Collins Young (Executive Director, NAMI Eastside).
- Eastside Welcoming Week (Sept. 9–18, 2022): Proclamation read by Councilmember Falcone, accepted by Debbie Lacy (Eastside For All).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Items from the Audience (during regular meeting):
- Katherine Freire argued that the city violated the law and the firefighters' rights when terminating unvaccinated firefighters, citing the Washington Constitution and common law.
- Daniel Webster (Washington Civil Rights Council) stated the city has not met its burden of proof under the ADA for individual assessments of firefighters and asked for an accounting of extra expenses.
- Alex Tsimmerman criticized the Democratic party and the 2020 election, expressing concerns about inflation, crime, and the direction of the country.
- Public Hearing on NE 85th Street Google Campus Planned Action Ordinance: Liz Hunt spoke, expressing concerns that the mitigation measures in the development agreement are insufficient for the 1.54 million square feet project, particularly regarding the mobility grid and noise from I-405. She noted the short public review period over the holiday weekend.
Discussion Items
- Proposed 2023-2024 Solid Waste Reserve Policy Options: Utility Policy Supervisor John MacGillivray presented three options to address a projected fund balance of $1.2 million instead of the policy target of $2.3 million. Staff recommended Option A (maintaining the lower balance) with future replenishment. Council directed staff to build the solid waste rate around that recommendation.
- Capital Facility Charge (CFC) Policy: Consultant Chris Gonzalez from FCS Group presented a recommended methodology change to include replacement projects in the cost basis, which would increase CFCs for water, sewer, and surface water. The updated existing method would result in combined charges of ~$11,200 per residential equivalent, while the recommended method would be ~$15,700. Council discussed phasing, affordable housing incentives, financing options (e.g., Bellevue's 10-year surcharge), and equity concerns with North Shore Utility District serving northern Kirkland. Staff will bring back more information on financing and cross-city comparisons.
- Draft 2023 Surface Water Master Plan Update: Surface Water Program Supervisor Kelli Jones and Planner Rachel Konrady presented three levels of service (minimum, moderate, enhanced) with corresponding rate increases. Increased capital funding options of $500,000 or $1 million annually were discussed. Council noted the need to see all rate impacts together and asked about water quality issues related to beach closures and invasive vegetation. Public comment is open until Sept. 30, 2022.
- Resolution R-5434 Two-Year Review: Deputy City Manager James Lopez presented a comprehensive update on the city's progress implementing the equity resolution adopted in August 2020. Accomplishments included dashboards, police accountability measures (body camera pilot on track for Jan. 2023, community responder program), community court, equity contracting, and over $7.5 million in funding. Council expressed support for transitioning regular updates to the DEIB five-year roadmap. Councilmember Falcone requested ongoing transparency for items marked as complete.
- Kirkland Community Biennial Survey Results: Brian Vines of EMC Research presented 2022 survey results. Key findings: 80% of residents rate Kirkland as an excellent/very good place to live (consistent with past years). Top concerns: overdevelopment, housing affordability, homelessness, and general affordability. The city's overall job rating declined slightly. Improvement priorities include managing traffic flow, city planning, affordable housing, and maintaining streets. Council discussed improving communication and engagement, noting the need for more accessible information and community connection.
Key Outcomes
- Approved Ordinance O-4809: Establishing planned actions for the Google campus on NE 85th Street, adopting the development agreement's mitigation measures. Motion carried 7-0 (Arnold, Black, Curtis, Falcone, Nixon, Pascal, Sweet).
- Approved Resolution R-5554: Authorizing the city manager to execute a design-build cooperative agreement with WSDOT for the I-405 Brickyard to SR 527 improvement project. Motion carried 7-0.
- Consent Calendar Approved: Included approval of minutes, audit of accounts ($8,351,512.19 payroll, $11,054,934.63 bills), acceptance of several resignations and appointments, and acknowledgment of numerous reports. Motion carried 7-0.
- Council Direction on Solid Waste Reserve: Staff to build the 2023-2024 solid waste rate around the lower reserve option (Option A).
- Council Direction on Capital Facility Charges: Staff to bring back additional information on financing options, cross-city comparisons, and potential links to affordable housing.
- Council Direction on Surface Water Master Plan: Staff to incorporate feedback and present rate proposals in September 20, 2022 meeting; adoption target end of 2022.
- Council Agreement to Transition R-5434 Updates: Future updates will be integrated into the DEIB five-year roadmap, with a report due no later than September 2023.
Reports
- City Council members shared updates on regional meetings, events (Dennyfest, Eastrail Celebration, Redmond Pride, City Hall for All on Sept. 17), and upcoming committee work.
- City Manager Kurt Triplett reported that the city's legislative lobbying contract with Waypoint Consulting will not be extended; a new RFP will be issued by the end of September. He also previewed a potential phased initiative to transition to electric leaf blowers, possibly using ARPA funds, to be included in the budget transmittal.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:14 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Recording in progress. Thank you. I would like to call to order the city council meeting of September the 6th, 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. Clerk, will you please call a roll for this evening's meeting? Council Member Nixon. Here. Council Member Black. Here. Council Member Curtis. Council Member Falcone. Here. Council Member Pascal. Here. Deputy Mayor Arnold. Here. Mayor Sweet. Here. Thank you. Our study session tonight is on three topics. The first is on proposed 2023-2024 solid waste reserve policy options. The second is on the capital facility charge policy. The third topic at tonight's session study session is a draft 2023 surface water master plan update. We expect to convene our regular meeting at approximately 7.30 p.m. City Manager. Okay, thank you, Madam Mayor. So uh the one thing we want to say about the last topic is if the first two topics take longer, we can cut it short and bring it back to a future council meeting because we're probably gonna have several conversations about the surface water master plan anyway. So um but with that, I'll go ahead and nurse the first topic. It's gonna be uh led by our utility and polic utility policy and community relations supervisor, John McGilfrey. And this is on the solid waste reserve options. Welcome, John McGill. City manager, um Mayor, can you call the role? Oh, we did we did call the role. Kevin, we did call roll. Okay. Um well, thank you, City Manager, and uh good evening, uh Mayor Sweet, uh Deputy Mayor Arnold and uh City Council members. So I'm gonna go ahead and share my screen here. Got four quick slides. Okay, so um, as you recall, um at the August 3rd study session, staff brought to the city council's attention uh that the solid waste 2024 operating uh reserve balance fund balance was uh for a variety of reasons was going to be lower than we projected back in January when the council adopted the February and July 2022 rate increases that are attributable to the um new contract with waste management. So tonight we're back uh to get some policy direction from the the council. So shown here um are the uncodified but um observed utility reserve policies uh with solid waste highlighted. Um the solid waste um reserve policy is uh 2.3 million. So that's what we try to achieve, which is essentially one month payment to waste management, one month payment of disposal fees to King County plus operating expenses. Uh, we're projecting right now that our fund balance would be at 1.2 million instead of 2.3 million at the end of 2024. Brought some options back to you to manage that this uh situation. So um the first option is maintaining that 1.2 million dollar fund balance, which is recommended by staff. Um really the question is you know, can we carry a lower fund balance in solid waste? And the the short answer is is yes, we can, but it's certainly not ideal. We'd love to be at 2.3 million.
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