New council faces full agenda at first meeting

Welcome to your first city council meeting of 2020. Now let’s talk about getting sued.

That’s the order of business for the Bainbridge Island City Council for its meeting this week.

The work-study session starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7 at city hall.

One of the first items on the agenda is the oath of office ceremony for four council members who were elected in November.

Councilmembers taking the oath include newcomers Michael Pollock and ​Kirsten Hytopoulos (though both Hytopoulos and Pollock have previously served on the council) and Kol Medina and Leslie Schneider (who were incumbents that voters returned to the council in the 2019 Election).

After the ceremonial swearing-in — councilmembers starting terms on Jan. 1 have already officially taken the oath of office — the council will then appoint a new mayor and deputy mayor. Medina is currently mayor, while Councilman Matthew Tirman is presently serving as deputy mayor.

After the appointments, the council is schedule to adjourn to a private meeting for a closed-to-the-public executive session.

The reason for the closed-door session is “to discuss with legal counsel matters relating to litigation or potential litigation to which the city, the governing body, or a member acting in an official capacity is, or is likely to become, a party.”

The council is expected to return to a public session at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Councilmembers will get updates on the ongoing development moratorium, the city’s green building work plan, and possible next steps for the Suzuki affordable housing project.

Later in the meeting, the council will be asked to affirm the council’s top priorities for 2020, which include Bainbridge’s Climate Action Plan, affordable housing issues, the city’s groundwater management plan, and the 2021-2022 budget and capital plans.