The Kirkland City Council held a regular meeting on March 5, 2024, beginning with a study session at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m., adjourning at 11 p.m. after an executive session. The study session covered updates on Cascade Water Alliance water supply negotiations and the 2044 Comprehensive Plan housing element. The regular meeting included honors, public comments, consent calendar approval, and several business items including the Pride Flag crosswalk, debt issuance, purchasing code amendments, legislative update, interview selection committee recommendations, and urban forest progress. All council members were present.
Chuck Clarke, former CEO of Cascade Water Alliance (CWA), presented an update on negotiations with Seattle and Tacoma. CWA purchases 33.3 million gallons per day from Seattle under a take-or-pay contract through 2039, with block declining after. Seattle offered a 10-year extension with an additional $14 million extraction, plus two 5-year options for $20 million more, and a conditional 40-year extension with a 25% rate premium that Clarke called a "phantom offer." Tacoma offered a 25-year extension at rates ~20% lower than Seattle's, requiring pipeline construction but allowing delay of Lake Taps treatment facility (estimated $2 billion). Preliminary staff recommendation favors Tacoma, with board decision expected fall 2024. Councilmember Penny Sweet noted excitement for regionalization. Councilmember Jon Pascal asked about relationships: Clarke described Tacoma as cooperative and Seattle as challenging, shifting risk to CWA.
Senior Planner Scott Guter presented draft guiding principles and select housing element policies. Key data: Kirkland has twice as many jobs as housing units; 74% of households at 0-30% AMI are cost-burdened; need for 2,150+ units from community-initiated amendments; studying 50 units/acre density along corridors for EIS. Council provided feedback: Deputy Mayor Arnold and Councilmember Black urged including climate change language; Councilmember Falcone requested equity lens, belonging language, hyperlocal connectivity, and inclusivity for people with disabilities and students; Mayor Curtis noted vision statement not yet revisited; Councilmember Falcone and Black supported deeper housing discussions. Staff will bring back revised principles.
Capital Projects Manager Rod Steitzer reported the crosswalk, installed June 2023, has been vandalized four times (one with car burnout damaging thermoplastic). Proposed repair using more durable MMA material (estimated $35,000-$45,000). Long-term options: city crews, contractors, or combination. City Manager noted Amazon offered $20,000 and Parks Foundation offered fundraising. Council discussion: Councilmember Falcone supported moving forward with MMA and community engagement in design; Deputy Mayor Arnold's original motion to proceed with repairs and bring back payment/maintenance options passed 7-0. An amendment by Falcone to include community collaboration failed 4-3 (Yes: Arnold, Black, Falcone, Sweet; No: Curtis, Pascal, Tymczyszyn).
Deputy Finance Director Sri Krishnan presented ordinance authorizing up to $43,900,000 in limited tax general obligation bonds for transportation projects and fire/public safety facilities ($21.5M for fire station 27 and renovations, $21.3M for safe routes to schools). Approved unanimously 7-0.
Finance Director Michael Olson presented amendments to Chapter 3.85 to improve transparency and streamline procurement. Key changes: contracts over $350,000 for public works go to council; goods/services over $75,000 (amended to $100,000) go to council; pre-authorization for bids under $2 million under certain conditions added via amendment. Two amendments: (1) Deputy Mayor Arnold's pre-authorization amendment passed 6-1 (Pascal no); (2) threshold increase to $100,000 passed 7-0. Final ordinance as amended passed 7-0.
Governmental Affairs Manager Diana Hart reported on day 58 of session. Key wins: behavioral health bills advancing; $300,000 for Everest Park in capital budget compromise. Transit-oriented development bill (2160) stalled; rent stabilization unlikely; three initiatives passed (parental rights, income tax ban, vehicular pursuits) and three going to ballot (carbon tax repeal, long-term care opt-out, capital gains tax repeal). Traffic safety camera bill passed with $145 fine cap.
Councilmember Falcone reported the ISC (with Black and Tymczyszyn) reviewed applicants and recommends reappointments and interviews at a special meeting March 26. Motion to adopt recommendations passed 7-0.
Environmental Program Coordinator Katie Hogan reported 90% of 27 actions completed or underway. Key achievements: public tree inventory (422 species, 3,000+ trees planted, 200 new planting sites identified); tree canopy data to be updated (2021 data coming, 2023 in fall); $200,000 from forestry account used for restoration. Next steps: update strategic plan (2025), enhance code enforcement. Council discussion: Councilmember Tymczyszyn emphasized maintaining 40% canopy and asked about fines; Councilmember Black asked about tree bank program and code enforcement; Councilmember Falcone supported frequent canopy updates and environmental justice. Planning Director Adam Weinstein noted upcoming code enforcement regulation revisions.
Thank you. We're live, Mayor. Thank you. I would like to call to order the City Council meeting on March 5th, 2024. Welcome everyone. It was a beautiful day. And I just want to thank staff, uh, council and staff for a wonderful retreat on Friday. Uh tonight's meeting is a hybrid meeting. Community members are welcome to join us either in person or remotely through Zoom or by the telephone. City Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilmember Tim Chison. Here. Councilmember Black. Here. Councilmember Sweet. Here. Councilmember Falcon. Here. Councilmember Pascal. Here. Deputy Mayor Arnold. Here. Mayor Curtis. Sure. Our study session tonight is on two topics. The first is Cascade Water Alliance Supply Negotiations Update. And we have special guests. The second is the 2044 Comprehensive Plan Guiding Principles and Housing Element Policy Briefing. We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7 30. City Manager. Okay, thank you, Madam Mayor. So as you said, we have a special guest tonight to make this presentation is Chuck Clark, who is the former CEO of the Cascade Water Alliance, but has returned on special assignment to help Cascade through the negotiations with Tacoma and Seattle. He's here to present a briefing and he has staff here with him to answer questions. This presentation is actually going to be run remotely by Chuck DeVar, interim public works director. So with that, I will turn it over to Chuck. Welcome. Thanks, Kurt. And it's a pleasure to be here this evening. I thought it would be helpful to bring everybody up to speed on the discussions we've been having with Seattle and Tacoma over the uh last several years on contract negotiations, contract extension negotiations for where we get our water starting in 2039. We're uh hopefully going to be able to make some progress either with Seattle or Tacoma. And so today I'll go through some of the discussions we've been having uh where we and where we are. Next truck. Um so I'll hit you a quick overview of Cascade, um, some current contract terms. So we have a current contract with Seattle. Why we're going through negotiations now, an overview of what we've gotten as far as proposals from both Seattle and Tacoma, um, Cascades staff's preliminary uh recommendation after having looked at both the Tacoma and Seattle proposals. Um a little bit about money we've started to collect in 2021 called the Water Supply Development Fund. Um, and then finally uh go through quickly what a decision timeline would be for Cascades um board. Next. Um as you may know, um Cascade is uh made up of seven members. It was created about 25 years ago.