[1:40] i

[1:43] d like to welcome you to the

[1:45] AUGUST 18th, 2026 meeting of

[1:45] the King County Council. My

[1:46] name is George Baron. I have

[1:47] the privilege of serving as

[1:49] vice chair of the council. I

[1:51] will be acting as chair today.

[1:52] I

[1:53] m joined by my colleagues.

[1:55] Council colleagues here today

[1:56] and online. And this meeting is

[1:58] called to order. Before we

[1:59] begin, please join me in

[2:00] acknowledging that we are on

[2:02] the traditional lands of the

[2:03] Salish peoples, past and

[2:04] present. We thank these

[2:06] caretakers of this land who

[2:07] have lived here and continue to

[2:08] live here since time

[2:09] immemorial, bringing their

[2:11] cultural ways of life and

[2:12] greatly enriching our

[2:14] communities. With that. Clerk

[2:15] Foss, would you please call the

[2:16] roll?

[2:19] Thank you. Chair. Baron

[2:21] Councilmember Balducci. Here.

[2:22] Council member Dembowski here.

[2:25] Council member. Dunn.

[2:27] Councilmember Fain here.

[2:28] Councilmember Mosqueda.

[2:30] Councilmember. Louis.

[2:33] Councilmember Mosqueda. Here.

[2:36] Council. Perry. Councilmember

[2:37] von Reichbauer.

[2:37] Here.

[2:39] Chair. Baron.

[2:39] Here.

[2:40] You have a quorum.

[2:42] Wonderful. Thank you very much.

[2:44] Next, I will lead us in the

[2:46] Pledge of Allegiance. So if

[2:46] you

[2:47] re here in chambers, please

[2:47] stand. If you

[2:52] re able. I pledge

[2:52] allegiance.

[2:54] To the flag of the United

[2:56] States of America. And to the

[2:58] republic for which it stands.

[3:06] One nation under GOD, and.

[3:08] Thank you very much. Next,

[3:08] we

[3:09] ll have approval of the

[3:11] minutes. Vice chair Dunn. MAY I

[3:12] please have a motion to approve

[3:14] the minutes of the JULY 21st,

[3:17] 2026 and JULY 28th, 2026

[3:18] Council meetings. Move

[3:18] approval.

[3:20] Of JULY 21st and JULY 28th,

[3:22] 2026 meeting minutes.

[3:23] Thank you very much. The motion

[3:24] is before us. Are there any

[3:26] comments or questions regarding

[3:27] the minutes? Seeing none. All

[3:29] those in favor, please say aye.

[3:30] Aye aye aye. Any opposed?

[3:33] Please say nay. The minutes are

[3:35] approved. Clerk Foss, I

[3:36] understand that we have some

[3:37] additions to the Council

[3:37] agenda.

[3:40] I have one item being added to

[3:40] the agenda today. It

[3:42] s item

[3:46] 2820 260207. A motion accepting

[3:47] a King County regional

[3:49] Homelessness Authority contract

[3:51] transition plan and report

[3:52] providing responses to motion

[3:55] 16970. And this item is being

[3:56] referred to the Committee of

[3:57] the whole.

[3:58] Thank you very much. We

[3:58] re

[4:00] going to turn next to a special

[4:02] item, which is a proclamation

[4:05] of AUGUST 18th, 2026, as

[4:08] Dolores Dane, King County,

[4:10] Councilmember Dembowski, and

[4:11] the Chief Operating Officer for

[4:13] Executive Sarlahi. Kim will be

[4:15] presenting this item. So I

[4:16] would invite you to come to the

[4:18] podium and, get started

[4:19] whenever you

[4:22] re ready.

[4:24] Thank you very much, chair and

[4:24] colleagues. It

[4:26] s my pleasure.

[4:28] Today, uh, to present a very

[4:31] special proclamation on behalf

[4:31] of the Council and the

[4:34] executive, uh, declaring AUGUST

[4:37] 18th, 2026. Dolores Day in King

[4:37] County. I

[4:38] m really happy to be

[4:41] joined by our King County chief

[4:43] operations officer, Hale Kim.

[4:44] Uh, and together, we

[4:44] re going

[4:46] to share a few remarks about a

[4:48] very special person who has

[4:49] lived a tremendous life in King

[4:50] County and made an incredible

[4:52] difference for so many folks.

[4:53] Uh, but before we get into the

[4:55] proclamation, those remarks, I

[4:57] thought I would let Ko Kim say

[4:58] a few words as well.

[5:00] Thank you. Council member

[5:01] Dembowski, on behalf of

[5:03] Executive Zahilay, I just

[5:05] wanted to acknowledge and thank

[5:08] Randy, you and your family for

[5:09] being here on behalf of your

[5:11] mother. Um, it means so much to

[5:14] me as a young person who got

[5:16] started in politics. I think

[5:17] Dolores was one of the first

[5:19] people that I got to meet, and

[5:20] she was already retired, but

[5:22] still a force of nature. And

[5:24] like so many people, I think,

[5:26] that have read about her life

[5:28] and are going to enjoy reading

[5:30] some more. In her new memoir.

[5:32] Um, I think it is such an

[5:34] inspiration to not only past

[5:36] generations, but to future

[5:38] generations to know that she

[5:40] broke so many barriers. She was

[5:42] such a trailblazer, and she was

[5:44] so courageous in the face of

[5:46] incredible, incredible,

[5:47] systemic challenges, many of

[5:49] which we still face today. But

[5:51] she led the way in breaking

[5:53] barriers that I think so very

[5:54] few of us can really, truly

[5:56] appreciate. So on behalf of

[6:00] executive administration, I

[6:02] joined Councilmember Dembowski

[6:03] in just expressing our deep

[6:05] appreciation to your mother

[6:05] s

[6:06] leadership..

[6:07] Very nice.

[6:12] Um, Dolores turned 95 years old

[6:14] just a few days ago on AUGUST

[6:16] 12th. Um, she was the first

[6:18] Filipino American to graduate

[6:19] from the University of

[6:21] Washington journalism program

[6:25] in 1952. She was the first

[6:27] Filipino American man or woman

[6:28] attorney in the state of

[6:33] Washington. In 1973. She served

[6:35] here at the King County Council

[6:38] as a legislative aide to

[6:39] groundbreaking Councilmember

[6:42] Ruby Chow. Uh, after leaving

[6:43] the county council, she worked

[6:43] in the county

[6:45] s Office of Civil

[6:46] Rights. She was the first woman

[6:47] of color to serve on the

[6:50] Seattle City Council, starting

[6:53] in 1978, where she led the push

[6:54] for Seattle

[6:55] s first affirmative

[6:56] action ordinance and funding

[6:58] for parks and recreation

[7:00] programs. Dolores, Zamboanga

[7:01] was the first female executive

[7:03] of the Washington State Human

[7:05] Rights Commission. She served

[7:06] on the King County Board of Tax

[7:08] Appeals and Equalization until

[7:10] just very recently. Her family,

[7:11] where she got started as a

[7:15] little girl, uh, ran a cafe in

[7:16] the Chinatown International

[7:18] District. She a pioneering

[7:20] Filipino business in our

[7:22] community, and she writes about

[7:25] that experience in her new

[7:26] memoir, which I commend to

[7:29] everybody. Um, she and her late

[7:30] husband, Martin, published the

[7:32] Filipino Forum, a community

[7:35] newspaper which advocated for

[7:37] and coalition led civil rights

[7:38] for the Filipino American

[7:41] community in the 1970s. And she

[7:42] paved the way for women of

[7:44] color to seek and win elected

[7:46] office. She has written the

[7:48] memoir, which I mentioned. I

[7:50] commend it to everybody. And

[7:52] here at the county. Now, as you

[7:53] all know, for a number of years

[7:55] we have run a program called

[7:59] the Ruth Wu Emerging Leaders

[8:01] Fellowship. Uh, I think we

[8:01] ve

[8:04] had 50 young people, maybe

[8:05] more, a little less. We

[8:05] re

[8:07] hoping for 50 soon. Come

[8:09] through the program. Uh, but it

[8:10] would not. We would not have

[8:13] the program which brings young

[8:14] people who traditionally don

[8:14] t

[8:15] have access to opportunities in

[8:17] government into the halls of

[8:18] power here at the county to

[8:20] learn about careers and to be

[8:22] able to serve across our

[8:24] various departments. Uh, the

[8:27] idea came from Dolores and her

[8:29] good friend Joan Yoshitomo. Uh,

[8:30] they came to see then

[8:32] Councilmember McDermott and I

[8:34] many years ago now and asked

[8:35] that we form it. And it

[8:35] s been

[8:38] a very successful program, and

[8:39] it is consistent with the life

[8:41] that she has led. Uh, in terms

[8:43] of building systems to create

[8:45] pathways of opportunity for

[8:47] those who, uh, Hale talked

[8:49] about might not otherwise have

[8:51] as easy access to it. So she

[8:54] has done an incredible amount

[8:57] of civic work in her time here,

[8:58] and we wanted to take a moment

[8:59] to recognize her today. And

[9:02] with that, maybe q Kim, you

[9:03] could help me read the

[9:05] proclamation. Absolutely. All

[9:05] right. Would you like to go

[9:06] first?

