Seattle Parks and City Light Committee Meeting - June 17, 2026
Seattle Parks and City Light Committee Meeting - June 17, 2026
The Seattle City Council Parks and City Light Committee met on June 17, 2026, at 2:00 PM in the Council Chamber. Chair Debora Juarez presided. Councilmember Maritza Rivera was excused. The committee approved six items (one resolution, one ordinance, and four appointments) and discussed two major City Light legislative packages without a vote.
Consent Calendar
- No items were designated as consent calendar; all items received individual votes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Anders Hammersburg (Washington State Ferries) expressed full support for the Memorandum of Agreement with Seattle City Light for the Pier 48/Coleman Dock Electrification Project, noting it is the system's busiest terminal and that the project supports ferry fleet electrification. He also thanked City Light for updating the large load user proposal to differentiate public ferries from data centers.
- Yvonne Griffin expressed serious concerns about Council Bill 121230 (Delridge Native Forest blanket authority), arguing the bill grants broad acquisition authority without sufficient guardrails, transparency, or community input opportunities, and does not fully address equity and long-term use impacts.
- Caroline Borsnik (Delridge Neighborhood Development Association) spoke in support of Council Bill 121230, highlighting a decade of restoration work, community engagement, and the importance of preserving and expanding the Delridge Native Forest.
- David Haynes spoke on electricity waste, stating that electricity is lost in transmission, that cruise ships consume 7–10 megawatts while emitting toxic emissions, and that the Port of Seattle shifts debt onto local taxpayers. He also criticized the Delridge acquisition as a "slush fund."
- During the public hearing on Resolution 322061 (Integrated Resource Plan), David Haynes again spoke, asserting a need to address "consumption malfunction" in transfer lines, claiming unfair electricity costs passed to ratepayers, and criticizing rate increases without addressing dilapidated real estate.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 322061 (2026 Integrated Resource Plan): Presented by Interim GM Rob Santoff and City Light staff. The plan shows a need for new generating resources—approximately 1,700 MW in the first 10 years and 1,900 MW in the second 10 years, totaling 3,600 MW of supply-side resources, plus 155 MW demand-side and 500 MW of transmission. The plan addresses load growth from electrification, weather volatility, and clean firm energy needs. Councilmember Dan Strauss asked about home battery storage potential; City Light responded that a DERMS system is needed and a bring-your-own-battery pilot is planned for after 2027.
- Council Bill 121228 (Washington State Ferries Electrification MOA): Authorizes a five-year, $3.2 million agreement for constructing system improvements at Pier 48 and Coleman Dock. The project will provide 30 MW of charging capacity (two slips, 15 MW each) to support hybrid-electric ferries, achieving 70% CO2 reduction by 2040 and 95% by 2050. Councilmembers praised the project's environmental benefits and regional coordination.
- Appointments to Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners: Four appointments (H. Bradley Kahn, Phillip Meng, Rebecca J. Rasch, James Williams) were approved. Councilmembers expressed concerns about lack of prior engagement with district-based councilmembers but praised the candidates' qualifications.
- Council Bill 121229 (Conservation Futures Levy Amendment): Authorizes acceptance of up to $7,248,000 from King County for open space acquisitions, including reallocations for North Beacon Hill, Westwood Highland Park, and Longfellow Creek, and new potential acquisitions in Belltown, Delridge Native Forest, and Lakeridge Park.
- Council Bill 121230 (Delridge Native Forest Blanket Authority): Authorizes acquisition of up to 4 acres of privately owned parcels within the Delridge Native Forest to protect 11 acres of green space. The project includes partnerships with SDOT, the Muckleshoot Tribe, and community groups. Discussion touched on tribal consultation and the need for community outreach.
- Resolution 322109 (2027-2032 Strategic Plan) and Council Bill 1212310 (Rate Ordinance): Presented together as a comprehensive update. The plan proposes 9.5% rate increases in 2027 and 2028, with projected increases of 7-11% through 2032. Drivers include electrification, grid investment, technology (e.g., DERMS), inflation (40% material cost increase over 5 years), and power supply costs. The rate ordinance also creates a new data center rate class for loads >10 MVA, expands the Rate Stabilization Account (from $100M to $150M ceiling $200M), and broadens the Utility Discount Program eligibility from 70% of state median income to 60% of area median income, potentially enrolling 31,000 more families. Councilmembers raised concerns about cumulative affordability impact and the timing of the leadership transition (former CEO Don Lindell's departure). The committee did not vote; written questions are due June 24, with further hearings on July 1 and July 15.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 322061 was voted out of committee (4-0) to full council for June 23.
