2026-11-04 - City Council
Summary
Scope: this summary covers only the Mayor's Report segment (about 8 minutes) of the November 4 City Council meeting. The rest of the meeting is not covered, and no votes or council decisions are recorded here. Built from YouTube auto-generated captions only, which are imperfect; speakers other than elected officials are not identified. No agenda or minutes were read.
- Transportation improvement program: the mayor presented a new public GIS website, requested by council and the public, showing where projects are going and letting residents track projects in their neighborhoods. It will be populated as projects are developed with council. A QR code was shown.
- Nonprofit partners: the mayor described joining a biweekly volunteer food-backpack effort for school children with the new school superintendent, which stuffed 752 backpacks serving 317 families. He noted the city's low-income water discount and its work with community partners.
- Public restrooms: a recently opened restroom on a downtown parking garage was damaged by items flushed down the toilet, taken offline, repaired and returned to service. A new ADA accessible restroom for the garage's first floor is underway, with details promised when it opens.
- Poet laureate: the program continues and applications for the next poet laureate are open via a QR code; it is a paid position with a small stipend of 250 dollars.
- Traffic calming: Public Works is scheduling an event on a street with high commute-hour volume and speed. Traffic-calming installation began, raised questions, and the project was paused to gather feedback. The mayor asked council to help spread the word; staff will be at the senior center on November 17 at 5:30 PM.
- Community events: the mayor encouraged participation in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, and noted Winter Fest on November 28 (Councilmember Michael Goodnow was expected to speak to it).
- Close: the mayor thanked council and said he looked forward to the budget session the following night (November 5).
Agenda
Agenda not read; see Sources.
Sources
- YouTube auto-generated caption transcript of the Mayor's Report segment (redacted below)
- Council agendas, packets and minutes: https://meetings.municode.com/PublishPage/index?cid=BREM&ppid=d33416d7-25d1-44e6-9d32-55b97fa53824&p=-1
- Council meeting schedule: https://www.bremertonwa.gov/702/City-Council-Meeting-Schedule
- Council meeting archives: https://www.bremertonwa.gov/694/Meeting-Archives
- Video (Mayor's Report segment): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypG3bprnD-s (BKAT YouTube channel)
- Town: Bremerton
Video
Transcript
YouTube auto-generated captions of the Mayor's Report segment only, lightly redacted: private individuals, staff names and unverified names are removed or generalized.
Transcript
[music]
>> Got a couple slides for you tonight.
All right, transportation improvement
program. This is a new website.
And uh once again um it's um council's
requested this. We've heard this from
the public.
And again, we're increasing our
transparency and and real time you know
access to information. And so the uh you
can see the QR QR code up there.
Um this this is actually a new GIS tool
um for the public and you can find out
where the new projects are going.
Um what we've been working on and um
things are are going to be this will be
populated
as we work with you council to get new
projects um going in the city.
So it's just um and when the projects in
your neighborhood you can you can go up
there and kind of track and get a little
background on it. All right, thanks.
Next slide.
You know we we talk um
a lot of especially here at city council
what we do, what we can do.
But there's there's many areas where we
totally depend on nonprofits
doing a lot of hard work in our
community, filling those gaps.
Um and so you know I I was asked to
participate. I went out there with the
school superintendent, the new [superintendent].
And we just joined in a backpack
brigade, a uh a biweekly
effort that the citizens um you know
they kind of volunteer and get together
during the school year.
And so um I was part of the team that
that stuffed uh 752
backpacks
that fed 317 families.
And um you know I'm really
I think like many of you I'm proud of
our community. Um we have a lot of
people who do these type of things.
And so looking at um and these these um
[snorts] are coming in from the you
know, communities
who produce fresh produce. And so the
different organizations, groups
It was interesting stuffing the bags.
You're getting a well-rounded um you
know, getting a well-rounded uh
nutritious meal and you get a couple of
them um just from this one effort alone
for our our school kids. We do have a a
lower income
uh community.
We all do a lot. There's a lot that
happens quietly. This was just in a
little cubic a little uh portable
trailer out in the back of [an elementary school].
Um folks don't realize that the city of
Bremerton we offer a low income discount
for water. It's something we do. It's
it's well documented. Uh we work with
our community partners quite a bit so
they they are aware
um KCR with their clients that they
serve where to recommend
um their you know, them to receive
services and we just
um but back to the nonprofits doing the
work um appreciate them quite a bit. It
was a lot of fun. Uh it was a fun hour.
Next slide.
Public restrooms.
So we we get a lot of um questions about
them.
And so this one here is a new just part
of a new effort.
The this is the one on the downtown garage that you see on the screen
here.
And it was recently damaged. We had just
brought it online and somebody um
you know, I don't know why why I don't
know why somebody would want to try to
flush a
um a mop handle or a t-shirt down a
toilet. But
we um
we took it offline. We worked as fast as
we could and got it back online and
ready for the public.
So that's part of the um this this
effort to try and create more more just
more restrooms especially downtown
um in our public areas where we are we
you know, we are trying have uh events
where people come together
and do a lot of good. You know, we have
fun, we socialize.
Um, some people bring booths down and
they're able to show uh the community
what they what they have to offer. Um,
so
this one here we have a new just to
update you. We are also working on a new
ADA accessible restroom for the first
floor of the garage
and I'll provide details for you when
it's open. And so this is ADA. This will
be a new one that we're bringing in.
Um, underway. Next slide, please.
The next poet laureate. So
this program continues.
Uh there's there's great interest in it.
Um, in the arts community this
this fills the literary part of it.
And um I think it's really cool. This is
um
our our current poet laureate whose term
is expiring just um giving some good
comments at the Arbor Day um tree
planting event in the city.
So this is um it's a paid position.
Encourage people to scan the code once
again.
Um, and when I say paid uh
you know $250 it's a stipend. Thank you.
Um, and it's a very small stipend, but
it's at least a way to show that we
really we do care about this. We care
about promoting this in the city.
All right, next slide.
[the street]. Um, this is um an an an
event
um being scheduled by Public Works.
Wanted to make sure we we got some folks
to at least research what's going on.
It's mainly about um the the volume and
the speed um that [the street]
receives during especially during mainly
during commute hours.
And um
some solutions that have been brought up
are are traffic calming measures.
So we have uh begun to install traffic
calming on this street. It has raised
questions.
We've paused the project
to receive more feedback. So, council,
if you can help me promote the word to
make sure everybody gets a chance to ask
questions and get them answered, I would
appreciate it.
Uh [the senior center] 5:30 November
17th at 5:30 starting
um will be when our staff will be up
there.
All right, next slide.
Turkey Trot. I talked about the hard
work of our the nonprofits who are
filling roles that city governments
don't traditionally fill, but we totally
depend on these these partnerships
because we do serve we we serve
everybody in the city.
And so if you haven't taken part in the
Turkey Trot, I would encourage you to
come out, support a good cause,
and have some fun.
This will be Thanksgiving morning.
And again, the QR code once again that
never
that
that ever ready QR code is there to to
scan and get some more information.
All right. And I'm I'm going to close
and I think council member Goodnow would
probably talk about this and maybe some
of you will, but
the Winter Fest is coming November 28th.
Again,
this is an opportunity for us all to get
together and enjoy and enjoy each
other's company and celebrate the
season.
So
that that concludes my report. And thank
you for the the conversation tonight,
council. Um my gosh, I appreciate it.
Look forward to tomorrow night's budget
session.
Thank you.
>> [music]
