OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting and Study Session - January 20, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:16:46

Transcript — Verbatim
0:55

All right, I'd like to call the order of the city council meeting of January 20, 2026.

1:01

Before I ask the clerk to call the roll for tonight's study session, is there a motion to excuse Councilmember Tim Chisholm?

1:07

Moved.

1:08

Second.

1:08

Move by Councilmember Black or Deputy Mayor Black, second by Council Mayor Falcone to excuse Councilmember Tim Chisholm from tonight's study session.

1:16

All those in favor, please say aye.

1:18

Aye.

1:18

Aye.

1:19

Any opposed?

1:20

Motion carries seven zeros.

1:24

On the roll call.

1:25

Yes.

1:25

I was just about to say that.

1:28

On the roll call, Councilmember Arnold.

1:30

Here.

1:30

Councilmember Prem.

1:31

Here.

1:31

Councilmember Falcone?

1:33

Here.

1:33

Councilmember Pascal.

1:34

Here.

1:35

Deputy Mayor Black.

1:36

Here.

1:36

Mayor Curtis.

1:37

Here.

1:40

Next page.

1:43

All right.

1:44

Our study session tonight is on two items.

1:46

First, we'll have an overview of the Kirkland Community Court services.

1:50

Second, we will receive an update on the city's King County Sexual Assault Resource Center Pilot Program.

1:56

We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7:30.

1:59

City Manager.

2:00

Okay.

2:01

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

2:02

Deputy Mayor, members of the Council, and uh the honorable presiding judge Olson.

2:07

As you mentioned, this is our overview of community court.

2:10

This is the second criminal justice system overview presentations.

2:14

This was supposed to happen last year.

2:16

We had quite a bit going on in November-December, so we appreciate the judges' patience and allowing us to move this forward to this meeting.

2:38

All right, well, thank you for having us.

2:40

And as Kurt said, Travis Locking is our community court coordinator.

2:44

He's been doing this for the past two, three years.

2:48

Four years.

2:48

Four years close.

2:53

Uh for community court, the uh the opportunities that it offers and uh the good things that we've seen uh from it.

3:00

So I think I'm excited to to hear him uh uh give his presentation here too today.

3:06

Uh community court uh first we first explored it in 2019, and I remember to coming to uh a meeting here with the new council members and I remember Dave Asher.

3:21

And we had heard about it before and and we had discussed it uh as something to look at.

3:26

And so we put together uh a group of uh we think talented people.

3:31

I know Tracy Dunlop was a part of that.

3:33

We had uh our public uh defender law firm uh Stuart McNichols, uh they participated in it.

3:41

Our uh our prosecutors, Mobile Lee Roberts, they participated in it.

3:45

Uh we had Tracy from the staff, I think we had two or three people from the uh city staff.

3:50

We hired it an outside uh consultant, uh Marilyn Littlejohn, who had uh started some community courts, and we began to meet on a semi-regular basis.

4:02

Uh and then unfortunately the uh COVID hit and we kind of had to to go into shutdown mode.

4:09

Um but we we started up again and we were able through some good collaboration to come up with a program to begin in, I think March of 2021 is is when we started.

4:20

And so the the whole concept of community court is to to look at different ways to to work with um uh offenders in your community uh to uh try something different than uh traditional court and I know we're all committed to that.

4:37

And and I know uh our court we try to do that with everybody that we see, but community court uh specifically we uh we see a different group of individuals and uh that need a little bit uh more fine-tuning and some close uh close care.

4:54

Uh and that's what's kind of come or developed in community court.

