The Kirkland City Council met on August 7, 2024, starting with a study session at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. The study session covered an evaluation of the Kraken Iceplex proposal and a preliminary 2025-2026 utility rates discussion. The regular meeting included a commendation for the Kirkland Little League softball team, public comments, a consent calendar, and several business items. Key actions included approval of an automated safety camera ordinance, a fire training interlocal agreement, funding for pedestrian crossings and marina renovations, and direction to develop a term sheet for the Kraken Iceplex.
Thank you, we're alive, Mayor. Thank you. Welcome everyone to City Council meeting on this beautiful day. I'd like to call to order the city council meeting of August 7th, 2024. I want to acknowledge that Council Haskell will be attending tonight's meeting remotely. Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilmember Tim Chison. Councilmember Black. Councilmember Sweet. Here. Councilmember Falcon. Here. Councilmember Pascal. Here. Deputy Mayor Arnold. Here. Mayor Curtis. Here. Our study session tonight is on two items. First is an update on the evaluation of the Kraken Iceplex proposal. Second is discussion on the preliminary 2025-2026 utility rates. We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7 30. City manager. Thank you, Madam Mayor, members of the council. So we have a lot to talk about with respect to the Kraken proposal and many, many people to thank for all their work on it. I'm gonna actually turn it over to our deputy city manager of External Affairs who will introduce all the players and uh kick us off. I also want to make a special note. We have uh with us remote, Tracy Dunlap, our former deputy city manager, who's now been our financial advisor on this. And so she's also available to answer questions if needed, but she helped facilitate our relationship with CA ICON. So with that, I will turn it over to Mr. Lopez. Thank you very much, City Manager. Uh good evening, Madam Mayor, uh Deputy Mayor and Council. It's a pleasure to be here tonight presenting on the Iceplex proposal by the Seattle Kraken and our evaluation of it. Uh as the city manager noted, I am joined tonight by George Dugdale from our finance department, John Burkhalt from Public Works, and Lynn Zwagstra, our direct director in parks and recreation, to help answer questions uh at the close of the proposal. We hope to move through the proposal and take questions at the end, although please feel free at any time to ask. The lion share of the presentation tonight is by Brian Slater, a senior director at CAA Icon. Thank you, Brian. Brian has flown in from beautiful Nashville, Tennessee. Correct. Yes, to present to us tonight. CA ICON is a national consulting firm that we hired to complete a financial analysis of the project, including a market demand analysis to review the financial projects from the Kraken, and to conduct an economic and fiscal impact analysis to show potential benefits of the project. All important information we feel to provide the council as you contemplate making a decision as to whether or not to go forward with this project. So most of the presentation will be by Brian about the report that is in the council packet along with our staff memorandum. At the close of Brian's presentation, we'll transition into the section that I will give, giving you an update on some zoning and land use issues pertinent to this deal. An interesting opportunity for stormwater that we are now considering perhaps to bring more value to the deal and public benefit, as well as some updates to the Kraken's original proposal, which we've talked to the Kraken about, and we are confident that they don't um change substantially in any way or substantially the findings of the report themselves. So I'll go into what those specific proposal updates are now that they are a little more mature in their understanding of the financials to do the project. So without further ado, let me turn it over to Brian. Okay. Uh thanks, Jim.