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City Council Regular Meeting of Monday, July 20, 2026 - Media
Published: Jul 20, 2026
Kenmore Adopts Ordinance Easing Restrictions on Temporary Homeless Shelters
The Kenmore City Council adopted Ordinance 250626, which eases restrictions on temporary homeless shelters. This ordinance aligns with changes to the STEP ordinance previously adopted on the consent agenda, ensuring consistency. The ordinance removes the prohibition on sex offenders from standard temporary shelters, as state law designates the authority to disallow sex offenders with the sponsoring organization, not the city. Additionally, background check requirements for *emergency* shelters were removed, recognizing that such checks are time-consuming and can be a barrier to life-saving services during severe weather events. Background checks remain typical for more standard, longer-term temporary shelters. The council expressed satisfaction with these changes, noting that they will enable Kenmore to host severe weather shelters, joining neighboring communities and fulfilling a community need.
Kenmore Council Postpones Decision on Park Impact Fee Increase Amidst Affordability Concerns
The Kenmore City Council discussed and ultimately voted to postpone a decision on amending park impact fees to 80%. The amendment, proposed by Councilmember Culver, aimed to increase the collected park impact fee rate. The discussion included significant debate regarding the fairness and impact of these fees on housing affordability, particularly for younger generations and first-time homebuyers. Several council members expressed concerns about the potential financial burden on new residents and the need for a more progressive fee structure that might differentiate between smaller and larger unit sizes. Due to the complexity of potential tiered fee structures and the need for further legal review and public input on such changes, the council ultimately voted to postpone the decision indefinitely, directing staff to research the feasibility of a progressive or tiered park impact fee model. This postponement came after extensive deliberation, including public comments and multiple council meetings on the topic. The original ordinance was set to be adopted with a 75% fee rate, but the amendment to 80% was passed by a 4-3 vote before the subsequent postponement.
Kenmore Council Appoints Committees for Proposition One Levy
The Kenmore City Council appointed members to the Pro and Con committees for Proposition Number One, a climate and environmental stewardship, affordable housing, and human services levy, which will appear on the November ballot. After receiving 22 applications, the council used a ranked-choice voting method, facilitated by the City Clerk, to select three members for each committee. Tracy Bonashinski, Edward LaSalle, and Juliana Pooley were appointed to the Pro Committee. John Hendrickson, Dave Postetter, and Lori Speary were appointed to the Con Committee. The council acknowledged that the ranked-choice voting method, as implemented, did not perfectly capture the majority council support for all candidates, leading to some interesting outcomes where candidates favored by some council members were not in the top five overall. Despite this procedural observation, the appointments were approved by a 6-1 vote. City staff will now work with the appointed members to gather necessary information for the King County elections by the August 4th deadline.
Kenmore Council Delays Boathouse Rent Decision, Citing Need for Further Discussion with Rowing Clubs
The Kenmore City Council discussed the proposed rent for the boathouse facility, which is used by the Kenmore Community Rowing Club (KCRC) and the Inglewood High School (IHS) Boosters Club. Staff presented a discounted rate of $75.25 per month, based on a market analysis and an internal staff analysis, aiming to cover some costs and potentially recoup past expenditures. KCRC was slated to start paying rent October 1st, and the Boosters March 1st, 2027. However, council members expressed concerns about the financial burden on these non-profit organizations and the potential impact on their successful programs, which serve youth and adults. Some council members felt the proposed rent was too high for the organizations, while others emphasized the city's need for fiscal responsibility and recovering costs. There was a general sentiment that more discussion was needed with the clubs to determine a mutually agreeable and feasible rent, and potentially explore fundraising capacity as a way to offset costs or reduce rent. Due to a lack of consensus on moving forward immediately with the proposed rent, the council decided to postpone the discussion to allow staff to have further conversations with the organizations and bring a revised proposal back in September.
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The Kenmore News archive
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