[9:08] Thank you. Whereas Dolores was

[9:12] born on AUGUST 12th, 1931,

[9:12] growing up in Seattle

[9:13] s

[9:14] Chinatown International

[9:16] District, where her family ran

[9:18] the Iroquois Cafe. A pioneer of

[9:20] business in Filipino town.

[9:21] And whereas Dolores is a

[9:23] trailblazer in many different

[9:24] fields. As I mentioned, she was

[9:26] the first Filipino American

[9:26] attorney in the state of

[9:29] Washington. In 1973, the first

[9:31] female executive of the

[9:32] Washington State Human Rights

[9:34] Commission. In 1975, and the

[9:35] first woman of color to serve

[9:37] on the Seattle City Council in

[9:39] 1978. And whereas.

[9:41] During her time on Seattle City

[9:42] Council, she led the push for

[9:43] Seattle

[9:44] s first affirmative

[9:46] action ordinance, elevated

[9:47] workers rights and employment

[9:50] issues, championed economic

[9:51] development, and fought

[9:52] discrimination against women of

[9:55] color, and.

[9:56] Whereas her public service

[9:57] extends beyond elected office,

[9:59] and she served on several

[10:00] public service commissions,

[10:02] including the Washington Horse

[10:03] Racing Commission, the State

[10:05] Human Rights Commission, and

[10:05] our own King County Board of

[10:07] Tax Appeals and Equalization.

[10:09] And Whereas.

[10:10] Throughout her life, Dolores

[10:12] has been a voice for the

[10:13] community, with a journalism

[10:15] career spanning across print,

[10:18] television, and eventually

[10:19] garnering an Emmy nomination

[10:22] for her work with komo tv. And

[10:24] Whereas.

[10:27] In the spring of 2017, Dolores

[10:28] Vega and John Yoshitomo

[10:29] approached the county about

[10:30] creating the Ruth Wu Emerging

[10:32] Leaders Fellowship to honor

[10:34] their late friend Ruth Wu and

[10:35] provide disadvantaged young

[10:36] people with opportunities in

[10:38] government. And whereas.

[10:40] , in these ways and countless

[10:43] others, Dolores shines as an

[10:45] advocate, a leader, a

[10:48] trailblazer, and a role model.

[10:50] Now, therefore, we, the

[10:51] Metropolitan King County

[10:53] Council and the King County

[10:55] Executive, proclaim AUGUST

[10:59] 18th, 2026, as Dolores Day o.

[11:01] In King County. In recognition

[11:03] of her achievements and

[11:04] contributions to the community.

[11:12] All right.

[11:15] As Dolores texted me and

[11:16] Christina recently, we

[11:16] re going

[11:17] to go try and see her. She said.

[11:19] The mind is willing, but the

[11:19] body isn

[11:21] t. Um. We

[11:21] ve both.

[11:21] She

[11:22] s been in touch with us

[11:23] today, and she. Sorry she can

[11:23] t

[11:25] be here, but, um, one of my

[11:27] favorite constituents in Lake

[11:29] Forest Park, her daughter Randy

[11:30] is here, and I wondered if you

[11:31] might want to come up and say a

[11:37] few words.

[11:38] I am.

[11:40] Honored to represent mom today.

[11:43] Um, she turned 95 last week,

[11:46] and her mind is keen as ever,

[11:48] but her body, unfortunately, is

[11:50] really failing her. Otherwise,

[11:52] she would be here today to

[11:53] express her deepest gratitude

[11:56] for this recognition. Mom isn

[11:57] t

[12:00] one to ever expect or want

[12:03] accolades for her achievements.

[12:05] So over the years, any number

[12:08] of community folks would urge

[12:10] her to write her memoir. Um,

[12:14] she finally capitulated after

[12:17] realizing that, oh my goodness,

[12:19] this history of growing up in

[12:21] Chinatown in the 30s needed to

[12:24] be captured. Um, and also that

[12:27] if her story would inspire

[12:29] anyone, particularly young

[12:33] people, to become activists and

[12:34] advocates, then it would be

[12:37] worth it. So at 90, for her

[12:39] book The Best Adobo in Town was

[12:43] birthed. Um, mom, I asked mom

[12:48] to think about three, uh, key

[12:49] life lessons that she

[12:49] d want to

[12:52] share with you all today. The

[12:54] first is, and I think she talks

[12:56] about this in her book, When

[12:59] Doors Open, walk through them

[13:02] and she speaks about folks who

[13:04] came before her. Trailblazers

[13:07] like Ruby, Councilmember Ruby

[13:09] Chow, um, publisher Victor

[13:12] Velasco. And throughout her

[13:12] career, she

[13:13] s also tried to do

[13:17] the same. Um, and as she

[13:17] s been

[13:19] declining in health, so many

[13:21] people have stepped forward and

[13:22] she

[13:25] s just been so comforted by

[13:27] the fact that, um, people tell

[13:27] her it

[13:28] s because of you that I

[13:29] went to law school. It

[13:30] s

[13:31] because of you that I got into

[13:34] journalism and decided to run

[13:36] for public office. The second

[13:39] is, you need to have a seat at

[13:41] the table if you want to make a

[13:44] difference. Um, be the advocate

[13:45] for folks who don

[13:45] t have a

[13:48] voice. And finally, um, know

[13:51] your worth and never stop

[13:53] fighting for justice. Thank you

[13:55] again. Oh.

[13:57] Thank you.

[13:59] Thank you. Thank you.

[14:00] We

[14:01] ll just do a little.

[14:09] Photo right here. Okay.

[14:11] Alex, if you want to join. Uh

[14:12] Councilmember Dembowski.

[14:32] This is is. I speak. East

[14:36] Tulsa, okay. I don

[14:52] t want to.

[15:01] Because. So. Great. You

[15:05] re here.

[15:13] Yeah. There

[15:13] s two.

[15:15] Of us. Oh, beautiful.

[15:16] She

[15:17] ll put it on display.

[15:21] Good.

[15:23] Thank you very much.

[15:25] Councilmember Dembowski and ceo

[15:28] Kim for that presentation. Uh,

[15:29] we are now going to turn to the

[15:31] reading of items into the

[15:32] record and the hearing of

[15:34] public comments. Uh, but before

[15:36] we start that, um, before the

[15:38] clerk reads the items into the

[15:39] record, we have a handful of

[15:40] procedural matters to take care

[15:42] of colleagues. So bear with me

[15:44] here. Uh, first Vice Chair

[15:45] Dunn, will you please make a

[15:46] motion to relieve the local

[15:48] Services and Land Use Committee

[15:50] for items seven and eight.

[15:52] Move to relieve the local

[15:54] Services and land use Committee

[15:56] for items both seven and eight.

[15:57] Thank you very much. That

[15:58] motion is before us. All those

[16:00] in favor say aye. Aye. All

[16:02] those opposed, please say nay.

[16:04] The motion is approved. Next.

[16:05] Council member Dembowski, will

[16:06] you please make a motion to

[16:08] remove item nine from the

[16:10] consent agenda? So moved. Thank

[16:12] you. The motion is before us.

[16:13] All those in favor say aye.

[16:15] Aye, aye. Those opposed say

[16:18] nay. The motion is approved.

[16:20] Turning to our next procedural

[16:21] matter, which concerns agenda

[16:24] item 13, the sponsor of this

[16:25] legislation, Councilmember

[16:26] Dembowski, has requested this

[16:28] item not be taken up today and

[16:29] is to be placed on the agenda

[16:31] for first reading and referral.

[16:33] This item will therefore be

[16:34] referred to the transportation,

[16:36] Economy and Environment

[16:38] Committee. I understand that

[16:39] Councilmember Dembowski would

[16:40] like to make a few remarks, so

[16:41] please go ahead, Councilmember

[16:41] Busk.

[16:43] Thank you, MISTER Chair. Um,

[16:45] this particular ordinance is is

[16:46] unusual in nature, I

[16:48] acknowledge, and it relates to

[16:49] a service change that is

[16:51] occurring largely in my

[16:54] district related to route 372,

[16:55] a very popular route that

[16:57] basically runs from uw Bothell

[16:59] to the uw main campus, right

[17:00] down what I call the spine of

[17:02] my district, which is State

[17:04] Route 522 Bothell Way, Lake

[17:05] City Way. Depending on where

[17:06] you are on it. It

[17:07] s a real

[17:08] workhorse route. It has been

[17:10] for many years. It

[17:11] s the

[17:14] interestingly, the most popular

[17:16] University of Washington. You

[17:19] pass route, uh, in 2025, they

[17:24] had 919,000 boardings. Using a

[17:26] you pass on route 372, a lot of

[17:28] riders, uh, it

[17:29] s going away in

[17:30] a couple of weeks, and it

[17:30] s

[17:32] caused a lot of concern in my

[17:33] district. I think all of you

[17:35] received a letter, uh, signed

[17:38] on by a number of folks,

[17:40] including, uh, cities of Lake

[17:43] Forest Park, the city of

[17:46] Kenmore, City of Bothell, the

[17:48] North Urban Human Services

[17:51] Alliance, um Transit Riders

[17:54] Union, the Urbanist, shoreline,

[17:57] um Lake City Business Alliance,

[17:58] the Non Drivers Alliance, and

[17:59] others. Um, it

[18:01] s in my time

[18:02] here on the council. I

[18:02] ve done

[18:03] a lot of service changes and

[18:04] when you eliminate a route,

[18:05] it

[18:06] s usually not very popular.

