Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting – January 2, 2024

The Kirkland City Council held a hybrid regular meeting on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. The council administered oaths to newly elected members, selected Mayor Kelli Curtis and Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold, approved a consent calendar, adopted the 2023-2028 Transportation Improvement Program, received a briefing on a Redmond paramedic co-location agreement, reviewed 2024 committee assignments, and discussed next steps after the November 2023 pool ballot measure failed. All seven councilmembers were present initially; Councilmember Jon Pascal left at 7:45 p.m. due to illness and was excused for the remainder of the meeting.

Oaths, Mayor and Deputy Mayor Selection

• Municipal Court Judge John Olson administered oaths of office to re-elected Councilmembers Kelli Curtis and Amy Falcone and newly elected Councilmember John Tymczyszyn.
• The council voted 7-0 to select Kelli Curtis as Mayor and 7-0 to select Jay Arnold as Deputy Mayor for two-year terms.

Honors and Proclamations

• Council proclaimed January 15, 2024, as Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in Kirkland. Former Mayor Penny Sweet read the proclamation, and Kirkland resident Mike Milligan accepted it.

Consent Calendar

• The consent calendar was approved 6-0, with Councilmember Pascal absent. It included: approval of the December 12, 2023, meeting minutes; audit of accounts with payroll of $5,387,652.44 and bills of $9,059,154.71; acknowledgement of claims from MacKenzie Adam, Daniela Maszhold and Oliver Schulz, Jerzy Staszak, and Sharon Taylor; award of a Fire Station 26 Renovation construction contract to CDK Construction Services, Inc. for $5,859,327.39, consisting of a $5,316,994.00 bid plus $542,333.39 in sales tax; acceptance of the Cultural Arts Commission resignation of Star Rush and appointment of alternate Sage Sommer to an unexpired term ending March 31, 2027; declaration of surplus vehicle F216; the November 2023 sales tax memo; and the procurement report.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Bev Marcus described dangerous crossings on Central Way, citing a newly installed flashing beacon costing about $200,000 and a 2018 Federal Highway Administration estimate that raised crosswalks cost less than $10,000. She urged the council to rethink arterial traffic-priority assumptions and design for pedestrian safety rather than traffic throughput.
• Alex Tsimmerman made inflammatory remarks about a Bellevue council election and about Jewish and American people. Mayor Curtis immediately said the remarks were hurtful and offensive, stated that the council does not condone those comments, and affirmed the city's commitment to being safe, inclusive, and welcoming while allowing public comment regardless of content.
• Kurt Dresner congratulated newly elected and re-elected councilmembers and encouraged the council to be bold in regional and national leadership.
• Rex Rempel also addressed the council briefly.

Fire Station 27 Redmond Medic Co-Location Interlocal Agreement

• Fire Chief Joe Sanford presented the proposed interlocal agreement with Redmond to co-locate Redmond's Advanced Life Support paramedic unit at the new Fire Station 27 in Totem Lake. The medic unit responds to about 2,100 calls per year, more than 1,700 of them in Kirkland.
• Councilmember Neal Black identified a conflict in the draft agreement regarding a half bay and a reserve vehicle. The city manager said the agreement covers the primary unit for 15 years and asked the council to delay action until the language is clarified. Resolution R-5618 is scheduled for council consideration on February 6, 2024.

2023-2028 Transportation Improvement Program Adoption

• Capital Projects Supervisor Laura Drake presented the TIP update, noting that state law requires adoption between January 1 and July 1. A public hearing was held in November with no comments, and the related Capital Facilities Plan and Capital Improvement Program were adopted in December.
• Councilmember Tymczyszyn asked whether the Planning Commission had made a recommendation. Staff said the Planning Commission weighed in through the Capital Facilities Plan, not specifically on the TIP.
• The council approved Resolution R-5617 adopting the 2023-2028 TIP. Staff will transmit it to the state Department of Transportation, Puget Sound Regional Council, King County, and neighboring agencies.
• Vote discrepancy: the minutes record the motion as 7-0 and include Councilmember Pascal, even though the minutes also state Pascal left at 7:45 p.m. and the transcript indicates he was absent for later business.

