Tune in for the third ever “virtual” Kirkland City Council meeting, which takes place 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7. The meeting uses video conferencing technology provided by Zoom in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order.

The agenda for the April 7 meeting will be available on the City website prior to the meeting at: Kirkland City Council agendas. The meeting can be viewed in real time via the live stream on the City website at: http://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/council/Meetings/WatchCouncilMeetings.htm, and is televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Frontier Cable Channel 31.

Public Participation

As always, the Kirkland City Council welcomes public involvement at its meetings and would like to encourage community members to take advantage of its available options for remote participation, including the public comment voicemail line, at 425-587-3090, or the public comment email account at: councilmeetingcomment@kirklandwa.gov.

Comments received through voicemail and email by 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, will be read into the record during the Council Meeting, with the following caveats:

• When and if a particular agenda item receives a large number of comments, the City will read into the record three (3) comments representing each side of the presented issue. The comments will be selected based on the date and time received, giving priority to the earliest received comments.
• City leadership will read submitted emails verbatim up to a three (3) minute limit, exactly as if the commenter was providing their testimony in person. (Comments from the public received during “Items from the Audience” in a typical meeting are limited to three minutes in length.)  
• The deadline for comment submittal for inclusion in the meeting (provided the comment is not related to a heavily commented agenda item as outlined above) is 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. NOTE: comments received after the deadline will be provided to the Councilmembers for their review at the City’s earliest convenience.

Shoreline Master Program (SMP)

The City Council will hold discussion on the final code proposal for the Shoreline Master Program (SMP) and associated chapters, as well as a discussion about the potential inclusion of non-conforming overwater structures into the Long-Range Planning Work Program.  Staff will present options related to the possible study of non-conforming overwater structures, such as boathouses and solid boat canopies associated with single-family properties, for Council to consider in the Work Program currently in development.  The final SMP codes, if approved, will go to the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) for final approval.

Community Safety Advisory Group (ComSAG)

Due to resources being redirected to the City’s response to COVID-19, staff brought only a summary of the ComSAG report to the March 17 Council Meeting. To watch the March 17 presentation, please visit the City Council’s webpage and click on the agenda item titled “Community Safety Advisory Group Update.”

At the April 7 Council Meeting, staff will present the full ComSAG report, along with a Resolution accepting the recommendations. The ComSAG’s recommendation to the Council came after five months of meetings to educate group members and discuss what elements of this potential ballot measure the ComSAG believes are most important for the City. The ComSAG is recommending two measures be placed on the November 3, 2020 ballot for Fire and Emergency Medical Services.

• A permanent levy to fund 24 new firefighter/EMTs.
• An excess levy (bond) to pay for capital improvements to existing fire stations and the construction of a new station.

Together these measures would provide for a new Fire Station 27, station renovations and seismic retrofits for Fire Station 21 (Forbes Creek), Fire Station 22 (Houghton) and Fire Station 26 (North Rose Hill), as well as improved response times, and firefighter/EMT health and safety improvements.

The Council will continue reviewing these recommendations over the next three months and initiate an extensive public outreach program, including a community survey, prior to making any final decisions.

For more information on the ComSAG, please visit the ComSAG webpage.

Proclamations: Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the USA’s Stand Against Racism Day

Mayor Penny Sweet will proclaim April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the City of Kirkland. The Sexual Assault Awareness Month proclamation is the result of a collaborative effort by Sound Cities Association and the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center to encourage all Cities to participate in this important recognition. An additional proclamation will affirm Monday, April 27, as USA’s Stand Against Racism Day, a campaign founded by the YWCA to raise awareness about the negative impacts of institutional racism in communities across the country. This is the 6th year in a row the City has supported the Stand Against Racism Day proclamation.

Looking for reliable information on COVID-19 or need access to resources? The following call centers and websites offer the most up-to-date information on the novel coronavirus:

The City has compiled an extensive online resource guide available on our website. Please visit these pages to find resources for residents, resources for businesses, ways to help, and general information about the City's response to COVID-19. These pages are updated frequently so check back often. 