[18:06] People don

[18:07] t like to see their

[18:08] routes go away, and sometimes

[18:08] it

[18:09] s hard to see the

[18:11] replacement routes. But this

[18:13] one has caused quite a bit of

[18:15] challenges. Um, I had the

[18:17] ordinance drafted introduced

[18:18] because there was some

[18:21] communication from Metro at a

[18:23] presentation to the Lake Forest

[18:24] Park City Council, and then

[18:25] also in some written

[18:26] communication, basically kind

[18:28] of saying, well, the county

[18:29] council did this and it would

[18:30] take a legislative act to undo

[18:32] it. Um, which is true. But

[18:34] really what we did was adopt

[18:37] the Metro proposal. Um, and uh,

[18:40] I was in communication with

[18:41] Metro in the office. I thought

[18:42] perhaps there might be given

[18:44] the great interest in the

[18:46] route. A pause, administrative

[18:48] pause, and they might need a

[18:50] legislative companion to

[18:52] endorse that. So, um, I

[18:52] m not

[18:53] asking for a vote here today

[18:54] because it

[18:55] s not practical. The

[18:57] way we run routes, um, you

[18:58] know, routes are picked by our

[18:59] drivers. You got to have the

[19:01] equipment to run it. Um,

[19:01] there

[19:02] s a lot that goes into a

[19:04] service change, but I did want

[19:06] to take a few moments to just

[19:07] acknowledge that this is a

[19:08] difficult change for the

[19:10] community. We included in our

[19:12] budget a proviso asking for a

[19:14] Gaps analysis to see how we

[19:15] might. We

[19:16] ll see the impacts of

[19:17] this and then see how we might

[19:19] address it later. But the core

[19:22] of it is, um, a lot of one seat

[19:23] rides can serve a lot of

[19:25] communities, including the

[19:27] struggling community of of Lake

[19:27] City, where we

[19:29] ve lost a number

[19:31] of drugstores and grocery

[19:33] stores. Um, are going to have

[19:35] some challenges getting through

[19:36] this corridor. There

[19:36] s

[19:37] definitely replacement service

[19:38] coming to connect to light

[19:40] rail. Um, but for certain

[19:41] rides, it

[19:43] s not as convenient

[19:45] and not as effective. And and

[19:47] the transfers around 145 Lake

[19:48] City were particularly

[19:49] challenging. So I guess what I

[19:51] wanted to say is, um, I

[19:52] appreciate the outreach from

[19:53] the community. We are going to

[19:55] keep working on service in this

[19:59] in this area. And, um, but this

[20:03] this is not ready, ready to

[20:04] take action on practically. So

[20:05] thanks for letting me share a

[20:06] few words. And thanks for Metro

[20:07] for being here.

[20:09] Thank you very much.

[20:11] Councilmember Dembowski. Um, we

[20:13] will move forward then with

[20:14] that. Uh, Clerk Foss, will you

[20:15] please read the items into the

[20:17] record?

[20:19] Thank you. Item number six,

[20:21] proclamation of AUGUST 18th is

[20:23] Dolores Day and King County.

[20:25] Item seven is proposed. Motion

[20:27] 2026 0168. Appointing a

[20:28] qualified person to position

[20:30] number two on fire. District

[20:31] number 24. Board of

[20:33] commissioners. Item eight is

[20:36] proposed. Motion 2026 0169

[20:37] appointing a qualified person

[20:38] to position three on the fire

[20:40] district. Number 24. Board of

[20:42] commissioners. Item nine is

[20:44] proposed. Substitute ordinance

[20:48] 2026 0097 relating to the sale

[20:52] of surplus property. Parcel

[20:58] 1521049016 located near South

[21:00] 328th Street and Military Road,

[21:02] South Federal Way, Washington

[21:03] and Council District seven,

[21:04] item number ten is proposed

[21:07] ordinance 2026 0117 authorizing

[21:08] the County Executive to enter

[21:10] into an interlocal agreement

[21:12] for the provision of autopsy

[21:14] and forensic pathology services

[21:15] by the King County Medical

[21:15] Examiner

[21:16] s Office to Skagit

[21:18] County. Item 11 is proposed.

[21:20] Substitute Ordinance 2026 0161,

[21:23] authorizing the execution of a

[21:24] new lease to support the

[21:26] operation of Department of

[21:29] Public Health. Item 12 is 2026

[21:32] 0165, an ordinance that adopts

[21:33] the Harborview Medical Center.

[21:35] 2027 Capital Improvement

[21:36] Program annual budget for the

[21:39] year ending JUNE 30th, 2027,

[21:41] and makes appropriations for

[21:42] the capital improvements for

[21:44] the Harborview Medical Center.

[21:46] Item 18 is proposed. Substitute

[21:51] motion 2026 0119 acknowledging

[21:52] receipt of the Harbor Island

[21:54] Studio Assessment Report

[21:56] required by the 2026 2027

[21:58] Biennial Budget Ordinance. Item

[22:02] 19 proposed Motion 2026 0146

[22:03] acknowledging receipt of the

[22:05] Harbor Island Surplus analysis

[22:08] as required by the 2026 2027

[22:11] Biennial Budget Ordinance. Item

[22:13] 20 is proposed. Substitute

[22:15] motion 2026 0145 acknowledging

[22:16] receipt of the Harborview

[22:18] Medical Center Long Range

[22:19] Planning Committee plan

[22:23] required by the 2026 2027

[22:25] Biennial Budget Ordinance. And

[22:27] item 21 is proposed. Motion

[22:30] 2026 0213, confirming the

[22:30] executive

[22:31] s reappointment of

[22:33] Francesca Renoir, who resides

[22:36] in Council District two to the

[22:37] King County Landmarks

[22:39] Commission as a representative

[22:40] of professionals with

[22:42] experience in historic

[22:43] preservation related

[22:45] disciplines.

[22:48] Thank you very much. Clerk Fox

[22:49] appreciated the Council will

[22:51] now take public comment on

[22:52] those ordinances, motions,

[22:54] proclamations and recognitions

[22:54] on today

[22:55] s agenda for action.

[22:56] Listening to the public and

[22:57] taking into consideration the

[22:58] public

[22:58] s thoughts is an

[22:59] important part of our process

[23:01] and one that enhances our

[23:03] deliberations in order to allow

[23:04] everyone equal time to provide.

[23:05] Comment I would like to set the

[23:07] following ground rules. Please

[23:08] limit comments to two minutes.

[23:09] Remain seated until time for

[23:11] your public comment, and do not

[23:12] make audible noises during the

[23:13] meeting without being

[23:15] recognized. This is also a

[23:16] reminder that public comment

[23:17] MAY not be used for the purpose

[23:18] of assisting a campaign for

[23:20] election of any person to any

[23:21] office, or for the promotion

[23:23] of, or opposition to any ballot

[23:25] proposition. Speakers should

[23:26] address their comments directly

[23:28] to the chair per council rules.

[23:29] Disruptive behavior can or MAY

[23:30] lead to an audience member

[23:31] being asked to leave the

[23:33] meeting. In addition to the

[23:34] behavior already mentioned.

[23:35] This includes holding signs

[23:36] that obstruct the free

[23:37] passenger view of others

[23:38] attending the meeting, or

[23:39] holding signs at the podium

[23:41] while providing comment and the

[23:43] use of bullhorns or noisemakers

[23:45] for online comment. Press star

[23:46] nine on the phone or click the

[23:48] raise hand icon on the zoom

[23:49] toolbar, located at the bottom

[23:50] of the screen, to notify the

[23:51] clerk. The clerk will call the

[23:53] names of the or the last three

[23:54] digits of the phone numbers in

[23:55] order, and will then unmute

[23:57] each line at the end of each

[23:58] comment. The clerk will lower

[24:00] hands with that clerk. Mueller,

[24:02] please begin calling the names

[24:03] in person, followed by those

[24:04] hands raised online for public

[24:05] comment.

[24:06] Thank you. Chair. The first

[24:07] name on the list is Alex

[24:08] Zimmerman.

[24:19] Thank you very much. Hi. My

[24:21] name Alex Zimmerman. I

[24:23] president of Stand Up America.

[24:24] MR. Zimmerman, keep the sign

[24:24] up.

[24:25] Thank you.

