The next meeting of the Kirkland City Council is on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. This will be a hybrid meeting, and community members are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via Zoom. 

Here’s a brief overview of some of the items on the Business Agenda for the January 16 meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m.:

Council will discuss and decide on Councilmember committee assignments to various standing assignments around the region covering a variety of policy areas for 2024.  

Council will receive an update on the City’s 2024 State Legislative Agenda. The State Legislature convened for its regular session on Monday, January 8, 2024.  This session, the second of the biennium, will be a short session of 60 days and it will conclude on March 7, 2024.   

Prior to the above business agenda, the Council will also hold a Study Session starting at 5:30 p.m., where they will provide feedback on potential short-term options to activate the Houghton Park and Ride site while long term plans are developed.  

Meeting details:      

The business meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. and is preceded by a 5:30 p.m. study session. The agenda for the January 16 meeting will be available on the City website prior to the meeting on the Kirkland City Council agendas webpage. You can also receive meeting agendas in your inbox by subscribing to “City Council Agendas” on the Kirkland email lists subscription page.       

How to watch:  Kirkland City Council meetings are streamed live and can be watched after the fact on the City of Kirkland Facebook page and the City YouTube channel, in addition to the livestream on the City website. Meetings are also televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Ziply Cable Channel 31.       

How to participate:  Members of the public wishing to address the Council may do so in-person or via Zoom during the “Items from the Audience” part of the agenda. That part of the agenda occurs at the beginning of the Council’s business meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m. Information on the comment sign up process to provide comment to the City Council, and on attending the meeting virtually, is available on the City Council webpage.     

Written comments can also be submitted to CityCouncil@kirklandwa.gov. For additional questions, please call the City Clerk’s Office at (425) 587-3190. 

The City of Kirkland launched a beta snow routes and plow status map. The map is updated every few minutes with recent plow location and street status during a snowstorm and is available from the City’s website.  

The application is currently in live beta testing, and community members are encouraged to provide feedback to the community via the comment form accessible on the City’s snow response webpage. 

Read more about this new map. 

Freezing temperatures are in the forecast.

The best way community members can stay safe is to prep ahead of time and stay inside

Here are some tips to help be prepared heading into the weekend:  

Check the Roads 

• If you need to drive, reference the new snowplow map we just launched, which includes our traffic cameras! Want to understand the City’s priority snowplow routes? You can find the plow route map at www.kirklandwa.gov/snow.  

Prevent Freezing Pipes 

• Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.
• When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from freezing.
• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. 

Safely Clear Sidewalks 

• In Kirkland, it’s the property owner’s responsibility to keep driveways and sidewalks clear of snow and ice. Consider checking in with neighbors who may have challenges clearing their sidewalks. 

Sweep the Salt

• Spreading salt and de-icers on our sidewalks and driveways helps keep us safe in icy conditions. But when washed off to storm drains, the salts and chemicals in de-icers can be harmful to our creeks, lakes, and wetlands.
• Use products according to the instructions on the label and give them time to work. Using more doesn’t work better – it’s just more expensive and means more pollution for our local waterways.
• Use a hand-held spreader to help you apply a consistent amount of product.
• Spread deicer before snow and ice start to accumulate. This will prevent snow from bonding with the pavement and speed the melting process.
• Then, after snow and ice melts, or when temperatures warm, sweep up any excess salt or sand and throw it in the trash. 

Know Who to Contact 

• To report a power outage or view the power outage map, download the PSE app or visit the PSE website at: https://www.pse.com/outage, or call Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773. For tree issues on or near power lines, contact PSE at 1-888-225-5773 to report.
• In the case of an urgent public right-of-way issue, call our 24/7 line at 425-587-3900.  

Stay in the Know 

• For weather conditions and updates, visit NWS Seattle.
• For road conditions, visit WSDOT’s real-time travel data.
• Learn more about Kirkland’s Snow Response efforts at www.kirklandwa.gov/snow  

Latest updates around this upcoming inclement weather incident is available on our News & Info page.

In honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., City administrative offices are closed on Monday, January 15, 2024. Fire, police, and other critical services will remain fully operational. City services normally accessible through email, the Our Kirkland service portal and over the phone will resume 8 a.m., Tuesday, January 16.

On January 2, 2024, the Mayor, on behalf of the City Council, proclaimed Monday, January 15 as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and encourages all Kirkland residents and businesses to serve their neighbors and community on this day and throughout the year. Read the full proclamation in this memo.   

For a full list of 2024 City Hall Holiday Closures, visit the City’s website.   

Are you a landlord hoping to lease to tenants struggling with barriers to obtain stable housing? Or are you a tenant seeking a new lease in Kirkland and struggling with barriers to housing? Do you have low credit, previous eviction, bankruptcy, or prior criminal conviction?  

The City of Kirkland Rental Risk Assistance Fund provides grants of up to $1,200 to landlords with qualifying tenants to mitigate risk to landlords of tenant default. Learn about eligibility requirements and apply at: kirklandwa.gov/rentriskfund.

WM Virtual Tour 

Date: Friday, January 26 

Time: 12 - 1 p.m. 

Location: virtual  

If our podcast interview with Gena Jain about the Cascade Recycling Center piqued your interest, and you’d like to take a tour of the WM facility – you're in luck!  

The CRC virtual tour is an opportunity to see how the center functions and to see how they processes recyclables collected from over 250,000 households in Washington!  

For more information and to register please visit the Waste Management website.