2026-11-04 - City Council

Summary

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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

Video

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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]