[24:27] Yeah yeah yeah I rules very

[24:29] important who destroy rules

[24:32] will go in jail. Yes. So

[24:34] because I know council

[24:36] Dembowski for many years. You

[24:37] know what this means. So I want

[24:39] speaking about buses

[24:42] proposition. What is he did so

[24:45] for ten years. Very interesting

[24:46] situation. Come to Seattle. The

[24:49] Seattle is King County to. So

[24:54] ten year ago Council make third

[24:57] street only for buses. Smarter

[25:00] day. Exactly. Absolutely. So

[25:01] for ten years I

[25:02] m talking why

[25:04] buses have a special street

[25:07] number three in downtown. You

[25:08] know what is mean. But most

[25:12] buses go in street for why?

[25:14] What is the reason for this?

[25:16] Who these people with soft

[25:18] brain who cannot fix this

[25:21] problem is idiotic situation.

[25:24] Please cost us a million bucks.

[25:26] And this complication. Because

[25:29] four in downtown is very busy.

[25:31] So these buses make situation

[25:34] complicated, dangerous and cost

[25:35] a ton of money. I don

[25:35] t

[25:37] understand who this freaking

[25:39] idiot who different in

[25:42] approximately 3040ft from one

[25:43] line to another cannot move

[25:46] buses to street number three.

[25:47] And I token, this doesn

[25:48] t time

[25:49] for three for ten years and

[25:53] nothing happened. No one. Sorry

[25:54] man, without brain, you know

[25:56] what this mean? One fixes this.

[25:59] So my question right now why

[26:02] people in King County, you

[26:03] know, what is men don

[26:03] t

[26:05] understand says I, African and

[26:06] Nazi buster. You know fascist.

[26:08] You know what is mean? What is

[26:09] not care about people, money.

[26:11] Viva Trump. Even your American

[26:12] ReReRevolution. It

[26:13] s very

[26:15] complicated. Stand up Slovene

[26:17] happy cows, very complicated.

[26:20] Make one third avenue.

[26:23] Thank you. Your time is up.

[26:24] The next name on the list is

[26:28] Yvette Danish.

[26:32] Welcome, Yvette.

[26:33] So this is.

[26:35] A quick aside. I didn

[26:35] t know

[26:36] that we

[26:37] re here long. She

[26:37] s

[26:39] just so secret. I had to

[26:47] comment out of. So no.

[26:48] Uh. Good afternoon. Yvette.

[26:49] Donna, I

[26:51] m from the South End,

[26:53] and, uh, the the Lord

[26:54] s day was

[26:56] remarkable because the honors

[26:58] her achievements and advocacy,

[27:00] which in turn reminded me of

[27:02] another female trailblazer,

[27:04] Jennifer Dunn, which in turn

[27:06] reminded me of her son,

[27:07] Councilmember Reagan Dunn,

[27:09] which in turn are brought to

[27:11] mind the article in the Seattle

[27:13] Times that he wrote saying that

[27:14] the Seattle region

[27:15] s approach

[27:17] to homelessness needs a

[27:19] complete overhaul and that it

[27:20] does. And in particular, I

[27:21] refer to the last paragraph in

[27:23] which he states that King

[27:24] County and Seattle have an

[27:26] opportunity to move beyond the

[27:28] false choice between compassion

[27:30] and accountability. We need

[27:32] both a successful system to

[27:34] invest in our diversity of

[27:36] solutions, but not shy away

[27:38] from holding people accountable

[27:39] and intervening when people are

[27:41] too sick to help themselves.

[27:42] Other jurisdictions are proving

[27:44] that these strategies work.

[27:46] Local leaders should implement

[27:47] them here and revert to failed

[27:49] policy. Experiments over the

[27:51] last decade. Well written and I

[27:52] totally agree with what he had

[27:53] to say. Thank you.

[27:55] Thank you. Reagan all signed

[27:56] that. If you want an

[27:59] autographed copy of it.

[27:59] Well.

[28:00] Yeah, I

[28:00] m serious.

[28:02] If you want.

[28:03] Thank you very much.

[28:03] Let

[28:05] s go to. The next one. Next

[28:07] speaker. Gotcha.

[28:07] That

[28:07] s good buddy.

[28:09] The next name on the list is

[28:12] Joe Kunstler.

[28:15] Craigslist.

[28:15] Joe.

[28:18] Hi, everybody. Can you hear me?

[28:18] Yes.

[28:20] Great. Joe Kunstler here.

[28:21] Always happy to call in. I

[28:22] understand what your

[28:24] Councilmember Dembowski needs.

[28:26] A bus saved from Nazis. And,

[28:27] uh, I very much support his

[28:28] efforts today. I think it

[28:28] s

[28:29] important we have neighborhood

[28:30] service. I think it

[28:31] s important

[28:32] that we have democratic

[28:33] representation over public

[28:35] transportation. And I believe

[28:37] that route free 72 should be

[28:39] renamed the Dombrowski route.

[28:41] Um, to remain consistent with

[28:42] all my teachings. Like, for

[28:43] instance, we should name the

[28:44] East Main station the Claudia

[28:47] duty station. Hi, Claudia. And

[28:49] we should also, um, you know

[28:49] what? What? We

[28:50] re, uh,

[28:52] yammering away here. Um, you

[28:54] know, really make sure that,

[28:55] uh, King County metro is

[28:56] responsive to the local

[28:57] residents and fans of King

[28:59] County Metro, especially as

[28:59] I

[29:00] ll be writing Sound Transit

[29:01] tomorrow to go to the airport.

[29:02] So I want to thank you for

[29:05] public service. And, uh, and

[29:05] I

[29:06] ll leave it at that.

[29:07] Thank you.

[29:10] Thank you. Joe.

[29:11] Chair Barone, there are

[29:13] currently no.

[29:15] All right. Seeing no further

[29:17] requests for public comment, we

[29:20] will close public comment for

[29:23] today. Uh, turning to the first

[29:24] action items on today

[29:25] s agenda

[29:26] item seven and eight, which

[29:27] concerned appointments to the

[29:29] fire district. Number 24, Board

[29:31] of commissioners. Uh

[29:32] Councilmember Fain. Will you

[29:34] please move? Proposed motion

[29:37] 2026 0168.

[29:38] So moved.

[29:39] Thank you very much. Proposed

[29:42] motion 2026 0168 is before us.

[29:44] Uh, before we proceed, I will

[29:45] note that since the Local

[29:46] Services and Land Use Committee

[29:47] has been relieved of, item

[29:49] seven and eight will begin with

[29:50] a briefing from Sherrie Hsu,

[29:52] from council staff. After the

[29:54] briefing, colleagues can ask

[29:55] any questions with central

[29:55] staff, and then we

[29:56] ll move on

[29:56] to the next part of the

[29:58] appointment process. With that.

[30:00] Sherry, please go ahead when

[30:00] you

[30:00] re ready.

[30:03] Thank you. Vice Chair Brown.

[30:03] Good afternoon. I

[30:04] m Sherrie Hsu

[30:05] with council staff and the

[30:07] materials for this item begin

[30:09] on page 32 of the meeting

[30:10] packet. Um, the clerk also

[30:12] emailed some additional

[30:13] materials out to members this

[30:15] morning. Before you today are

[30:18] two motions. Proposed motion

[30:22] 2026 0168 and 0169, which would

[30:24] fill two vacant positions on

[30:26] the fire district number 24,

[30:27] Board of Commissioners. All

[30:29] three board positions are

[30:30] currently vacant, and the

[30:31] district has not held any

[30:33] elections for commissioners

[30:35] since 2013. Under state law, if

[30:37] there are less than two members

[30:38] of a governing body for a

[30:40] special purpose district, then

[30:42] the legislative authority of

[30:44] the county is responsible for

[30:45] appointing physicians until the

[30:47] body has two members, and then

[30:49] those two commissioners have 90

[30:50] days to fill the remaining

[30:53] vacancy. As a brief background,

[30:56] Fire district 24 is a small

[30:57] special purpose district

[30:59] located in unincorporated King

[31:01] County. There is a map on the

[31:03] screen, um, and it

[31:03] s in between

[31:06] the cities of Tukwila, Kent and

[31:08] SeaTac. Uh, just some brief

[31:10] history. Originally included

[31:12] what is now the city of SeaTac.

[31:13] Uh, the city was incorporated

[31:17] in 1989. Um, just 2% of the

[31:19] district at that time remain

[31:20] outside of that area. And then

[31:25] ten years later, in 22,009, um,

[31:26] three fourths of the district

[31:28] was annexed by the city of

[31:30] Tukwila. So the district

[31:31] currently does not provide

[31:34] direct fire services. Instead,

[31:37] there is an Mou under which

[31:39] Tukwila provides services to a

[31:41] portion of the district that is

[31:42] within Tukwila. Potential

[31:45] annexation area, and then under

[31:47] another legacy agreement with

[31:49] the city of SeaTac, the Puget

[31:51] Sound Regional Fire Authority

[31:52] provides services to the

[31:53] remainder of the district,

[31:54] which is in the City of Kent

[31:54] s

[31:57] potential annexation area. Um

[31:59] under state law, by JUNE 1st of

[32:00] each year, the county

[32:00] s

[32:01] auditor, which in the case of

[32:02] King County is the Department

[32:05] of Elections, is required to

[32:07] search records and then notify

[32:08] the legislative authority,

[32:09] which in the case of King

[32:11] County is you, the council, um,

[32:12] if any special purpose

[32:15] districts are appear to be

[32:17] inactive after this notice from

[32:18] elections, the council is

[32:19] required to hold a public

[32:22] hearing before SEPTEMBER 1st to

[32:23] determine whether these

[32:24] districts are meeting the

[32:27] criteria for being inactive.

