Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting and Study Session – November 21, 2023

The Kirkland City Council met in a hybrid study session at 5:30 p.m. and regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. The study session covered the Kirkland Transportation Plan update and Puget Sound Energy storm readiness and system resilience. The regular meeting included proclamations, employee service awards, two public hearings, consent calendar approvals, and business agenda votes. The meeting adjourned at 9:31 p.m.

Study Session: Kirkland Transportation Plan Update

• Transportation Manager Doug McIntyre and Transportation Planner Kimberly Scrivener presented the 20-year Kirkland Transportation Plan project list and the proposed prioritization methodology, seeking council direction on scoring measures and criteria.
• Councilmembers generally agreed that safety should receive the highest weight and that the scoring should include forward-looking, non-crash data such as near misses, conflicts, micro-mobility incidents, and known safety treatments.
• Councilmembers asked for clearer definitions of low-stress active transportation facilities and suggested giving more weight to protected bike lanes, neighborhood greenways, and safe crossings.
• Discussion also covered transit access, with some councilmembers favoring a focus on high-frequency transit corridors and the future K-line rather than only bus-stop proximity.
• Several councilmembers cautioned against relying on current land-use or demographic maps in ways that could lock in existing patterns; they asked for data-based assessment of annexation area needs rather than anecdotal or perception-based scoring.
• One councilmember proposed focusing transportation investment in targeted areas to create complete 10-minute neighborhoods, while another preferred continuing a need-based, citywide approach.
• Staff indicated they would incorporate the council feedback and return with revised scoring and additional plan components.

Study Session: Storm Readiness and System Resilience Update

• Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Local Government Affairs Manager Matt Larson and Engineering Supervisor Ryan Yelle presented on storm response, grid reliability, and infrastructure investments.
• PSE described the Sammamish–Juanita 115 kV transmission line project in Kirkland as a capacity-driven project expected to be complete by Christmas 2023.
• Kirkland-specific system context: approximately 52,000 electric meters, 13 substations, 41 circuits, 158 miles of overhead conductor, and 392 miles of underground conductor.
• PSE reported reliability targets of 155 minutes of average outage duration per year (SAIDI) and 1.3 outages per year (SAIFI). Kirkland generally performed better than the PSE system average from 2018–2022, with 2021 as an exception; major storm days are excluded from the reported targets under industry standards.
• Recent and planned reliability work in Kirkland includes substation upgrades, circuit reclosers, fuse savers, cable remediation, tree wire, underground conversions, and vegetation management. PSE staff noted 27 circuits trimmed, totaling 86 miles and about 7,300 trees over the last two years.
• PSE encouraged use of the MyPSE app for outage reporting and said future smart-meter technology will allow automatic outage detection.

Honors and Proclamations

• Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold read the Transgender Day of Remembrance Proclamation, proclaiming November 20, 2023 as Transgender Day of Remembrance in Kirkland. Harper Wakeman, a teacher and Gender Sexuality Alliance advisor, accepted it and urged the community to honor the proclamation with action.
• Councilmember Kelli Curtis read the Native American Heritage Day Proclamation, proclaiming November 24, 2023 as Native American Heritage Day in Kirkland. Snoqualmie Tribe Councilmember Jolene Williams accepted it and spoke about ancestry, identity, and the significance of Native American Heritage Month.

Special Presentations

• Human Resources Director Truc Dever recognized 20-year employees Brent Anderson, Randi Crocker, Jeffrey Childs, Michael Olson, Michelle Pierce, Ryan Riedl, and Daniel Rogers, and 25-year employees Ivan Huld, Ginger Lousberg, and Shawn McDougall. Not all were present.
• Fire Chief Joe Sanford announced that the Washington State Survey and Rating Bureau (WSRB) improved Kirkland Fire Department’s protection class from Class 4 to Class 3, with a score of 2.91. The new rating takes effect for Kirkland insurance customers on February 1, 2024 and is expected to improve residential and commercial insurance rates.

