OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting - June 17, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, June 17, 2025
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 17, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:42:10

Transcript — Verbatim
1:10

Madam Mayor, your mic's not on.

1:12

I'm so sorry to interrupt you.

1:13

Thank you.

1:14

I'll start over.

1:15

Um I'd like to call to order so much better.

1:17

The city council meeting of June 17, 2025.

1:21

I think I said 26 last time.

1:23

Before the role is called, I'd like to note that Councilmember Falcone is unable to join us.

1:28

She may join us later this evening, may have a motion to excuse Councilmember Falcon.

1:32

So moved to second.

1:40

Motion carry.

1:42

Councilmember Tim Chisholm.

1:44

Here.

1:45

Councilmember Black.

1:46

Here.

1:46

Councilmember Sweet.

1:47

Here.

1:47

Councilmember Pascal.

1:49

Here.

1:50

Deputy Mayor Arnold.

1:51

Here.

1:51

Mayor Curtis.

1:52

Here.

1:53

Our study session tonight is on the discussion of the draft homeless continuum care action plan.

1:59

We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7.30, City Manager.

2:03

Okay.

2:05

So thank you.

2:06

Madam Mayor, Deputy Mayor members of the Council.

2:09

So it's been a long time coming.

2:10

Very excited to be here tonight to talk to you about our draft homeless action plan.

2:15

A couple key thank yous before we dive in.

2:17

So first, thank you to the extraordinary team we have here at the table.

2:21

We had sort of team outside, which was Jim Lopez and Lana Hancock, who've conducted some extraordinary outreach, which is all summarized in your memo.

2:30

We also had sort of team inside, which was Jen Boone and Juliana de Cruz.

2:34

All of them together helped write all of the documents that you have.

2:37

And I just want to say thank you.

2:39

It's been months and months of truly uh difficult and challenging work, and they've done extraordinary job putting it together.

2:45

So uh good job, team.

2:47

So because there was a lot we had to figure out exactly how to structure the study session.

2:52

We have 90 minutes to talk about this as your first exposure to the plan.

2:57

Um so we're trying to focus mostly on the proposed actions.

3:01

We're not gonna cover everything that was included in all the attachments, but we welcome questions on any of it.

3:04

So I want to start off first with a reminder of the guiding principles that we've used for the plan.

3:09

So you can see those up on the screen.

3:11

These came out of the resolution that we passed last year.

3:14

Um the idea first and foremost to keep Kirkland safe, welcoming and economically vibrant.

3:19

But that's safe and welcoming for everyone, including those who um are unhoused.

3:24

Um our triple of making homelessness in Kirkland rare, brief and non-recurring, both with our programs and also with the regional programs.

3:32

We'll talk about that.

3:33

Um fostering a balanced person centered approach, never forgetting that these are our neighbors and we want to help them.

3:40

Um that these Kirkland resources are for folks who are experiencing homelessness in Kirkland and the east side.

3:47

And um, not to be bringing in folks from other parts of the county uh to Kirkland through our programs.

3:53

Um a key piece is partnering rather than duplicating programs.

3:56

So for example, you're not gonna see a lot of discussion of what does King County do, or what does the um homelessness authority do, or what does uh our what is our home affordability programs, right?

4:07

This is really focused on what are we doing relating to homelessness itself.

4:11

Um finally we want to make sure that we are talking about maintaining our parks, roadways, and alleyways for their intended uses, not opening them up uh for places for homeless uh folks to be but to provide other alternatives as well.

4:23

And then to uphold our existing laws and codes, even though they are evolving, uh, but doing so in a way that doesn't propose uh impose additional burdens on those experiencing homelessness.

4:33

So uh those are the guiding principles for everything that you see in the plan.

4:37

We'll be uh touching base on some of those as we go throughout.

4:40

But I just wanted to set that stage.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Homelessness█████████████████████21%
Affordable Housing███████████████15%
Budget Equity Analysis████████8%
Parks and Recreation████████8%
Mental Health Awareness██████6%
Procedural█████5%
Public Safety████4%
LGBTQ+ Rights████4%
Parking Management████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting - June 17, 2025

The Kirkland City Council met on June 17, 2025, beginning with a study session at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. The meeting included a draft Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan study session, honors and proclamations, a public hearing on a King County parks levy, a special presentation on the Connections Kirkland Crisis Response Center, and several business items including middle housing zoning amendments, unit lot subdivisions, and mid-year budget adjustments. The meeting adjourned at 11:03 p.m.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of June 3 and June 5, 2025.
  • Audit of accounts: Bills $6,268,545.31 and payroll $5,012,401.29.
  • Acknowledged a claim for damages from Tyler Brazier.
  • Approved proclamations: Juneteenth (June 19) and World Refugee Day (June 20).
  • Acknowledged resignation of Planning Commissioner Justin Robbins and opened vacancy recruitment.
  • Awarded City Council Outstanding Service Award to former Executive Assistant Amy Bolen.
  • Acknowledged 2025 first-quarter reports: Automated Safety Camera Program, Police Animal Services, Police Quarterly Dashboard, Financial Management, and Procurement.
  • All consent items approved 6-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Rex Rempel expressed support for the draft Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan, calling it reasonable, sensible, and humane.
  • Kyle Sullivan spoke in favor of the middle housing amendments, noting that middle housing improves choice and affordability for younger generations.
  • Loita Hawkinson shared historical context about Kirkland's Little League and requested recognition for original 1951 team members.
  • Murray McKinney raised concerns about water pressure reduction in the Highlands neighborhood following a system change, urging the city to restore the original two-zone system rather than use band-aid solutions.
  • Cindy Claypool opposed elements of the middle housing proposal that exceed state mandates, including new fees and early parking reductions, arguing they unfairly burden homeowners.
  • Jake Drake (DGR Development) requested further discussion on the affordable housing fee-in-lieu, including raising the threshold, exempting square footage, and defining the fee clearly.
  • David Haines criticized the regional homelessness response and urged the city to address drug-related issues and lobby for more federal resources.
  • Bev Marcus supported the affordable housing fee for larger homes and early adoption of state-mandated parking reductions.
  • Liz Hunt requested not to increase density beyond state requirements, not to rush parking reductions, and to consider the holistic impact of lot size reductions and building mass.
  • Sushmita Srikant opposed the new tax on homes over 2,000 square feet, calling it double taxation and urging a measured approach.
  • Alex Tsimerman provided general critical comments about city governance and taxes.