[32:31] Every year since 2000, 22,

[32:32] elections has notified the

[32:34] council of the apparently

[32:36] inactive status of this

[32:38] district. Um, as I mentioned,

[32:39] elections has no record that

[32:40] the district has held any

[32:42] elections for commissioners

[32:44] since 2013, and the state

[32:46] Auditor also declared the

[32:47] district as quote unquote,

[32:50] unaudited in its report from

[32:52] 2021. The council has provided

[32:54] a public hearing in accordance

[32:56] with state law each year since

[32:58] 2022, and it has chosen to

[33:00] defer action. The next hearing

[33:03] is scheduled for next Tuesday,

[33:06] AUGUST 25th. So that brings us

[33:07] to today. As I mentioned, all

[33:09] three positions are currently

[33:10] vacant, and the proposed

[33:11] motions would fill positions

[33:13] two and three, after which the

[33:15] two commissioners would then

[33:16] have 90 days to fill the

[33:18] remaining vacancy for position

[33:20] one. If those two commissioners

[33:21] do not fill that position, this

[33:22] will come back to you, and the

[33:25] Council will then have 180 days

[33:27] to fill the third position. Uh,

[33:29] as far as terms go, any of the

[33:31] positions appointed by council

[33:32] would be held until the next

[33:36] general election in 2027. And

[33:37] then after that election,

[33:39] position one would be a two

[33:41] year term. Position two would

[33:42] be a four year term, and

[33:44] position three would be a six

[33:46] year term to stagger those.

[33:48] Next up for the district, due

[33:50] to the apparent inactivity of

[33:52] the district and the need to

[33:53] continue to provide ongoing

[33:55] services, the council has

[33:56] considered different options

[33:57] over the years regarding the

[33:59] future of the district, and one

[34:01] potential would be a proposal

[34:03] to merge the district with Fire

[34:06] District 37. Filling the board

[34:08] would allow the commissioners

[34:10] to work together to determine

[34:15] the next steps on their own. Um

[34:19] proposed motion 2026 0168 would

[34:21] appoint MR. Anton, Joseph, Zach

[34:23] or Tony to fill position number

[34:25] two on the board. Uh, he grew

[34:26] up in the neighborhood

[34:27] associated with Fire District

[34:29] 24 and has served as a

[34:30] commissioner for King County

[34:32] Drainage District Number two

[34:34] and has experience in fund

[34:36] accounting from working with

[34:37] Kent School District. Proposed

[34:41] motion 2026 0169 would appoint

[34:43] MR. James Donald Hopf or Jim to

[34:45] fill position number three on

[34:47] the board. He has lived in Fire

[34:49] District number 24 with his

[34:51] family for ten years, and has

[34:53] experience in account

[34:55] management. Uh, MR. Hoff is

[34:56] with us today for an interview.

[34:58] And since MR. Dragon wasn

[34:58] t

[35:01] able to join, uh, I believe

[35:03] Councilmember Fain office has

[35:04] distributed written responses

[35:07] to the interview questions. And

[35:08] as I mentioned, you all have

[35:09] the resumes in your email as

[35:11] well. Thank you.

[35:13] Thank you very much, cherry.

[35:15] Appreciate that report. Uh, do

[35:15] my colleagues have any

[35:16] questions for Sherry or

[35:18] comments for discussion before

[35:20] we proceed? Kent Councilmember

[35:20] Fain.

[35:22] Thank you. No questions. Just

[35:23] would like to speak to it.

[35:25] Thank you. Thank you all for,

[35:26] uh, allowing these appointments

[35:28] to bypass the committee. For

[35:30] context, they were referred to

[35:31] committee, but because of

[35:34] timing and, um, somewhat urgent

[35:36] need to move this along, we

[35:37] asked the chair to bring them

[35:40] directly to us at council for

[35:42] consideration today. So, uh,

[35:47] motion 0168 relating to, uh,

[35:48] MR. Reagan

[35:49] s appointment is

[35:49] before us, but I

[35:50] m going to

[35:52] speak to, um, well, what I

[35:54] speak to will apply to both. So

[35:54] we

[35:57] ll save some time here. Um,

[35:59] this is an unusual situation

[36:01] that has been unresolved for a

[36:02] long time. As you heard, uh,

[36:05] fire district 24 sits in

[36:07] unincorporated district five.

[36:10] We had put the map up earlier.

[36:12] Just, um, to illustrate that

[36:14] the unincorporated area is in

[36:16] red. Uh, here in the center of

[36:19] the page, it sits somewhat of

[36:20] as an island. Um, you

[36:21] ll see to

[36:25] the west it sits SeaTac,

[36:27] directly to the east is Tukwila

[36:29] in the darker yellow and then

[36:32] pale yellow to the east and

[36:34] south sits Kent, and then Des

[36:36] Moines is in the orange there.

[36:41] Um, it is complicated, as you

[36:43] can imagine, with several

[36:44] different potential annexation

[36:46] areas with Tukwila and Kent.

[36:48] Um, and then SeaTac also

[36:49] providing some services there.

[36:53] So, um, residents, I do want to

[36:55] reiterate, residents, uh, do

[36:56] receive fire service, so

[36:56] they

[36:57] re not without fire

[36:58] service, but it

[36:58] s through

[37:00] existing agreements and there

[37:00] s

[37:01] no functioning board of

[37:02] commissioners to oversee the

[37:04] district or oversee any

[37:05] outstanding financial issues or

[37:07] even really address the future

[37:09] of this district. So over the

[37:11] past seven months, our offices

[37:13] work closely with our local and

[37:15] regional affairs team and the

[37:17] residents of the district to

[37:18] identify available options and

[37:22] identify um residents who are

[37:23] willing to serve as

[37:24] commissioners, for which we are

[37:26] very grateful. Um, after many

[37:27] conversations and meetings with

[37:29] property owners and residents,

[37:31] i agree with the residents that

[37:33] appointing commissioners is the

[37:35] next best next step. It

[37:37] restores local representation,

[37:39] gives the residents a direct

[37:40] role in addressing the

[37:40] district

[37:42] s outstanding issues

[37:44] and and ability to work on the

[37:46] best long term plan. As you

[37:46] ve

[37:46] heard from Sherry

[37:48] s report, um,

[37:49] council has previously

[37:51] considered other options for

[37:52] the district, including a

[37:54] potential merger with another

[37:56] fire district. But rather than

[37:57] us making that decision for

[37:58] them, these appointments give

[38:00] residents a more direct role in

[38:03] determining what comes next. So

[38:05] with that, I am pleased to

[38:06] sponsor both appointments. But

[38:07] the first one here before us

[38:10] today is the appointment of,

[38:13] um, MR. Anton Reagan. And he is

[38:15] a lifelong resident of the Fire

[38:17] District. He was not able to

[38:18] join us today. So he has

[38:20] submitted written comments,

[38:21] responses to questions that we

[38:22] provided ahead of time with

[38:23] your office

[38:25] s collaboration.

[38:27] Um, those have been emailed and

[38:28] a hard copy, I believe is at

[38:31] your desk. Um, I think that

[38:32] restoring a functional board is

[38:33] going to be the best path

[38:36] forward. Gives residents a

[38:37] voice in what happens in their

[38:39] district going forward, and ask

[38:43] for your support. Um, again,

[38:44] for both, I want to thank our

[38:46] local and regional affairs

[38:48] team, especially Tom Goff and

[38:50] Tanya Medaka, for their work

[38:52] with residents in this small

[38:54] unincorporated area over many

[38:56] years. Um, I also want to thank

[38:57] Sherrie Hsu for providing

[38:59] policy support. Kendall Morris

[39:02] provided a fair number of or a

[39:03] fair amount of legal guidance.

[39:05] So thank you. Um, and a special

[39:09] thanks to my district manager,

[39:11] Cimarron Paddle, for leading

[39:13] this effort. It is, um, been

[39:16] complicated. So, with that

[39:17] support, appointment number

[39:22] one, which is, um, motion.

[39:25] Sorry, I lost that.

[39:28] 260168. Thank you.

[39:29] Wonderful. Thank you very much.

[39:30] Councilmember Fain appreciate

[39:32] your work on this. Uh, to to

[39:34] try to resolve this issue, uh,

[39:35] as colleagues, as we heard, our

[39:37] first candidate, MR. Gregory,

[39:39] is not available to join us.

