City Council Agenda 2026-04-07
CITY GOVERNMENTFEATUREDOPINION
The Mercer Island City Council will meet on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center, at 5:00 PM, with a very full agenda. The full 562 page (really!) agenda can be found here. My summary follows.
AB 6903: 2027-2032 Transportation Improvement Plan
AB 6891: City Hall Facility Full Renovation Cost Estimate and City Council Direction on Next Steps
AB 6902: Deane’s Children’s Park Site Plan
As always, comments are welcome. You can:
Send an email to council@mercerisland.gov
Send an email to cityclerk@mercerisland.gov to ask for an opportunity to speak during “appearances” time near the beginning of the April 7 City Council meeting. You will be given three minutes.
Notable Consent Agenda Items
AB 6898: Proclaiming April 2026 as Autism Acceptance Month on Mercer Island.
AB 6899: Proclaiming April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month on Mercer Island.
AB 6900: Proclaiming April 13-17, 2026 as Black Wellness Week on Mercer Island.
AB 6901: Public Works Facility Seismic Retrofits Project Closeout
This project completed critical repairs to the existing public works building that will allow it to continue to function until the city gets approval for its replacement.
AB 6870: Parking Enforcement System Appropriation Request
This will support a $110,000 expenditure for police-car mounted cameras for parking enforcement. I remain troubled by police surveillance cameras, but I am somewhat more tolerant of these than with the onramp / offramp cameras because the intrusiveness is less offensive than that of the fixed cameras. I have some questions to staff that will determine whether or not I will pull this item off the consent agenda.
AB 6903: 2027-2032 Transportation Improvement Plan
Every year the city goes through a process to update its six year schedule for transportation improvements. The current plan is open for public comment through April 21. Comments are welcome via Let’s Talk. So far 32 public comments have been received, many of which are focused on pedestrian and bicycle facilities. On that note, I was pleased to see that the project for phase 1 of the Island Crest Way “missing link” was accelerated to 2027. Now we just have to get to work on the other phases!
The city does a good job following a rigorous process to assign priorities for road resurfacing, relying on automated Pavement Condition Index measurements, and planning projects at a rate more or less consistent with average expected life for roads. New projects are selected based on public input, input from the school district, needs resulting from utility work impact on roadways, and long-term plans such as the Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities plan and the ADA plan.
The street fund is separate from the city general fund with dedicated (in some cases legally required) funding sources such as REET, gas tax, etc. I am concerned that the six year plan shows the fund balance declining from an estimated $4.5 million at YE 2027 to ($10.3) million at YE 2032. (And I am even more concerned when I consider that the Capital Improvement Plan for parks and buildings shows us even further in the hole by 2030 in its current draft state.) I take some comfort in the fact that additional grant revenue will come through, and the current plan assumes REET revenues, which have been VERY low recently, recover at a very slow rate. Ever the optimist, I suspect real estate sales (and hence REET revenue) will recover to be closer to historical levels. Should that not happen, difficult choices will be required.
AB 6891: City Hall Facility Full Renovation Cost Estimate and City Council Direction on Next Steps
The former city hall building was constructed in 1957. It was never designed to be a city hall. It was actually originally the home of my former employer, Farmers New World Life Insurance, which later moved to the extant site of Riot games and is now located in Bellevue. It has always been ill suited for purpose. It was closed in 2023 due to asbestos contamination. As part of facilities planning work, the city manager commissioned a project to determine what it would cost to rehabilitate the building, including costs of asbestos remediation, getting the building up to code, and providing necessary upgrades to Level IV facility standards for earthquake safety. The estimate came in at $60-63 million. I think this will lead to a quick and easy decision to demolish the building.
AB 6902: Deane’s Children’s Park Site Plan
Wow! It has been a while since a city council issue has drawn so much impassioned public comment. If you still want to comment, it is not too late. You can:
Send an email to council@mercerisland.gov
Send an email to cityclerk@mercerisland.gov to ask for an opportunity to speak during “appearances” time near the beginning of the April 7 City Council meeting. You will be given three minutes.