5:00

community uh to uh try something different than uh traditional court and i know we're all committed to that and and i know uh our court we try to do that with everybody that we see but community court uh specifically we uh we see a different group of individuals and that need a little bit uh more fine-tuning and some close uh close care uh and that's what's kind of come or developed in community court we uh we look at at problem solving and we talk we talk about addressing some of the underlying issues that these people face and uh the longer we are in it the more issues we see uh I think when we first started the community court program we had people that that maybe um had been involved in the law had maybe been uh drunk in public uh disorderly conduct uh fighting on the streets maybe some criminal trespass uh but uh that was kind of the standard type of individuals we we saw uh and we have now come to uh a a position that we see so many different uh issues that these people that come before us are trying to address um most of them have some type of substance abuse issues uh a lot of them have mental health issues a good number have both mental health and substance abuse uh a lot of them have uh housing uh issues uh education uh they may have stopped or have didn't complete school housing is a problem and so uh these people come to our program and we we're we try to fix it and it's uh it's difficult but we've got some great people from the community and uh in our staff that are willing to to work with this uh to address the underlying problems that they have and to hopefully get them over the hump that can uh get them to uh change some behavior habit habits that they have and one of the the neat things about community court is once in a while you get just a little uh speckle of positive that kind of turns the whole calendar around and I can think of individuals that have been unhoused for uh time and time again and because they're unhoused they have to they're sleeping on the streets or they're breaking into buildings or they're doing a lot of things um that they they have control over but it's just part of being unhoused and when you see that individual uh come to community court and and tell us that they've finally gotten their their housing and the the look on their face it's it's it's incredible uh just little things like that can can make and we we have to I guess deal with those little tidbits of positives that we get uh because we have quite a bit of uh negative things that happen too but it it's one of the good things about community court is uh everybody is together on this you can't tell when you come to uh a community court calendar w really what the person did I I have no idea uh when I'm on the calendar what type of offenses these people committed um and uh it's w everybody working together to try to get them the help they need uh to I guess complete their community court commitment um and hopefully move them on to a different step and and that's what we try to do.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Criminal Justice██████████████14%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Sexual Assault Services█████████9%
Legislative Updates█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Sustainability Initiatives███████7%
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Belonging███████7%
Sexual Assault Prevention█████5%
Affordable Housing█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting and Study Session - January 20, 2026

The Kirkland City Council convened on January 20, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. for a study session and at 7:30 p.m. for the regular meeting. Councilmember John Tymczyszyn was excused (motion carried 6-0). The study session included presentations on the Kirkland Community Court and the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) pilot program. The regular meeting featured a proclamation, public comments, special presentations, a consent calendar, and several business items, including adoption of design review amendments, the DEIB annual report, legislative session updates, and committee assignments. The meeting concluded with an executive session on litigation and adjournment at 10:40 p.m.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously (6-0) including: approval of minutes from December 9, 2025 (regular), December 11, 2025 (special), and January 6, 2026 (regular); audit of accounts (payroll $8,104,706.92 and bills $5,821,500.94); claims for damages from seven individuals; Resolution R-5713 adopting the 2025-2030 Transportation Improvement Program; declaration of surplus vehicles; 2025 Fourth Quarter CIP Accepted Projects Review; 2025 Third Quarter Financial Management Report; November 2025 Financial Dashboard Report; and Procurement Report.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Loita Hawkinson (Norkirk resident) spoke in favor of setting school zone speed limits to 20 mph at all times, arguing that time-of-day signs and flashing lights cause distracted driving. She suggested covering existing signs with stickers until replacement.
  • Alex Tsimerman criticized the King County Housing Authority, alleging mismanagement and that funds are being used for non-citizens. He demanded action and expressed support for federal audits.

Study Session Presentations

  • Kirkland Community Court Services Overview: Community Court Coordinator Travis Locking and Judge John Olson presented an overview of the program, which began in March 2021. Key statistics: 275 referrals, 70 graduates (25% of all referrals; 46% of those who opted in), 45% never opted in, 15% revocation rate, 8.7% recidivism among graduates. The program focuses on non-violent offenses and addresses underlying issues like substance abuse, mental health, and housing. Volunteers and a clothing boutique support participants. Council asked about capacity, donations, and sustainability. The program is funded by a grant and has a life skills curriculum in development.
  • King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) Pilot Program Update: Interim Government Affairs Manager Andreana Campbell, KCSARC CEO Kate Garvey, and Legal Advocate Hua Goldstein presented the six-month update (July–December 2025). The pilot served 43 survivors, with 47% under age 18. The primary referral source was Kirkland Police Department. Total Kirkland clients in 2025 were 101, a 10% increase from 2024. 90% of survivors felt supported, and 93% could identify next steps. Outreach included 21 programs reaching 274 individuals. Council discussed the importance of local connections and the need for additional resources like housing and clothing for survivors.

