Hot weather, short meeting. Building permit activity is twice highest previous year in just 1st 5 months. Transport grant accepted, new landscape contractor ok’d. Boundary lines & lot size averaging ok’d 5-1, Simpson objecting. Narrower manufactured homes (19′ wide) accepted. Simpson warns Council not to get on the wrong side of some legal monass [sic] if they don’t follow Montana’s lead & outlaw the teaching of critical race theory, which violates the 14th amendment. No public school has reported a desire to teach critical race theory, to my knowledge. Teaching systemic racism is, and should be, part of the curriculum in many places. How does that violate the 14th Amendment? Perhaps the answer will be revealed in the fullness of time. Also, what’s the right side of a legal morass?

2. MAYOR’S REPORT

Congratulates Renaissance High School graduates, who’ve overcome many obstacles & challenges, completing 2 years of study during the pandemic. Permit Activity is $28,763,508 as of May 2021 – previous high was all-year permit activity of $13,490,859 in 2018. We’ve more than doubled that in only the first five months of 2021. Full opening is just around the corner; be aware that some people will not be vaccinated, for whatever reason, who will still wear masks and socially distance — please be respectful.

3. PUBLIC RECOGNITION

I announce that I have 50 signatures on a petition to make 13th & Wycoff a 4-way stop. Gorman refers me to Thomas Knuckey, who nods. Geri (?), member of the public, echoes my concerns. Since many people in the neighborhood have asked for this without result, I am very mildly hopeful that Knuckey will do something to speed the stop signs’ placement.

4. CONSENT AGENDA

A. Claims & Check Register

B. Minutes of Meeting – May 19, 2021

C. Minutes of Study Session – May 26, 2021

D. Renewal of Pollution Liability Insurance with Hartford Insurance Company

Approved unanimously, with no public comment.

5. GENERAL BUSINESS

A. Accept Surface Transportation Grant from the Puget Sound Regional Council; and approve WSDOT Local Agency Agreement for the West Kitsap Way Planning Study

Katie Ketterer gives the presentation she gave at Study Session. Grant is $524K from Fed STP Funds, we match with $82K. Ki’aha Long asks about opportunities for public outreach and public influence — it appears they’ll be extensive. Goodnow applauds DPW putting together a good package, even though it didn’t make the first round of funding, it made the second. Simpson gives us the history of the old Kitsap Way. Approved unanimously.

B. Goods & Services Agreement with At-Work Commercial Enterprise, LLC for Landscape Maintenance & Services

Presented by Chris Mottner who recaps the study session presentation of Wayne Hamilton about the 21 locations that the contract covers & how the bid process works. $6751 / mo. was the low bid with many good references. He says they’re a non-profit organization. (How does that work?) I ask about herbicide & pesticide use – consonant with parks and other landscaping practices? Mottner says yes. Simpson proposes that Mottner show all 21 locations as slides. Gorman calls for the question. Approved unanimously.

6. PUBLIC HEARINGS

A. Public Hearing on Ordinance No. 5422 to amend Title 20 of the Bremerton Municipal Code related to Boundary Line Adjustments and Lot Size Averaging

Kelli Lambert repeats the presentation she made at the study session. 5:58pm – 6:10pm. No public comment. Discussion: They don’t acquiesce the power back to the people, there’s no reason that 2 landowners who know the criteria can’t just decide it between themselves, that is the crux of it, the people have the power, we should relinquish it back to them. Basically, he sees no reason for DCD to get involved and director to approve. Goodnow disagrees. A sign-off by the director is a record of the process. Simpson talks more about what he calls a straw man argument, The city doesn’t have the power right now [Begin Transcript] because the people haven’t given the city the power to do this so it’s kind of a straw man argument to say that that we’re not, we’re not denying the staff, because we haven’t done it before. And when the city has it whenever, whenever a government institution is granted of power that power must be tempered to the point where it is very quickly returned to the people as soon as us. Otherwise, it has a potential for abuse and not saying that the way that our city officials would abuse power, but in the past, there are other city officials who have abuse power, their city officials who have violated the rules when it comes to when [End Transcript]…  Oh, you’ll have to check out the rest of this yourselves. It starts around 6:13 and goes on to 6:17. He recaps the whole “may” / “shall” thing from last week’s study session. And more. I downloaded some of the transcript (above), but couldn’t get it all. Approved 5-1, Councilor Daugs absent.

 B. Public Hearing on Ordinance No. 5423 to amend Section 20.46.040 of the Bremerton Municipal Code related to Manufactured Homes

Kelli Lambert makes the presentation she made at the study session. Yes, there is a local mfr. of 19’8″ double-wides, so only 8″ over the proposed 19′. Gary Larson, on the Planning Commission, recommends, speaks of energy efficiency and long-lasting Hardieboard siding & asphalt roofs. I ask that insulation requirements for mfr homes be the same as for regular building code, as we’ve all spent time in single-wides and double-wides and those things are cooooolllld. You can spend a fortune heating them. Sullivan supports, as any roof is better than none & Wheat supports because we need housing. Simpson talks. L&I know what they’re doing, and we can’t make any regulation more restrictive than state regulations [the last is my phrasing] Approved unanimously.

7. COUNCIL REPORTS

Sullivan: No report. Daugs absent. Wheat: Really thrilling to be fully vaccinated. Our community so close to herd immunity. Goodnow: Pride Month. BIPOC Forum. Simpson: June 6th is D-Day Memorial, here’s why having memorials is important. T-cell immunity for Covid-19, and the fully vaccinated, mean we’re approaching herd immunity. Critical race theory in our public schools gets federal court injunction in Montana. Because it violates the 14th Amendment so Mayor and Council should review our policies very carefully so we don’t get on the wrong side of some legal monass [sicl]. [Really. The live transcript has it as “minutes”.] Younger: Monday June 7th Oyster Bay Beach Sewer Upgrades Open House. June 7th! June 7th! [Where? On ci.bremerton.wa.us website.]

8. ADJOURNMENT OF CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS MEETING and so it came to an end at 6:45 pm.