Post a comment on Let’s Talk.
This is an ambitious project. Hard costs are estimated at $7.3 million, With additional soft costs for permitting, design, and project management, final cost will likely be north of $9 million dollars. It is important to get this design right.
All the details of the site plan, including concepts, playground equipment, preliminary engineering, maintenance costs, community engagement, impervious surface analysis, and more are available in the city council agenda package. Or you can go to Let’s Talk. In summary though, the proposed site plan calls for:
Five new parking spaces.
New restrooms and shelters.
New playground equipment for children 2-5, 5-12, and 2-12.
Preservation and rehabilitation of the dragon!
Substantial improvements in inclusive and accessible design.
A multi-year, multi-phase, construction plan.
I have made no decision just yet on how I will vote. I want to hear the staff presentation. Because yes, after sitting through many parks commission meetings as council liaison, including 4.5 hour meetings in both February and March, I still want to learn more. I have submitted 24 questions to staff on the agenda this week, including nine on this site plan. Below I lay out some of my thoughts.
Why I Might Support the Site Plan
Mercer Islanders love their parks. And so do I. And if we find a way to build this playground, it will be the jewel of Island playgrounds. Kids of all ages, and all abilities, are going to love it.
While we have made improvements to accessibility in Mercer Island Parks in recent years (notably in Mercerdale), we still have too few accessible play opportunities. Some later projects, such as Groveland, will not lend themselves well to accessible design due to topography. I think it behooves us to plan for accessibility and inclusivity when we can.
With increased density being forced on us by the state, we need infrastructure to keep up. Streets, sewers, and water are essential of course. But recreational opportunities are not far down the priority list.
While the cost is high, staff believes that this plan is a good candidate for grant funding.
Ambitious goals are good. Plans are good. If we do not have big plans for big goals, we do not accomplish big things. And the plan will be essential to attract grant funding and private donations.
Why I Might Not Support the Plan
The city bond measure to fund a critical public safety and maintenance building just failed to get the necessary 60%, as did a vital school bond measure. I worry that a $9 million plan sends a message to the community that we have money to burn, when nothing is further from the truth. Parks and playgrounds are wonderful things, but they are not as important as police stations and places for people and equipment that are essential to keeping city infrastructure running. Nor are they as important as schools. Sometimes tough decisions need to be made.
Yes, grant funding is out there. But anyone that follows the news knows that the county and state budgets are under extreme stress right now. I suspect that funding a park on “wealthy” Mercer Island may not percolate to the top of the list, however well-deserving the plan may be.
This is not the only big project on the horizon. See my prior post about possible costs north of $20 million for time-sensitive improvements needed for Clarke and Groveland Beach Parks.
The city’s current capital improvement plan and transportation plans ALREADY show the city going millions of dollars in the hole over the next few years, even before funding this project or a new building. This is in addition to squeezes in the operating budget that will likely require substantial cuts to city services next year.
I worry about the additional 15,000 square feet in impervious surface, both because of environmental impact and because of the potential impact on the natural feel of the park.
I don’t like the phasing plan. I think it would be much better if restrooms and the through-park accessible path were in phase 1.
I think the plan does not have enough targeted play areas for elementary kids, especially considering its location bordering an elementary school.
While the pre-design engagement plan was AMAZING, there was not enough opportunity for the community to learn about and comment on the site plan—except for policy wonks like me that showed up to the parks commission meeting.
On balance, given uncertain funding, I feel like I might feel if I hired an architect to design my house without giving her a budget. She comes back with a $9 million price tag when I can only afford $2 million. In that situation, what should I do? Build the foundation and hope I get a raise to pay for the rest? Or ask the architect to come up with a new plan?
So How Will I Vote?
I don’t know yet. We are still getting feedback and more information. Based on what I know now, I am disinclined to vote for the current plan. But I am trying to keep an open mind. And we will see what creative compromise solutions may come up at the meeting. I hope to see you there!