Special Presentations

  • Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) Update: President Dr. Amy Morrison highlighted LWIT's 75th anniversary, 13 bachelor's degrees, 42 associate degrees, and new construction including the Center for Design and an expanded Early Learning Center. She noted that LWIT is a top-five employer in Kirkland with 600+ employees and a $60 million budget. She requested council support for state funding (1.5% increase requested by governor).
  • 2025 Sustainability Strategic Plan Annual Report and 2024 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report: Senior Planner David Barnes reported that 152 of 195 actions in the plan are started, completed, or ongoing. Highlights include a 10% year-over-year increase in solar deployment, 80% waste diversion at City Hall for All event, and partnerships with LWIT for pollution prevention. The report also covered energy efficiency, transportation projects, and the PCs for People electronics reuse program.

Discussion Items

  • Adoption of Design Review Amendments (CAM24-00881): Senior Planner Tony Leavitt presented the final update on Ordinance O-4922, which amends design review regulations to comply with state law (HB 1293), making design regulations clear and objective and limiting public meetings. The ordinance includes new modulation and articulation options. The Planning Commission recommended adoption after a public hearing. The council voted 6-0 to adopt.
  • 2025 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Annual Report: DEIB Manager Erika Mascorro reported that 59 of 68 objectives in the five-year roadmap are complete. She highlighted national recognition, equity in contracting, improved hiring practices, and community events (17 sponsored in 2025, reaching ~1,000 attendees). Council provided feedback emphasizing the need for the next roadmap (2.0) to be more externally focused and to address barriers to running for office, such as campaign finance limits and ranked-choice voting.
  • 2026 Legislative Session Update No. 1: Interim Government Affairs Manager Andreana Campbell provided an update on the 60-day session. The Legislative Work Group signed in support of several bills and flagged 12 bills for council awareness. After discussion, council voted 6-0 to support HB 2320 and HB 2321 (regulation of 3D-printed firearms/ghost guns) and add them to the city's bill tracker. Council also discussed ground-floor retail requirements (SB 6026) and public defense caseload standards.
  • 2026 City Council Committee Assignments: The council approved the proposed committee assignments (motion 6-0), with an amendment to add Councilmember Falcone as an alternate for the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce Policy Board. The Transportation Ad Hoc Work Group was sunsetted.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes:
    • Excused Councilmember Tymczyszyn (6-0).
    • Approved Consent Calendar (6-0).
    • Adopted Ordinance O-4922 (Design Review Amendments) (6-0).
    • Supported HB 2320 and HB 2321 (6-0).
    • Approved 2026 Committee Assignments with amendment (6-0).
  • Directives: Staff to develop DEIB Roadmap 2.0 with community engagement from January to June 2026; council to provide feedback on focus areas. Legislative Work Group to continue monitoring bills and advocate at AWC Action Days.
  • Next Steps: Council retreat scheduled for February 27, 2026; Penny Sweet retirement party on January 30, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

All right, I'd like to call the order of the city council meeting of January 20, 2026. Before I ask the clerk to call the roll for tonight's study session, is there a motion to excuse Councilmember Tim Chisholm? Moved. Second. Move by Councilmember Black or Deputy Mayor Black, second by Council Mayor Falcone to excuse Councilmember Tim Chisholm from tonight's study session. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries seven zeros. On the roll call. Yes. I was just about to say that. On the roll call, Councilmember Arnold. Here. Councilmember Prem. Here. Councilmember Falcone? Here. Councilmember Pascal. Here. Deputy Mayor Black. Here. Mayor Curtis. Here. Next page. All right. Our study session tonight is on two items. First, we'll have an overview of the Kirkland Community Court services. Second, we will receive an update on the city's King County Sexual Assault Resource Center Pilot Program. We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7:30. City Manager. Okay. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Deputy Mayor, members of the Council, and uh the honorable presiding judge Olson. As you mentioned, this is our overview of community court. This is the second criminal justice system overview presentations. This was supposed to happen last year. We had quite a bit going on in November-December, so we appreciate the judges' patience and allowing us to move this forward to this meeting. All right, well, thank you for having us. And as Kurt said, Travis Locking is our community court coordinator. He's been doing this for the past two, three years. Four years. Four years close. Uh for community court, the uh the opportunities that it offers and uh the good things that we've seen uh from it. So I think I'm excited to to hear him uh uh give his presentation here too today. Uh community court uh first we first explored it in 2019, and I remember to coming to uh a meeting here with the new council members and I remember Dave Asher. And we had heard about it before and and we had discussed it uh as something to look at. And so we put together uh a group of uh we think talented people. I know Tracy Dunlop was a part of that.

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