[39:41] Um, but the materials were

[39:42] distributed to council members

[39:43] in the first green folder sent

[39:46] at 10:09 A.M. Today. Do my

[39:48] colleagues have any discussion?

[39:49] Um, further discussion or

[39:51] questions regarding the

[39:52] candidate, his qualifications

[39:54] before we proceed with a vote?

[39:55] Anything further from

[39:56] Councilmember Fain? All right.

[39:57] Clerk Foss, will you please

[39:59] call the roll on this motion?

[40:02] Thank you. Councilmember

[40:02] Balducci.

[40:03] High.

[40:05] Council member Dembowski.

[40:06] I.

[40:07] Councilmember Dunn.

[40:07] Aye.

[40:09] Councilmember Fain. I

[40:11] Councilmember Louis.

[40:14] Councilmember Mosqueda. I

[40:16] Councilmember Perry

[40:18] Councilmember von Reichbauer.

[40:19] I.

[40:21] Jerry Bratton. I the vote is

[40:21] seven I

[40:23] s and council members

[40:25] Lewis and Perry excused.

[40:26] Thank you very much. By our

[40:28] vote, we have adopted proposed

[40:31] motion 2026 0168.

[40:33] Congratulations to Anton, and

[40:34] thank you very much for your

[40:36] willingness to serve. We are

[40:37] now going to turn to item

[40:38] eight, which is the second

[40:39] appointment to the fire

[40:40] district number 24 board. We

[40:41] will be interviewing the

[40:43] candidate today. Councilmember

[40:45] Fain, will you please move?

[40:48] Proposed motion 2026 0169. So

[40:49] moved. Thank you very much.

[40:51] That motion is before us.

[40:52] Sherry already gave us a

[40:54] briefing, so I would like not

[40:56] to invite James Hough to join

[40:56] us. He

[40:57] s at the table there.

[40:58] Thank you very much for your

[41:01] willingness to serve. Um, uh,

[41:03] we, um, are going to have a

[41:05] series of three quick questions

[41:05] for you to answer. I

[41:06] ll be

[41:07] asking the first question.

[41:08] Councilmember Fain what

[41:08] s the

[41:09] second question of

[41:10] Councilmember Dunn last, third

[41:12] question? And then, uh, let

[41:13] s

[41:14] get us started. Please tell us

[41:15] a little bit about yourself and

[41:17] your qualifications to be a

[41:18] commissioner for Fire

[41:21] Protection. District number 24.

[41:23] Um, yes. Hi. Thank you for

[41:25] having me today. Um, and thank

[41:28] you for Steffanie Fain

[41:31] Councilmember Fain, uh, staff.

[41:31] That

[41:32] s been amazing through

[41:34] this whole process. Um, I

[41:34] didn

[41:37] t know such issues existed

[41:39] when I moved into this, um,

[41:40] beautiful piece of property

[41:43] that we have. And, um, when I

[41:44] first started getting all of

[41:46] the letters, I was like, oh,

[41:47] somebody else is going to take

[41:48] care of this, you know, it

[41:49] s

[41:49] it

[41:49] s not can

[41:50] t be me. Like, I

[41:50] m

[41:51] like, I

[41:52] m not qualified to do

[41:55] any of this stuff and then

[41:56] realize that we are in a very

[41:58] small district and there really

[41:58] isn

[41:59] t a whole lot of other

[42:02] options. And so when, um,

[42:02] council member Fein

[42:04] s uh, staff

[42:05] reached out to me, finally

[42:06] answered, I

[42:06] m like, what

[42:06] s

[42:07] what

[42:08] s going on here? Like

[42:09] what? What can I, you know, is

[42:13] this a spam email or spam call?

[42:15] Like, you know, you get all

[42:16] these things like, yeah, sure,

[42:19] sure, buddy. Um, but but you

[42:22] know, realize Tom did a great

[42:25] job of, uh, outlining what it

[42:26] was that was in front of us and

[42:28] what we needed to do. Um, the

[42:29] whole staff has been great. And

[42:31] and bringing this to my

[42:32] attention and knowing that it

[42:32] s

[42:37] not a spam issue. And, um, so

[42:39] who am I? Uh, James Hoff? I

[42:41] grew up here. Uh, I grew up,

[42:43] born in Seattle, grew up on the

[42:46] East side. Um, moved out to

[42:49] Enumclaw, uh, quickly started a

[42:51] company back in 2000. We moved

[42:53] to Kent, and, um, I

[42:54] ve been

[42:57] running a trade show exhibit,

[42:59] uh, company for the last 25

[43:00] years. Uh, we

[43:01] ve kind of. We

[43:04] started this company in 2000,

[43:05] quickly had to deal with that

[43:08] 11 and being a live events

[43:09] company, that was an easy, uh,

[43:12] then, you know, 2007, 2010

[43:13] happened and we had to navigate

[43:15] the whole economic downturn.

[43:17] Um, and then Covid was the

[43:19] real, um, one that really threw

[43:21] us for a loop. So, um, I

[43:22] ve

[43:23] been able to navigate a live

[43:25] event company through the ups

[43:26] and downs of the economy over

[43:30] the years. Um, I think outside

[43:31] of that, I don

[43:32] t really have

[43:34] qualifications to be a fire

[43:36] commissioner, but I would look

[43:37] at this as as I do any other

[43:38] project that that

[43:39] s in front of

[43:41] me and kind of get the facts

[43:44] and get the, uh, what what

[43:46] options we do have and, um,

[43:49] kind of work alongside Tony to,

[43:51] um, figure out what is the best

[43:56] course for us. Um, so as far as

[43:58] qualifications for a business,

[44:00] I live in the district. Um, and

[44:00] I

[44:02] m willing and able to, um, to

[44:04] help out and do what I can, um,

[44:06] for you all. And and the people

[44:08] in our district.

[44:10] Thank you very much, MR.

[44:11] Councilmember Fain. Do you want

[44:15] to ask further questions?

[44:16] Sure. Thank you so much. I

[44:18] would say that, um, you are

[44:20] qualified as an engaged

[44:23] resident. Um, and you own a

[44:25] business and and employ folks

[44:28] here in Kent, in our district.

[44:30] And thank you for being willing

[44:32] to serve and for hosting us

[44:33] several times, both at your

[44:35] home and your business, um, in

[44:37] meetings so that we could meet

[44:38] with you and other community

[44:38] members. It

[44:39] s been very helpful

[44:43] to have you there. So you are

[44:46] qualified. Um, if appointed,

[44:48] would what do you believe is

[44:50] the best long term path for

[44:52] Fire District 24 and the

[44:55] residents it serves?

[44:56] Uh, well over the last seven

[44:58] months? Uh, it

[44:58] s we

[44:59] ve went

[45:01] around and around about

[45:04] different options and, um,

[45:04] what

[45:05] s seems to be the most

[45:08] likely option is merging with

[45:10] 37. Uh, Tony and I both kind of

[45:13] agree with this. Um, direction.

[45:14] I don

[45:15] t honestly think that

[45:15] there

[45:16] s any other viable

[45:17] option. There are other options

[45:18] out there, but I think that

[45:19] this is the best for our

[45:21] district.

[45:24] Thank you, and chair, for

[45:27] context, uh, Fire District 37

[45:31] sits, um, to the west, east.

[45:31] Uh, it

[45:33] s right next door, so it

[45:34] would not have to provide its

[45:36] own services and fire district.

[45:38] The other option really is Fire

[45:42] District 24 would contract with

[45:44] Fire District 37 for services.

[45:47] So, um, it makes sense for a

[45:49] merger to be the most efficient

[45:51] way. And then the fire district

[45:52] 24 wouldn

[45:53] t have to maintain a

[45:54] board of commissioners and

[45:56] maintain all of its, um,

[45:59] structure going forward. Uh,

[46:01] just for context, thank you.

[46:03] Thank you very much.

[46:04] Councilmember Fain. Are there

[46:05] any further questions or

[46:07] comments from colleagues?

[46:07] And a quick.

[46:08] Comment, COUNCILMAN.

[46:09] Just wanted to thank you for

[46:10] your willingness to serve. I

[46:10] think you

[46:11] re eminently

[46:13] qualified and you do great in

[46:14] politics, except you

[46:14] re too

[46:17] modest.

[46:18] Thank you, Councilmember

[46:20] basket. Agree. Uh, colleagues,

[46:21] we normally ask the candidate

[46:23] to step aside for a moment, but

[46:23] I don

[46:23] t know that that

[46:23] s

[46:25] necessary now. So do we have

[46:27] any further comments or

[46:28] questions before we move to

[46:29] vote? Thank you very much, MR.

[46:30] Hoff, for being willing to

[46:32] serve. Seeing no further

[46:33] discussion, clerk, will you

[46:34] please call the roll?

[46:37] Thank you. Chair. Brian

[46:38] Councilmember Balducci.

[46:39] Hi.