Discussion Items

  • Study Session: Draft Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan: Human Services Manager Jen Boone, Management Analyst Juliana da Cruz, and Communications Program Coordinator Luana Hancock presented the 70-action plan (35 proposed, 35 ongoing). Council discussed priority investments, including prevention (rent assistance), expanding the HART team (adding a housing case manager, supervisor, confidential space, and data tracking tool), shelter capacity (hotel set-aside, severe weather response, exploring tiny home villages), and regional permanent housing (Health Through Housing referral network, voucher program for families). Council expressed support and provided feedback, with staff to return with an updated plan in Q4 2025.
  • Resolution R-5685 – Supporting King County Proposition No. 1 (Parks, Recreation, Trails, and Open Space Levy): King County Parks Director Warren Jimenez presented the levy renewal, which would provide $6.4 million in pass-through funding to Kirkland, including $10 million for the Green Loop Trail and $2.5 million for aquatic facilities. Councilmember Black recused himself due to a conflict of interest (Pacific Science Center board membership). After a public hearing with one speaker (Alex Tsimerman, opposed), the resolution passed 5-0.
  • Special Presentation - Connections Kirkland Crisis Response Center Update: President Joel Conger, Senior Vice President Celeste Lippy, and Medical Director Dr. Kyle Jasper reported that since opening August 10, 2024, the center has served over 2,000 unique individuals with nearly 4,500 episodes of care. 969 first responder drop-offs occurred, with an average transfer time of 7 minutes. 70% of patients were discharged to the community. The center was awarded a Launch Ready Crisis Center designation, enabling future youth behavioral health urgent care and withdrawal management services. Council discussed law enforcement partnerships, payer mix (45% Medicaid, 22% commercial, 19% uninsured), and potential impacts of Medicaid cuts.
  • Ordinance O-4905 – Middle Housing Zoning Amendments: After extensive discussion, council adopted amendments to implement state-mandated middle housing requirements. Key amendments included: (1) City Manager amendment establishing a $15 per square foot fee for homes over 2,000 square feet, effective January 1, 2027, with periodic adjustments; (2) Councilmember Tymczyszyn's amendment requiring a report by January 2028 on the fee's impact; (3) Councilmember Tymczyszyn's amendment directing staff to evaluate alternative fee methodologies (deferred payment, garage exemption, increased square footage, council approval of revenue allocation, exemption for replaced homes). The amended ordinance passed 5-1, with Councilmember Pascal voting no.
  • Ordinance O-4907 – Unit Lot Subdivisions: Planning and Building Deputy Director Allison Zike presented the state-required code amendments to enable unit lot subdivisions. Council approved two technical amendments (gender-neutral language and clarifying

Meeting Transcript

Madam Mayor, your mic's not on. I'm so sorry to interrupt you. Thank you. I'll start over. Um I'd like to call to order so much better. The city council meeting of June 17, 2025. I think I said 26 last time. Before the role is called, I'd like to note that Councilmember Falcone is unable to join us. She may join us later this evening, may have a motion to excuse Councilmember Falcon. So moved to second. Motion carry. Councilmember Tim Chisholm. Here. Councilmember Black. Here. Councilmember Sweet. Here. Councilmember Pascal. Here. Deputy Mayor Arnold. Here. Mayor Curtis. Here. Our study session tonight is on the discussion of the draft homeless continuum care action plan. We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7.30, City Manager. Okay. So thank you. Madam Mayor, Deputy Mayor members of the Council. So it's been a long time coming. Very excited to be here tonight to talk to you about our draft homeless action plan. A couple key thank yous before we dive in. So first, thank you to the extraordinary team we have here at the table. We had sort of team outside, which was Jim Lopez and Lana Hancock, who've conducted some extraordinary outreach, which is all summarized in your memo. We also had sort of team inside, which was Jen Boone and Juliana de Cruz. All of them together helped write all of the documents that you have. And I just want to say thank you. It's been months and months of truly uh difficult and challenging work, and they've done extraordinary job putting it together. So uh good job, team. So because there was a lot we had to figure out exactly how to structure the study session. We have 90 minutes to talk about this as your first exposure to the plan. Um so we're trying to focus mostly on the proposed actions. We're not gonna cover everything that was included in all the attachments, but we welcome questions on any of it. So I want to start off first with a reminder of the guiding principles that we've used for the plan. So you can see those up on the screen. These came out of the resolution that we passed last year. Um the idea first and foremost to keep Kirkland safe, welcoming and economically vibrant. But that's safe and welcoming for everyone, including those who um are unhoused. Um our triple of making homelessness in Kirkland rare, brief and non-recurring, both with our programs and also with the regional programs. We'll talk about that. Um fostering a balanced person centered approach, never forgetting that these are our neighbors and we want to help them.

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