Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting – February 3, 2026

The Kirkland City Council met in study session at 5:30 p.m. and in regular session at 7:30 p.m. on February 3, 2026. All seven councilmembers were present. The agenda included Municipal Court and Transportation Commission study-session briefings, a Black History Month proclamation, a public hearing, consent calendar approvals, several ordinances and resolutions, and reports. The meeting adjourned at 11:37 p.m. after an executive session.

Study Session: Municipal Court Overview

• Judge John Olson and Court Administrator Erin Wheeler presented on caseloads, financial obligations, release, and bail. Total cases filed were 48,918 in 2023, 55,650 in 2024 (a 13.5% increase), and 51,296 in 2025 (about an 8% decrease). In 2025, Kirkland accounted for 49,811 cases and contract cities accounted for 1,485; parking cases totaled 24,940 and school-zone cases totaled 18,285.
• Court operational figures for 2025 included more than 34,000 incoming phone calls, 8 jury trials with 292 jurors, more than 24,000 court hearings, 605 interpreter hearings, and 25 youth court hearings. The Unified Payment Program has served 378 Kirkland cases since 2020 and collected over $37,000.
• Judge Olson explained that release on promise to appear is the presumption, bail is the exception, and release decisions are individualized. He also described public defender screening, Blazina-compliant inquiries about ability to pay, reduced fines, and payment plans. Council members asked about public defender caseloads, bail data, and future court capacity.

Study Session: Transportation Commission Joint Meeting

• The Transportation Commission did not have a quorum. Chair Patrick Vu, Vice Chair Kaitlin Goodman, Commissioner David Tan, and Commissioner Dylan Hanson joined staff to discuss the proposed 2026–2027 work plan.
• Commission priorities highlighted included a roles and responsibilities charter, Transportation Strategic Plan (TSP) metrics, and aligning the commission work plan with the biennial budget cycle.
• Council feedback included interest in e-bike/e-motorcycle legislative input, elevating parking-lot safety in the work plan, making curb-space management a higher priority, reviewing greenway design and usage, adding check-ins on the transit needs study, and considering the Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC) as more than a transportation corridor. No formal action was taken.

Honors and Proclamations

• Councilmember Jon Pascal read the 2026 Black History Month proclamation. Emily Santee, a Lake Washington High School sophomore, accepted the proclamation and recited an original poem.
• Mayor Kelli Curtis read a community statement on federal immigration enforcement, stating that Kirkland Police does not participate in civil immigration enforcement, that the city has published rights resources, and that residents should call 911 if they see an unsafe interaction with federal agents.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Liz Hunt, a Kirkland resident, commented on the Transportation Strategic Plan implementation update. She praised the neighborhood safety program and its coordinator, Daniel Lazo, said the program's budget has been unchanged for over 10 years, and asked the Council to increase the program's budget if possible.
• During the public hearing on minor zoning code amendments related to the Houghton Village Development Plan, no public testimony was provided. Deputy Planning Director Allison Zike presented the staff report; the hearing was opened and closed at 7:51 p.m.

Consent Calendar

• The consent calendar was approved 7-0. It included approval of the January 20 and January 21, 2026 meeting minutes; audit of accounts with payroll of $9,801,297.34 and bills of $5,528,094.72; acknowledgment of claims from Michael Farson, Megan Grimes, Michelle Liv Grohn, and Cole Simonson; adoption of Ordinance O-4923 extending select board/commission terms through June 30, 2026; Resolutions R-5714 through R-5718 covering Cascade Water Alliance appointments, ARCH housing funding and program agreements, a storm facilities reimbursement agreement, and other routine reports/resignations.
• The Council also acknowledged the Cultural Arts Commission resignation of Sage Sommer, the 2026 First Quarter IT Operations Update, the December 2025 Investment Report, December 2025 Sales Tax, and the Procurement Report.

Discussion Items

• Ordinance O-4924 (minor zoning code amendments for the Houghton Village Development Plan) was approved 7-0. The amendments add references in the HENC 1 zone to allowed height and parking minimums already adopted with the development plan; they do not by themselves change zoning entitlements.
• Resolution R-5719 authorizing the City Manager to sell the Houghton Village property was approved 7-0. The City may accept offers from public, private, and nonprofit entities, and viable offers will be brought back to the Council. Councilmembers described the sale as the next-best option after development proposals were not feasible without a large subsidy, and as necessary to repay the interfund loan.
• Transportation Strategic Plan programs update was a discussion item. Transportation Manager Stephen Padua explained how asset-condition, policy-driven, and community-driven programs are implemented. Council members requested more annual transparency, equitable investment data, a stronger bicycle-lane program, and continued NSP expansion; no vote was taken.
• Vacation and management leave for non-represented staff was discussed. Staff proposed counting prior government experience for new-hire vacation accrual and expanding management leave to about 12 additional exempt employees. Council asked about private-sector experience, code versus administrative policy, retroactivity, and total compensation; no action was taken.
• Ordinance O-4925 authorizing the Fire Department to collect and share compliance report fees was approved 7-0. The ordinance clarifies that fire code compliance report fees are development-service fee-based activities and allows the Fire Chief to negotiate a fee-sharing agreement with the third-party compliance vendor. It does not create a new fee for property owners.
• 2026 Legislative Session Update No. 2 was presented. The Council confirmed the name "Legislative Review Team" for staff bill reviewers and approved changing Kirkland's position on House Bill 2480 and Senate Bill 6026 from opposed to support only with modifications (7-0).

Reports

• Councilmembers gave regional and committee reports, including updates on the Housing Development Consortium, Active Transportation Safety Council, Transportation Improvement Board, Cascade Water Alliance, Eastrail, State Building Code Council, and community events.
• LRM090225 – Traffic Control Policies: Capital Division Manager Rob English and Transportation Manager Stephen Padua presented options for updating policies R-27 and R-29 and creating a CKC closure policy. A motion to review current policies R-27 and R-29 and introduce a new Cross Kirkland Corridor policy passed 7-0.
• Mayor's legislative request on federal immigration activity: The Council approved an LRM directing the City Manager to explore a resolution affirming local authority to protect constitutional rights, request guidance on legal legislative authority, work with community stakeholders including the Lake Washington School District and Evergreen Hospital, and evaluate actions by other Washington cities. The first vote passed 7-0; because the Mayor did not call for noes, a procedural error was noted and the item was revoted, again passing 7-0.
• City Manager Kurt Triplett also updated the Council on the February 27 retreat agenda and a proposed Blue Friday 12th Man flag raising at City Hall.

Key Outcomes

• Consent calendar approved 7-0.
• Ordinance O-4924 approved 7-0.
• Resolution R-5719 approved 7-0.
• Ordinance O-4925 approved 7-0.
• Legislative position change on HB 2480/SB 6026 approved 7-0.
• LRM on traffic control policies approved 7-0.
• LRM on federal immigration response approved 7-0 after a revote.
• The Council entered executive session at 11:07 p.m. for real property acquisition and potential litigation and adjourned at 11:37 p.m.