Council places $103.16 million public safety and maintenance bond on November ballot, appoints pro and con committee members

Mercer Island City Council on July 15 adopted Ordinance No. 25-13 to place a public safety and maintenance facility bond measure on the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot and approved appointment of pro and con committee representatives.

Management analyst Robbie Cunningham Adams and Finance Director Matt Morgan briefed the council on ordinance language refined by an ad hoc working group of Mayor Salim Nies, Deputy Mayor Rosenbaum and Councilmember Craig Reynolds. The ordinance establishes a maximum principal amount of $103,160,000 and a 25-year repayment schedule for the proposed bonds. Staff provided an illustrative example using a 4.5 percent interest assumption that estimated the total annual debt service would be just above $7,000,000 under the example.

Councilmember Mike Weinberg moved and Councilmember Reynolds seconded adoption of Ordinance No. 25-13. The motion passed on a unanimous roll call.

After placing the proposition on the ballot, council approved Resolution No. 1671 to appoint committee members for the ballot measure’s formal pro and con committees. The pro committee appointees are Robert Sulkin, Benson Wong and Russell Fetterman; the lone con committee appointee is Mike Siro. Councilmember Reynolds moved the appointments; the motion passed unanimously.

City Manager Jesse Bond said staff and counsel will submit the final explanatory statement and ballot language to King County; staff noted county clerks may require minor editorial changes. The council gave city staff and the city attorney authority to make any necessary ministerial revisions to meet county deadlines.

Council discussion included procedural thanks to staff for project development; no change to project scope was made at the meeting. The ordinance authorizes staff to proceed with the process to place the measure on the ballot and to distribute the council-approved explanatory language for the voter pamphlet.