- Council Bill 121228 was voted out of committee (4-0) to full council for June 23.
- Four appointments (Appt 035293, 035304, 035315, 035326) were confirmed by committee (4-0) to full council for June 23.
- Council Bill 121229 was voted out of committee (4-0) to full council for June 23.
- Council Bill 121230 was voted out of committee (4-0) to full council for June 23.
- Resolution 322109 and Council Bill 1212310 were discussed only; no vote taken. Next meeting: July 1, 2026, with a follow-up on July 15, 2026 for a vote.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everybody. Glad everybody's here. We took roll before we started the cameras. Welcome. Today is June 17th. This is the meeting of parks and Seattle City Light. This committee will come to order. I'm Deborah Warez. Will the clerk please call the roll? Councilmember Strauss. Councilmember Saka. Councilmember Rivera. Councilmember Kettle. Chair Warren. Thank you. And I should note for the record that Councilman Rivera is excused for today. All right. Let's go on to approval of the agenda. If there is no objection, the agenda will be adopted. Hearing or seeing no objection, the agenda is adopted. I'm going to have a rather lengthy chair's report because we have 10 items, and I want to set for the viewing public and for my colleagues, kind of an overview of where we're headed today. There will be a regular public comment period before items on the agenda and one public hearing regarding resolution three two two zero six, the Seattle City Light Integrated Resource Plan, the IRP, which is item number one. Comments should be related to items on today's agenda and within the purview of this committee during public comment, be related to the first item during the public hearing. There are two resolutions, four appointments, and four ordinances on the agenda today. The first item on the agenda is a resolution that approves Seattle City Light 2026 Integrated Resource Plan, which we affectionately call the IRP, the ERP. This is the second time we'll be hearing about the IRP and the Seattle City Light strategy over the next 20 years. The IRP is republished every four years with progress reports due every two years after each full IRP. This IRP is focused on addressing changes in customer needs, existing power supply, and assumptions on new energy resources, technologies, and costs. This presentation is seven slides and will be presented by Mr. Rob Stantoff, interim GM. Shabon Dowerty, Katie Ewing, Vereen Martin, Rebecca Klein, Natalie Randall from Seattle City Light, and of course Eric McConaughey from our own central staff. If those if those um presenters change, you guys can introduce yourselves when you get up here. The second item on the agenda is an ordinance, Council Bill 12128 from Seattle City Light authorizing a five-year memorandum of agreement and MOA with Washington State Ferries for system improvements on Pier 48 and the Seattle Terminal Electric Electrification Project. Seattle Terminal that includes uh Coleman Dock and Pier 52. This is a timely issue as the agreement is to be signed on July 1st. So we will be taking a vote on that today. Their slide deck has uh or their presentation is nine slides. Item number three through six. On the agenda are four appointments to the Board of Parks and Recreation Commission for three terms, three-year terms. We will hear from a representative from each of the appointees. Um my understanding is appointment one will be through a mayoral appointment, Bradley Kahn, number two, Phil Mang coming out of D7, a council appointee, Rebecca Rash out of D1, Council uh appointee, and James Williams out of D6, a council appointee. This presentation will be presented by Michelle Finnegan, who is the interim superintendent sale and park recreation director. The seventh item on the agenda is an ordinance council bill 121-229 authoring the entry into the amendment into amendment six. I think we wrote that wrong, the entry. This legislation allows the city to accept money from King County to pay for properties that have already been purchased or will be purchased soon. Their presentation consists of eight slides. And again, they will be presented by Michelle Finnegan, Lisa Ward from Sale of Parks and Rec, and our own Tracy Radcliffe from Council Central Staff. The eighth item on the agenda is an ordinance, Council Bill 121230 that would establish authority for Seattle Parks and Rec to acquire parcels of Delridge Native Forest at fair market value. Yeah, Delridge is in items number seven and eight. And we'll have the same folks from Parks that I just rattled off earlier.
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