This week, City employees across all departments took some time to share lunch together and hold our annual recognition for staff who have reached milestones in years of service. Overall, nearly 70% of City employees have been with the City for less than 10 years, and another 20% have worked with the organization for 20 years or longer.

This year, a fair number of folks were recognized for reaching five or 10 years with the City. We also celebrated these significant achievements:

The City currently has 131 staff positions. This is 15% lower than the staffing we had in 2008, just prior to the significant personnel reductions necessitated by the economic downturn. Now, roughly ten years later, the island is home to 8% more residents (24,846 now compared to 22,925 in 2008) and has, I believe, increased standards for service delivery and responsiveness. We want to continue to do our work well, to be good stewards of public infrastructure and natural resources, and to meet our community's expectations for communication and timely response. To meet these goals, we need to be realistic about staffing, capacity, and priorities.

In the coming months, as we prepare to begin the next City budget cycle (for 2021 and 2022), I will be working to develop a clear message about where our most pressing needs exist, and how much we can accomplish with our existing resources. In the meantime, I hope you will share my appreciation for the great work performed by City staff throughout the year. Nearly 40% of City employees also live on Bainbridge Island, and so are friends and neighbors in addition to being public servants. Together we are all working hard to care for this community and prepare for the future.

At the business meeting this week, the Council approved new design guidelines and changes to subdivision regulations, and as a result also approved significant adjustments to narrow the development moratorium. The Council also forwarded Sign Code changes to the Planning Commission and agreed to consider approval of a proposed ban on fireworks in October.

At the study session next week, the Council will discuss next steps for the Suzuki property affordable housing project, consider a proposal from the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District (BIMPRD) related to management of the City Dock at Waterfront Park, and will continue previous discussion on the impact of a shade covenant on the City's Crawford farm property.

Please see below for additional details on these items and other topics.

Three Days of Preparedness begins tonight with a speaker series on wildfires and earthquakes. Dr. Erin Wirth of the U.S. Geological Survey will be joined by Chuck Turley, who is the Wildfire Division Manager for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. 

We regret to inform you that we learned yesterday Hilary Franz will not be able to attend due to a scheduling conflict. 

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Click here for a full schedule of events throughout the weekend.

A revised ordinance with proposed rules about signs across the Island will move forward to the Planning Commission for review and recommendation.

 

Since September 2018, the City Council has discussed how to address signs on Bainbridge Island -- including the proliferation of sandwich boards -- during at least eight Council meetings.

 

Under the proposed rules,  sandwich boards in Winslow and outside Winslow in the right-of-way are allowed but must be brought in at night.

 

Councilmember Joe Deets, however, said he believes the revised ordinance would help small businesses and voted to proceed with the current draft ordinance. "Let's not make life difficult for (small businesses)," Deets said. "I think this is an adequate regulation to support a core part of our community here."

City staff developed a proposal to expand wayfinding signage in Winslow as an alternative to the use of individual sandwich boards.This proposal was submitted to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) for 2020 funding consideration.

The dates for the Planning Commission's review have not been set. There will be opportunity for public comment during the Planning Commission meetings.