On Thursday, February 9, Mayor Penny Sweet delivered the annual State of the City address to the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, during which she declared that the state of the City is prepared.
Mayor Sweet described how the City’s ability to endure and overcome COVID-19 was in large part due to investments in emergency preparedness before the pandemic struck our community on February 29, 2020.
“As we approach the third anniversary of that fateful day, it is important to remember just how our City survived those terrifying months that stretched into years,” said Mayor Sweet. “We were prepared!”
Mayor Sweet then highlighted Kirkland’s preparations to face the new challenge in the wake of the pandemic - economic uncertainty. She praised the City’s financial readiness with the City Council’s approval of its first ever one-billion-dollar budget. The 2023-2024 budget paves the way for more attainable housing, safer routes to school, and a world-class parks system while maintaining staffing levels in critical areas like police, fire, public works, and parks.
She emphasized milestones in the City’s path towards being a more equitable community, including the City’s first ever Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Roadmap to guide the way to a community where everyone belongs, the hiring of Kirkland’s first community responders, and the collaborative creation of a Regional Crisis Response Agency to address mental health crises across a five-city region.
Mayor Sweet continued by celebrating how the City is prepared to provide attainable housing for Kirkland residents of all ages, abilities, and incomes.
“We have set affordable housing targets and are tracking our progress each year,” said Sweet. “At our Council meeting two days ago, we approved the largest Trust Fund round in [A Regional Coalition for Housing’s] 30-year history. Over 900 new or renovated units of affordable housing will come online in Kirkland over the next four years.”
The Mayor acknowledged that achieving these goals would not be possible without the hard work of her dedicated colleagues on the City Council.
“In my humble opinion, the members of our city council represent the hardest working and most effective city council on the planet.”
With an eye to the future, Mayor Sweet also described how we are prepared to dream.
“This year we are launching a city-wide conversation to create the vision of how Kirkland can be the best possible community where everyone belongs as we update our Comprehensive Plan,” said Sweet. “I urge you to join us in dreaming big on our journey to Kirkland 2044.”
Finally, Mayor Sweet reflected on how the City’s readiness has led to Kirkland being recognized with several recent awards, including as one of the best places to live in America by Money Magazine, as Best City of 425, and receiving the Governor’s Smart Communities Award for the Village at Totem Lake.
“Our award-winning past continues to lay the foundation for the future,” said Sweet. “Kirkland is ready. Kirkland is able. Kirkland is prepared. Our preparation will create and sustain our bright future.”
A video of Mayor Sweet’s speech can be viewed online. A transcript of the Mayor’s speech has been posted to the City’s website.