Other resources:

For non-medical questions about COVID-19 including compliance and business related issues:
Contact the King County COVID-19 Business and Community Information Line (Monday – Friday) 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM at 206-296-1608

For general questions about COVID-19 in Washington State:
Contact the Washington State Novel Coronavirus Call center at 800-525-0127  

The preferred method for reporting noncompliant businesses is the State form located here: Violations of the Governor's Proclamation. For more information on essential businesses, please visit the Washington State Coronavirus Response webpage. 

Gov. Jay Inslee announced a month-long extension of his "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" emergency order Thursday evening. The order, which banned all gatherings and temporarily shuttered non-essential businesses, will continue through May 4.

"Epidemiological modeling from the University of Washington predicts we will have at least 1,400 deaths this year," Inslee said. "We are yet to see the full toll of this virus in our state and the modeling we’ve seen could be much worse if we don’t continue what we’re doing to slow the spread."

Public gatherings remain banned and non-essential businesses may reopen May 5. If gatherings are held in violation of the order, individuals are encouraged to notify their local police department. Do not call 911.

The state Department of Commerce is providing guidance and assistance to businesses on whether they can be considered essential and other resources they may access to help during this time. Residents or workers concerned about non-essential businesses remaining open may file complaints at this link.

"We have taken dozens of steps under my emergency powers to help people in this time – including moratoriums on evictions, mortgage forbearance, utility ratepayer assistance, unemployment extensions, flexibility on tax payments and cash assistance to families," Inslee said. "We will do more."

Part of that effort is the sacrifice of business owners who had to shut down and of their workers who struggle to pay bills, Inslee said, and it is important for us to work toward coming out of this statewide shutdown. For example, the administration is engaging in productive conversations with industries to devise a safe way for them to get back to work when we can lift that part of the order.

More information on resources available to Washingtonians impacted financially by the COVID-19 outbreak can be found by clicking here and by visiting coronavirus.wa.gov.

In addition to the extension of "Stay Home, Stay Healthy," the governor signed a directive to the Department of Enterprise Services and the Emergency Management Division to secure personal protective equipment as expeditiously as possible.

Also Thursday, Inslee announced a delay in the implementation of new state building codes from July 1 to Nov. 1 to provide adequate time for training and outreach that was interrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak. These codes relate to construction and occupancy of residential and commercial structures throughout the state. Read that proclamation here.

Read all of the governor's recent proclamations here.

As Kirkland restaurants and coffee shops face prolonged challenges related to reduced staffing, limited business hours and the State’s prohibition on sit-in dining services, exploring takeout and delivery is a great way to support local businesses and their employees while expanding your meal options.

Whether you’re in Juanita, Finn Hill, Totem Lake, Bridle Trails, Carillon Point or downtown Kirkland, each of our vibrant districts provide numerous opportunities for breakfast, lunch, dinner and beverages to go.  

The Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce offers a continually updated virtual resource guide for local businesses and consumers, so that we can work together as we seek to flatten the curve of COVID-19. Visit the Chamber website for a frequently updated list of restaurants and bars continuing to serve customers with takeout and delivery services, and information on local grocery stores.

Chamber membership is not a requirement for inclusion on this list. If you would like to see your businesses featured on this resource page, please email the Chamber at: info@kirklandchamber.org.

For more information, visit: https://kirklandchamber.org/virtual-business-resources/.

• COVID-19 Recomendaciones de Salud Pública
• Hoja Informativa para Padres de Familia sobre COVID-19
  

¿Qué es COVID-19?

COVID-19 (anteriormente conocido como el “nuevo coronavirus”) es una nueva cepa del virus que se está propagando de persona a persona. Actualmente se encuentra en los Estados Unidos y muchos otros países, después de originarse en China

¿Cómo se propaga el nuevo coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Los expertos en salud todavía están aprendiendo más sobre la propagación. Actualmente, se cree que se propaga:

• a través de gotitas respiratorias cuando una persona infectada tose o estornuda
• entre personas que están en contacto cercano entre sí (a unos 6 pies)
• al tocar una superficie o objeto con el virus y luego tocarse la boca, la nariz o los ojos

¿Cuáles son los síntomas?

Las personas que han sido diagnosticadas con el nuevo coronavirus han informado tener síntomas que pueden aparecer en tan solo 2 días o hasta 14 días después de haber estado expuestas al virus.