2024 City Council Committee Interest

• Government Affairs Manager Diana Hart presented regional and city committee assignments for 2024, noting that Kirkland has more than 50 seats at various tables.
• Councilmembers stated preferences, including interest in the Tourism Development Committee, Lake Washington School District Coordinating Committee, NORCOM, RACER, Eastrail, I-405/SR 167, King County City Climate Collaboration, and other regional groups. No action was taken; councilmembers were asked to send final interest by the end of the week so the mayor and deputy mayor can prepare a proposal.

Pool Ballot Measure Follow-Up

• City Manager Kurt Triplett emphasized the council was not deciding whether to go back to the ballot. Instead, staff proposed a community survey to learn why Kirkland Proposition 1 failed in November 2023 and whether community interest exists in a future, possibly smaller and more focused option. Triplett noted that Ken McKenzie, who chaired the opposition campaign, had expressed willingness to work with city staff on a survey.
• Management Analyst Hillary De La Cruz outlined a statistically valid survey by EMC Research using about 400 participants by phone and online, plus an open online survey. Draft questions will come to council on January 16, 2024; the open survey would close February 6, with results reported February 6 and February 20.
• Council feedback included: asking open-ended questions about what residents want in an aquatic center (Falcone); directly testing whether a pool is a priority compared with other city investments (Arnold); understanding construction-cost differences between Houghton Park-and-Ride and North Kirkland Community Center and how low a levy rate could go (Tymczyszyn); exploring public-private partnerships and tax fatigue (Sweet); and identifying why residents who support a pool voted no (Black). Mayor Curtis added that survey questions should avoid overly binary choices and include qualitative follow-up. Mayor Curtis also asked that residents eligible for the city's universal low-income relief program be included in future funding considerations, and staff confirmed that was the intent.
• Finance Director Michael Olson presented illustrative funding scenarios: a $50 million debt for a 42,000-square-foot facility could cost about 15 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation, or about $150 per year for a $1 million home; adding $750,000 per year from REET and park impact fees plus city capital funding could lower the cost to roughly 11 cents per $1,000. The 2023 ballot measure was 86,000 square feet at Houghton Park-and-Ride at 28 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation. Olson noted the scenarios do not include operations and maintenance, and reallocating funds would create significant opportunity costs. Mayor Curtis noted that a bond would require 60% approval while the presented levy options would require 50% plus one.

Reports and City Manager Updates

• Councilmembers gave regional reports: PSRC Transportation Policy Board climate and safety discussions; a Sustainability Ambassadors meeting and Waste Management recycling center tour in Woodinville, which recovers 88% of materials; Sound Cities Association Public Issues Committee support for a letter to King County; Cascade Water Alliance's upcoming Seattle/Tacoma water contract session; RACER's year-end update and 2024 crisis clinic opening; and the upcoming state legislative session.
• The council approved a 7-0 motion requesting a Legislative Request Memorandum evaluating the city's volunteer background check requirements and potential alternatives, including eliminating checks for some volunteer categories.
• Councilmember Sweet requested, and Mayor Curtis appointed, a subcommittee of Councilmembers Sweet, Black, and Falcone to draft criteria for the City Council outstanding service coin.
• City Manager Triplett reported that the Puget Sound Emergency Response Network operating board had completed the transition to a digital public safety radio system. Council then held an executive session on potential litigation and returned at 10:15 p.m. to adjourn.

Key Outcomes

• Kelli Curtis elected Mayor and Jay Arnold re-elected Deputy Mayor, both 7-0.
• Consent calendar approved 6-0.
• Resolution R-5617 (2023-2028 Transportation Improvement Program) adopted.
• Fire Station 27/Redmond interlocal agreement action deferred to February 6, 2024.
• Council directed staff to incorporate survey feedback and return with final draft survey questions on January 16, 2024.
• Motion approved requesting a Legislative Request Memorandum on volunteer background checks.
• Subcommittee appointed to draft City Council outstanding service coin award criteria.
• Meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m.