City Council Recap May 17, 2022

Published on May 20, 2022

council meeting May 17

The Kirkland City Council met on May 17, 2022. Here’s a brief overview of some of the items from the meeting:

Study Session – Draft Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) 5-Year Roadmap: The Council reviewed an updated draft of the DEIB 5-Year Roadmap, which incorporated feedback from the community, City staff, and the Council. The draft DEIB 5-Year Roadmap defines a robust work program with goals and objectives related to the City as an organization and externally in the community. Council provided direction to staff about the draft Roadmap, and staff will return with a final draft version for Council consideration and adoption by Council at a future meeting.

Study Session – City Council Policies and Procedures – Social Media: The Council discussed its policies and procedures related to Councilmember engagement on social media. This topic is anticipated to be discussed in more detail by the Council at a future meeting.

Code Amendments Associated with the Sunsetting of Houghton Community Council: Staff presented a draft framework for undertaking amendments to the Kirkland Municipal Code and Kirkland Zoning Code related to the sunsetting of the Houghton Community Council. On March 11, 2022, Governor Inslee signed into law House Bill (HB) 1769, which sunsets community municipal corporations in Washington state effective on July 9, 2022. Staff will return to a future Council meeting with next steps based on Council direction.

Police Body Worn Cameras Update: The Council reviewed the updated Officer Body Worn Camera program draft policies and adopted the draft policies in order to comply with grant requirements from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Although these draft policies have been submitted to the DOJ, they can be updated further. Staff will return to Council for Council’s review and consideration of a Body Worn Camera program.

Cross Kirkland Corridor/Eastrail Crossing at 132nd Avenue NE Study: Staff presented the Council with options for the crossing at the CKC/Eastrail Crossing at 132nd Avenue NE. The City’s goal with this crossing is to promote safety and functionality for the trail users while minimizing impacts to vehicular traffic. The Council decided to move forward with the staff recommendation to narrow the CKC/Eastrail crossing at 132nd Avenue NE and to install a pedestrian signal.

Holmes Point Study – Recommended Street Standards: Staff provided an overview about the “Holmes Point Overlay Zone Street Design Standards & Corridor Study Recommendations Report.” The Holmes Point area is a distinct part of the Finn Hill neighborhood, and the recommendations report is intended to help guide future development that is sensitive to the area’s environmental constraints, community character, tree canopy cover and wildlife habitat, and related factors. The Council gave feedback to staff, who will return to Council at a subsequent meeting for final adoption.

How to watch:
Kirkland City Council meetings are streamed live and can be watched after the fact on the City of Kirkland Facebook page and the City YouTube channel, in addition to the livestream on the City website. Meetings are also televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Ziply Cable Channel 31.

To watch the Council discussions on the specific agenda items outlined above, visit the City’s website. The full agenda packet with information on each item is located on the City’s website.

The next regular City Council meeting is on June 7, 2022.

 

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