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Bainbridge Island honors City Manager Blair King; council approves several administrative items
Summary
The council recognized retiring City Manager Blair King; during the meeting it approved an ordinance requiring conduit in new streets, temporary vehicle purchasing authority, a TRACS data‑sharing agreement, new radio‑read water meters, and selection of firms for the city manager recruitment process.
The Bainbridge Island City Council opened Tuesday's meeting with a proclamation honoring City Manager Blair King on the eve of his retirement and then moved through a series of administrative items that included unanimous council approval on several operational and procurement matters.
Mayor Clarence Moriwaki read a proclamation recognizing Blair King for his service (2021–2026) and invited the council to a public retirement celebration the next day. King delivered a farewell address stressing the value of transparent local government and thanking staff and the community.
On business items, the council:
- Adopted Ordinance No. 202601 requiring that conduit to accommodate fiber be installed when new streets are designed and constructed; staff said the change reflected a request from Kitsap Public Utility District and the practical efficiency of installing conduit while streets are under construction (vote 7-0).
- Approved a temporary increase in the city manager's purchasing authority for previously budgeted vehicle purchases up to $200,000 through 2026 to address post‑COVID supply‑chain constraints and competition for specialty vehicles (current code authority $50,000); council approved the authority and said purchases would be reported back to council after they occur (vote 7-0). Staff noted one large vehicle (an asphalt patch machine) could approach $325,000 and that the temporary authority applies only to budgeted vehicles.
- Approved a data‑sharing agreement to adopt TRACS, the Washington State Patrol's new traffic and criminal software application for collision reporting and citations; the Police Chief explained the state will retain the data and the system replaces the former SECTOR platform (vote 7-0).
- Authorized a sole‑source purchase order for radio‑read water meters for the Winslow water system, a $95,000 expenditure to replace about 20% of meters with radio‑read capability as part of a five‑year replacement plan; staff said the meters have longer lifespans and reduce meter‑reading labor (vote 7-0).
- Approved the executive‑search committee's recommendation to invite two firms (Bob Murray and Rafatellis) to present to the full council on Feb. 10 as part of the city manager recruitment process (vote 7-0).
Council also approved moving two study items to future meetings: a discussion about youth participation on boards and commissions and an invitation for Department of Commerce representatives to brief the council on the Housing Accountability Act.
The meeting closed with council announcements about recent state advocacy, community meetings and a retirement celebration for City Manager King.
