Mayor Karen Howe convened a packed Sammamish City Council meeting Tuesday after an outflow of residents from the Inglewood neighborhood showed up to protest a recent city letter saying private streets in their plat may no longer be maintained by the city. City Manager McCall told the council the city is "carefully review[ing] the law and explore[ing] all possible options" and urged residents to attend a neighborhood meeting planned for June 12.

The notices, many speakers said, arrived with a 30‑day deadline that residents called impossible to meet. The scale of the mailing — residents said roughly 400 to 500 homes were affected — and the short timeline prompted repeated requests for more time and clearer information about service impacts, including mail delivery, trash pickup and emergency access.

Resident Jillian Wallace said many homeowners "bought our houses expecting this to be taken care of" and warned the change would affect deliveries and property values. Another longtime resident said she had spent $65,000 litigating access on a private road and feared that cost would multiply across the neighborhood. Several residents said they had quickly located an 1889 plat on public record that they said dedicates streets "to the use of the public forever," a document they said the city should have reviewed.

City officials acknowledged the distress. Mayor Howe apologized for the upset the letter caused and opened a path for near‑term follow up: the council unanimously approved a motion that "the City of Sammamish continue to provide services to the historically city‑maintained streets in Inglewood until such time as a plan is presented to council and approved." Council members said staff will continue researching legal options and will return with a plan; officials repeatedly urged residents to submit questions in writing and attend the June 12 neighborhood meeting.

Residents raised practical concerns that city staff said they would address in follow‑up: Republic Services had not been contacted by the city and may have to move collection points; the U.S. Postal Service told residents it had not yet set a new delivery plan; emergency management and winter road‑clearing were repeatedly cited as concerns on steep local hills where traffic and safety are sensitive to storms.

Council members said they did not intend to surprise residents and that the city's goal is to protect both individual homeowners and the broader city's interests while seeking a workable solution. Deputy Mayor Amy Lam and Council member Pamela Stewart both apologized publicly for the uncertainty and said the city would use the extra time to consult legal counsel and relevant agencies. City Manager McCall and staff said they will collect written questions and return more detailed answers at the June 12 meeting and in subsequent briefings.

The council's immediate action to continue maintenance is temporary and procedural: staff said it is meant to avoid service disruption while a legal review and plan come together. Council members and staff emphasized that the city will not finalize changes affecting services before residents have additional opportunities to review options and provide input.

Planning and legal issues remain unresolved: some speakers raised the "nonuse" statute and the possibility of litigation; residents and some council members urged the city to consider longer notice periods and to shoulder some costs where state or county records show the streets were dedicated to the public. City staff said the review includes County records, prior maintenance practice and recently received citizen evidence. The council did not adopt a permanent policy at the meeting; it voted only to continue existing services while staff returns with options.