[46:41] Councilmember Dembowski. Hi,

[46:42] Councilmember Dunn.

[46:43] Hi.

[46:44] Councilmember Fain.

[46:44] Hi.

[46:47] Councilmember Lewis

[46:49] Councilmember Mosqueda. I

[46:51] Councilmember Perry

[46:52] Councilmember von Reichbauer.

[46:53] Hi.

[46:54] Jerry Bratton.

[46:54] Hi.

[46:57] Vote is seven eyes and council

[47:00] members Lewis and Perry

[47:01] excused.

[47:02] Thank you very much. By our

[47:03] vote, we have adopted proposed

[47:06] motion 2026 0169.

[47:08] Congratulations, Commissioner

[47:09] or board member. Huff, thank

[47:10] you very much for your

[47:12] willingness to serve and look

[47:14] forward to getting the issues

[47:15] resolved with the Fire

[47:15] district.

[47:16] Clerk on.

[47:17] The swearing. Councilmember.

[47:19] We have plans to get sworn in.

[47:19] I

[47:20] ll be doing both separately.

[47:20] Great.

[47:22] Thank you. Great. Thank you for

[47:23] checking you on that. All

[47:24] right, colleagues, now we

[47:24] re

[47:25] turning now to the consent

[47:27] agenda. Items ten through 12.

[47:28] As a reminder, item nine was

[47:29] removed from the consent

[47:30] agenda. We

[47:31] ll take it up after

[47:33] items ten through 12. Vice

[47:34] Chair Dunn, will you please

[47:36] move? Consent agenda items ten

[47:36] through 12.

[47:38] Move consent agenda items ten

[47:38] through 12.

[47:39] Thank you very much. Those

[47:41] items are before us. Clerk,

[47:42] will you please call the roll?

[47:45] Thank you. Councilmember

[47:48] Balducci. Hi. Councilmember

[47:50] Dembowski. Aye. Councilmember

[47:55] Don Councilmember Fain.

[47:57] Councilmember Lewis.

[47:59] Councilmember Mosqueda..

[48:01] Aye.

[48:02] Councilmember Perry.

[48:04] Councilmember. Von Reichbauer.

[48:05] Aye. Chair. Baron.

[48:06] Aye.

[48:08] The vote is six I

[48:10] s and

[48:12] Councilmember Fain Lewis and

[48:14] Perry excused.

[48:15] Thank you very much. By our

[48:16] vote, we have adopted Proposed

[48:23] ordinance 2026 01170161 and

[48:26] 0165. Turning back to item

[48:28] nine, Proposed Ordinance 2026

[48:31] 0097 concerning the sale of

[48:33] surplus property in Federal Way.

[48:34] Councilmember von Reichbauer.

[48:35] Will you please move? Proposed

[48:38] ordinance 2026 0097. So moved.

[48:39] Thank you very much. The

[48:40] proposed ordinance is before

[48:42] us. Before we proceed, I will

[48:43] note that we have Nick Bowman

[48:45] from council staff available to

[48:46] answer questions or to provide

[48:48] a briefing if needed. There is

[48:49] an amendment to this

[48:50] legislation, which is I think

[48:52] we pulled it out of consent.

[48:53] Uh, do my colleagues have any

[48:55] opening comments or questions

[48:56] for discussion?

[48:56] I would just.

[48:58] Say.

[48:59] Before the council, and I do

[49:00] pass the recommendation out of

[49:02] the Budget and management

[49:03] committee. There was a

[49:05] technical error with regard to

[49:05] the attachment. So we

[49:06] re merely

[49:07] bringing it off to get the

[49:08] correct attachment on there.

[49:08] That

[49:10] s correct. Yep.

[49:11] Thank you very much, Nick.

[49:13] Anything, any anything else

[49:14] that we should know?

[49:15] No, I would just if you would

[49:15] like me to brief the amendment,

[49:17] I can do so quickly. But the

[49:19] council member just described

[49:19] it perfectly. It

[49:20] s just a

[49:21] simple error with the

[49:21] attachment, and we

[49:21] re

[49:22] correcting that error.

[49:24] Great. Thank you. Seeing no

[49:25] further discussion, let

[49:25] s

[49:26] proceed with the amendment.

[49:27] Councilmember basket, will you

[49:29] please move amendment one?

[49:30] Thank you very much. Amendment

[49:32] one is before us. Would you

[49:33] like to speak any further to

[49:34] it? No. All right. Any

[49:36] discussion from colleagues? No.

[49:37] If there

[49:38] s no further

[49:38] discussion, we

[49:39] ll proceed with

[49:40] a vote. All those in favor of

[49:42] amendment one, please say I. I.

[49:44] All those opposed say nay.

[49:45] Amendment one is adopted.

[49:46] Turning to the underlying

[49:48] ordinance, as amended before we

[49:49] proceed to the vote, any

[49:51] further comments on this

[49:53] legislation? Seeing none. Uh,

[49:54] Clerk Foster, will you please

[49:55] call the roll?

[49:58] Thank you. Councilmember

[49:59] Balducci. Hi. Councilmember

[50:01] Dembowski I, Councilmember

[50:03] Dunn. I Councilmember Fain. I

[50:05] Councilmember Louis.

[50:08] Councilmember Mosqueda. I

[50:10] Councilmember Perry.

[50:12] Councilmember von Reichbauer.

[50:14] I.

[50:17] Chair Baron. I vote is seven

[50:19] eyes and council members Lewis

[50:21] and Perry excused.

[50:22] Thank you. By our vote we have

[50:24] adopted proposed Substitute

[50:26] Ordinance 2026 0097, as

[50:28] amended. Uh, as a reminder,

[50:31] colleagues, uh, item 13 has

[50:33] been referred to tree. So we

[50:34] will now be taking action on it

[50:35] today and will be proceeding to

[50:37] the next item of the agenda.

[50:39] Turning to hearing examiner

[50:41] consent agenda items 14 and 17.

[50:42] Clerk Foss, will you please

[50:45] read the items into the record?

[50:51] Yes, I will. Item 14 is

[50:52] Proposed Substitute ordinance

[50:56] 2026 0065, authorizing the

[50:57] vacation of a portion of a

[50:59] portion of 149th Avenue

[51:01] Southeast and portions of King

[51:03] County Road numbers nine, 49,

[51:10] 1182, 12, 44, and 2323-5 for

[51:11] lying between the Cedar River

[51:13] and the existing cul de sac

[51:15] limits for 1/49 Avenue

[51:16] Southeast, north of Maple

[51:18] Valley Highway. Item 15 is

[51:20] proposed. Substitute ordinance

[51:22] 2026 0148, concurring with the

[51:24] recommendations of the hearing

[51:25] examiner to approve subject to

[51:28] conditions, the application for

[51:29] Public Benefit Rating System

[51:31] assessed valuation for Open

[51:32] Space. Submitted by Justin and

[51:34] Michelle Van Hall for property

[51:37] located at 16519 300 and Avenue

[51:39] Northeast, Duval, Washington.

[51:41] Item 16 is proposed substitute

[51:44] Ordinance 2026 0149 concurring

[51:45] with the recommendation of the

[51:47] hearing examiner to approve,

[51:48] subject to conditions, the

[51:49] application for Public Benefit

[51:50] rating System assessed

[51:52] valuation for open Space

[51:54] submitted by Justin and

[51:57] Michelle Van Hall for property

[51:59] located at 1650 1/300 Avenue

[52:02] Northeast, Duvall, Washington.

[52:05] Item 17 is 2026 0151,

[52:06] concurring with the

[52:07] recommendation of the hearing

[52:08] examiner to approve, subject to

[52:10] conditions, the application for

[52:11] Public Benefit Rating system

[52:12] assessed valuation for open

[52:15] space submitted by Jeremy and

[52:17] Kristen Tinder et al. For

[52:22] property located at 65056

[52:26] 6036515 282nd Avenue Southeast

[52:28] Issaquah, Washington, 98027.

[52:30] Thank you very much. Clerk

[52:31] Foss. Uh Councilmember Fain.

[52:33] Will you please move? Consent

[52:35] agenda items 14 through 17.

[52:37] I move consent agenda items 14

[52:38] to 17.

[52:39] Thank you very much. Those

[52:40] items are before us. Click.

[52:41] Foss, will you please call the

[52:42] roll?

[52:44] Thank you. Councilmember

[52:48] Balducci. Councilmember

[52:52] Balducci. Councilmember

[52:53] Dembowski.

[52:54] Councilmember Balducci. We had

[53:03] a hard time hearing you.

[53:05] Councilmember Balducci. We did

[53:06] not record your vote. Do you

[53:08] want to try again? I, I take

[53:11] that as an I councilmember.

[53:13] Dembowski Councilmember Dunn

[53:15] aye. Councilmember Fain. I

[53:17] Councilmember Lewis.

[53:20] Councilmember Mosqueda. I

[53:23] Councilmember Perry

[53:24] Councilmember von Reichbauer.

[53:24] I.

