The Kirkland City Council held a special meeting at 5:30 PM and a regular meeting at 7:30 PM on November 18, 2025. The special session addressed a park property acquisition, a Kraken partnership update, and the 2026 state legislative agenda. The regular session featured proclamations, two public hearings, a consent calendar with numerous routine items, and business items including a homelessness action plan review, a water pressure update, a greenway project funding request, zoning code amendments for two Juanita district sites, and the 2026 property tax levy adoption. The meeting adjourned at 11:47 PM.
Also joining us remotely. Clerk, can you please call the role for our regular meeting? Councilmember Tim Chizon. Here. Councilmember Black. Here. Councilmember Sweet. Here. Councilmember Pascal. Here. Deputy Mayor Arnold. Here. Councilmember Falcone. Here. Mayor Curtis. Here. All present. Thank you. We'll start tonight's meeting with our honors and proclamations. Our first proclamation is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. City Manager. Okay. Thank you, Deputy Marnold, members of the Council. So we'll be proclaiming November 20th, 2025 as Transgender Day of Remembrance in Kirkland. For many of the reasons that will be outlined in the proclamation. Just want to let folks know that there's also more information in the memo that's included in the packet as well. We're very excited to have receiving the proclamation. Zella, who is an eight-year military veteran, a 40-year resident of King County, a devoted partner who recently celebrated 31 years of marriage and proud parent of three wonderful children. And she is here to accept proclamation. Thank you. And Councilmember Sweet will be joining me for the proclamation. 31 years. Okay. Yeah, let's go down. You're tall enough. Whereas in 1999, Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender activist, founded Transgender Day of Remembrance in honor of Rita Hester, a transgender African American woman who was murdered in 1998. And whereas Transgender Day of Remembrance is designated on November 20th of each year and honors the memory of transgender people whose lives have been lost to senseless violence, transphobia, self-harm, and structural inequities. And whereas in June 2023, the human rights campaign declared a national state of emergency for LGBTQ Americans, citing what it called an unprecedented wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation and hostile policies. And whereas, according to the human rights campaign in 2024, there were at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive people whose lives were taken through violence, and that there are many more violent stories that go unreported or misreported. And whereas on June 17th, 2025, this city council reaffirmed by adopting Resolution 5686 that the City of Kirkland stands strong in its diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging values to be a welcoming, inclusive, and safe city for the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer questioning, intersex, asexual plus people, and recognizing their human rights and well-being. And whereas it is critical that an intersectional perspective and acknowledgement of systemic racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia are needed to effectively address the needs and concerns of transgender individuals and other gender non-conforming people, and whereas those lost this year and in years prior deserve to be honored and remembered. Their lives mattered and they will forever be missed by their family, friends, partners, and community. Now, therefore, Mayor Kelly Curtis, on behalf of this city council, proclaims November the 20th, 2025 as Transgender Day of Remember Remembrance in Kirkland, Washington, and invites our community to help raise awareness of the lived experience of transgender people everywhere to help foster a more equitable and inclusive community. Hello, everybody. Um I knew from an early age that I didn't quite fit the prescribed role of masculinity, but in the time I was growing up, I still managed to force myself into these roles and got married to a lovely woman who loved me and is changed and evolved and still loves me for who I am. I served eight years in the United States Air Force. I raised them up through high school, sent some of them to college, and in the year 2000, I finally gave myself time to start actually reflecting and questioning who I was as a person. And in deep, deep conversations with my family with my doctor and with my therapist. And I fully came out in 2023. And that that's just a touch of who I am.