Public Hearings

• Multi-family Tax Exemption (MFTE) Target Areas Amendment: Senior Planner Scott Guter presented Ordinance O-4859, which would amend Kirkland Municipal Code Chapter 5.88 to include parcels rezoned under Phase 2 of the NE 85th St Station Area Plan, including areas now zoned urban flex, neighborhood mixed use, and civic mixed use. No public testimony was offered. The ordinance is scheduled for the December 12, 2023 consent calendar.
• 2023–2028 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP): Capital Projects Supervisor George Minassian presented the proposed six-year TIP, noting it aligns with the 2023–2028 Capital Improvement Program. The project category breakdown is 46% capacity, 25% maintenance, 14% safety, 8% non-motorized, and 6% public transit. Public testimony was provided by Luke Travis, who expressed support for the transportation prioritization framework, and by Alex Tsimmerman, who gave critical comments about transportation investment and regional governance. Adoption is tentatively scheduled for January 2, 2024.

Consent Calendar

• The council approved the consent calendar 7–0 after pulling two items for separate business agenda consideration: Ordinance O-4863 (school impact fees) and the 2024 Tourism Development Committee funding recommendations.
• Approved items included the November 8, 2023 meeting minutes; audit of accounts with payroll of $4,460,285.95 and bills of $6,731,734.88; claims from Richard James Fitzgerald III and Kirkland Classics, Inc.; construction contract awards to Always Active Services LLC for $540,186.50 and HCI Steel Buildings, LLC for $57,868.61; Resolution R-5609 adopting the 2022 Streets Levy Accountability Report; third quarter 2023 capital projects; third quarter 2023 investment report; and the September 2023 financial dashboard.

Business

• Preliminary 2024 Property Tax Levy: Finance Director Michael Olson presented Ordinance O-4862, establishing the 2024 property tax levy, the second year of the 2023–2024 fiscal biennium. The ordinance accounts for the statutory 1% increase, new construction, prior-year corrections, and a new tax increment area amount. The preliminary levy rate is just over $1 per $1,000 of assessed value based on roughly $43 billion in assessed valuation. The council approved the ordinance 6–1, with Councilmember Toby Nixon voting no.
• 2024 State Legislative Agenda: Government Affairs Manager Diana Hart presented Resolution R-5608. The proposed agenda includes housing and transit-oriented development support, behavioral health crisis response system support, preservation of the 1% property tax cap, and capital budget requests including $750,000 for Everest Park restroom facilities and $450,000 for O.O. Denny Park safety and access improvements. Councilmember Nixon voted no, describing it as a “soft no” while expressing appreciation for the work. The resolution passed 6–1.
• School Impact Fees: Ordinance O-4863 was pulled from the consent calendar for discussion. Councilmembers expressed concern about a significant proposed decrease in school impact fees and about Lake Washington School District’s methodology, which is based on a six-year capital facilities plan rather than a longer-term approach. Several councilmembers cited overcrowded schools and future growth from the NE 85th St Station Area Plan. The council voted 6–1 to postpone action to the next meeting and to invite the school district to address the council’s questions; Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold voted no.
• 2024 Tourism Development Committee Funding Recommendations: Councilmember Toby Nixon, as committee chair, explained the committee’s new approach: awarding fewer, larger grants and shifting more lodging tax funding into direct city digital marketing rather than individual contracts with event sponsors. The council approved the funding recommendations 7–0.

Reports and Announcements

• Councilmembers gave regional and committee reports, including updates on the downtown pedestrian scramble meeting, electric lawn equipment demonstration, Lake Washington United Methodist Church Safe Parking community dinner, Sound Cities Association meetings, a potential King County climate action ballot measure, the Eastside Transportation Partnership legislative agenda, and other community events.
• City Manager Kurt Triplett reported that the Regional Crisis Response Agency Principals’ Assembly may move to January due to scheduling conflicts; an update on Kirkland Greenways is forthcoming; Diane Carlson has been appointed interim Bellevue City Manager; and Truc Dever has been appointed Kirkland’s Interim Public Works Director effective December 1, 2023.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent calendar, as adjusted, 7–0.
• Approved preliminary 2024 property tax levy Ordinance O-4862, 6–1.
• Approved 2024 State Legislative Agenda Resolution R-5608, 6–1.
• Postponed action on school impact fees Ordinance O-4863, 6–1, with a request to invite the Lake Washington School District to the next meeting.
• Approved the 2024 Tourism Development Committee Tourism Funding Recommendations, 7–0.
• MFTE ordinance O-4859 is scheduled for the December 12, 2023 consent calendar.
• The 2023–2028 Transportation Improvement Program adoption is tentatively scheduled for January 2, 2024.