[53:27] Chair. Barton. A vote is seven

[53:28] eyes and councilmembers Lewis

[53:31] and Perry excused.

[53:32] By our vote. We have adopted

[53:37] proposed ordinances 2026

[53:43] 006501480149 and 0151 turning

[53:44] next to the motion consent

[53:45] agenda, Vice Chair Dunn, will

[53:47] you please move consent agenda

[53:48] items 18 and 19.

[53:50] Move consent agenda items 18 to

[53:51] 19 for approval.

[53:52] Thank you. Those items are

[53:53] before us. Clerk Foss, will you

[53:54] please call the roll.

[54:01] Councilmember Balducci.

[54:02] Councilmember Balducci. We

[54:02] still can

[54:03] t hear you, but you

[54:04] can give me a thumbs up if you

[54:07] like. Or down. Thumbs up.

[54:09] Thank you.

[54:10] Councilmember Dembowski. Hi.

[54:12] Councilmember Dunn aye.

[54:14] Councilmember Fain I

[54:15] Councilmember Lewis.

[54:20] Councilmember Mosqueda.

[54:23] Councilmember Mosqueda.

[54:25] I.

[54:27] Councilmember Perry

[54:29] Councilmember von Reichbauer.

[54:31] I. Hear I.

[54:33] The vote is seven eyes and

[54:35] Council members Lewis and Perry

[54:36] excused.

[54:37] Thank you very much. By our

[54:38] vote, we have adopted proposed

[54:41] substitute motions number 2026

[54:44] 0119 and proposed motion 2026

[54:47] 0146. Turning to item 20,

[54:51] proposed motion 2026 0145,

[54:52] which acknowledges receipt of

[54:53] the Harborview Medical Center

[54:55] Long Range Planning Committee

[54:57] plan. Councilmember Mosqueda,

[54:58] will you please move? Proposed

[55:05] Substitute motion 2026 0145.2.

[55:06] So moved.

[55:07] Thank you very much. The

[55:09] proposed motion is before us.

[55:10] Before we proceed, I will note

[55:12] that we have, uh, do we have

[55:13] Sam Porter? Oh, she

[55:13] s on line.

[55:15] Okay. Thank you. Sam, thank you

[55:17] very much. From council. Staff

[55:18] is available to answer your

[55:19] questions or provide a briefing

[55:21] if needed. Executive staff are

[55:22] also available for questions

[55:23] with that. Councilmember

[55:24] Mosqueda would you like to

[55:25] provide any opening remarks?

[55:27] Thank you very much, MR. Chair.

[55:29] I want to thank Sam Porter, as

[55:30] well as Olivia Bray, for their

[55:31] work on this. In addition to

[55:34] Chris Lampkin from my team

[55:35] colleagues. Thanks for your

[55:37] support in the 2026 2027

[55:39] budget, which included a

[55:40] proviso asking for the creation

[55:42] of the Harborview Long Range

[55:44] Planning Committee. This is a

[55:45] long awaited committee that

[55:47] many people are very interested

[55:48] in in terms of merging

[55:50] together. Conversations around

[55:52] financing, planning and

[55:54] strategy for our county

[55:54] s

[55:56] hospital, Harborview Long Range

[55:57] Planning Committee will serve

[55:59] as a forum for Harborview, the

[56:00] University of Washington

[56:02] Medicine, and the Harborview

[56:03] Board of Trustees, along with

[56:05] King County members to support

[56:07] coordinated, forward looking,

[56:08] transparent approach to

[56:10] planning. Very excited about

[56:11] this committee, and I thank the

[56:12] members of the health, Housing

[56:14] and Human Services Committee

[56:15] for their feedback and making

[56:17] sure that this committee is

[56:18] creating an integrated

[56:21] financial plan and will be

[56:22] focused on discussing topics

[56:23] related to long range planning

[56:25] for the medical center. Very

[56:26] important as we think about the

[56:28] compounding pressures from the

[56:29] federal government and our need

[56:30] to make sure that our county

[56:30] s

[56:32] hospital has all of its revenue

[56:34] streams and financial planning

[56:35] in order. Very proud to work

[56:36] with you all on this. Thanks

[56:38] for all your support.

[56:39] Thank you very much.

[56:40] Councilmember Mosqueda. I

[56:41] m

[56:41] going to call next on

[56:42] Councilmember Fain.

[56:44] Thank you chair. Thank you,

[56:45] Councilmember Mosqueda for

[56:47] putting this in the budget

[56:51] proviso. Um, it is um, speaking

[56:55] as a long time, uh, Harborview

[56:56] Board of Trustees member and

[56:59] board PRESIDENT, I very

[57:00] strongly support this, and I

[57:01] m

[57:02] very excited to see this move

[57:04] forward. This gives, um,

[57:06] University of Washington, um,

[57:07] University of Washington

[57:09] medicine, uh, Harborview

[57:11] leadership, the executive and

[57:13] Council, an opportunity to have

[57:17] conversations on all sorts of

[57:18] issues that we can

[57:19] t get to

[57:21] every month in our own public

[57:23] meetings here at council. So it

[57:25] allows them to discuss

[57:26] financial and long term

[57:29] clinical strategies. And, um,

[57:32] hopefully the Harborview Bond

[57:34] project, uh, very strongly

[57:36] support this. Really appreciate

[57:38] all the work that was done with

[57:39] all the parties. And again,

[57:41] thank you to Councilmember

[57:42] Mosqueda for leading this

[57:42] effort.

[57:44] Thank you very much.

[57:45] Councilmember Fain. I joined in

[57:46] those comments. I think this is

[57:47] going to be an Important venue

[57:48] to have some important

[57:50] conversations about Harborview.

[57:51] And so I appreciate that. And I

[57:52] want to recognize you and go,

[57:53] good to you. Who

[57:53] s here from

[57:54] you, the medicine, and look

[57:57] forward to this, this

[57:59] important, uh, venue to get

[58:00] started soon. Colleagues, any

[58:02] further discussion or anything

[58:06] else to close? All right.

[58:08] Seeing no further discussion,

[58:09] we, um, we

[58:10] re going to turn to

[58:13] final adoption. Clerk Foss,

[58:15] will you please call the roll?

[58:17] Thank you. Councilmember

[58:23] Balducci. Councilmember

[58:23] Dembowski.

[58:25] I.

[58:27] Councilmember Dunn I.

[58:29] Councilmember Fain. I

[58:31] Councilmember Councilmember

[58:32] Mosqueda.

[58:34] I.

[58:37] Councilmember Perry

[58:38] Councilmember von Reichbauer.

[58:39] I.

[58:40] Chair Baron.

[58:40] I.

[58:43] The vote is six eyes and

[58:45] Councilmember Balducci Louis

[58:47] and Perry excused.

[58:48] Thank you very much. By our

[58:49] vote we have adopted proposed

[58:53] substitute motion 2026 0145.

[58:55] Turning to the last action item

[58:55] on today

[58:56] s agenda, a

[58:57] reappointment consent agenda

[58:59] item 21. Vice Chair Dunn, will

[59:00] you please move? Consent agenda

[59:01] item 21.

[59:01] So moved.

[59:03] Thank you very much. The item

[59:05] is before us. Clerk Foss, will

[59:06] you please call the roll?

[59:08] Thank you. Councilmember

[59:10] Balducci Council member

[59:10] Dembowski.

[59:11] I.

[59:14] Councilmember Dunn. I

[59:16] Councilmember Fain. I

[59:17] Councilmember Lewis.

[59:19] Councilmember Mosqueda.

[59:20] I.

[59:23] Councilmember Perry

[59:24] Councilmember von Reichbauer.

[59:26] Aye.

[59:27] Here.

[59:28] Button a.

[59:29] Vote is six eyes and

[59:31] Councilmember Balducci Lewis

[59:33] and Perry excused.

[59:34] Thank you very much. By our

[59:35] vote, we have adopted a

[59:39] proposed motion. 2026 0213. If

[59:40] there is no objection to

[59:41] publish marked agenda together

[59:42] with any changes made in

[59:43] today

[59:43] s meeting, will stand

[59:45] approved as the first reading,

[59:46] referral and referral of

[59:49] ordinances and motions items 22

[59:52] through 25 is listed. Item 26

[59:55] Proposed Ordinance 2026 0217 is

[59:56] listed as being referred to the

[59:58] local Services and Land Use

[1:00:00] Committee. It will instead be

[1:00:01] referred to the Budget and

[1:00:02] Fiscal Management Committee.

[1:00:05] Item 28 proposed motion 2026

[1:00:07] 0207 is being referred to the

[1:00:09] Committee of the whole and as I

[1:00:11] noted earlier, item 13 Proposed

[1:00:14] Ordinance 2026 0218 is being

[1:00:15] referred to transportation,

[1:00:16] Economy and Environment

[1:00:18] Committee. Do my colleagues

[1:00:19] have any other business for the

[1:00:21] good of the order? Seeing no

[1:00:22] further business, this meeting

Metropolitan King County Council on 2026-08-18 1:30 PM

Agenda

Transcript