[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