City Council - Regular Meeting

All right, I'd like to welcome you to the May 26, 2026 meeting of the King County Council. I'm Sarah Perry, chair of the council this year, joined by Vice Chairs Jorge Barron and Reagan Dunn and our council colleagues today. And this meeting is called to order. Before we begin, please join me in acknowledging that we are on the traditional lands of the Puget Salish peoples, past and present. We thank these caretakers of this land who've lived here and continue to live here since time immemorial, bringing their cultural ways of life and greatly enriching our communities. Clerk K, would you please call the roll?

Thank you. Council Member Balducci? Here. Council Member Barone?

Here.

Council Member Dombaski? Here. Council Member Dunn?

Here.

Here. Council Member Fain.

Thank you.

Council Member Lewis. Here. Council Member Mosqueda. Here. Council Member Von Reichbauer. Chair Berry.

Here. You have a quorum. Thank you very much. Next, please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance led by Vice Chair Barone.

Thank you. Please stand if you're able.

I pledge allegiance to the flag

I'm sorry there's no comments from the from the audience and I know that Mr. Zimmerman also knows that thank you very much for saying that thank you I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry we don't take comments from the audience Okay. Vice Chair Borromeo, may I please have a motion to approve the minutes of the May 12th, 2026 council meeting?

Chair, I move to approve the minutes.

Thank you, the motion is before us. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay. Minutes are approved. Clerk A, I have an addition to the agenda. There has been a request to relieve the budget and fiscal management committee of proposed ordinance 2026-0066 and let the legislation proceed to the regional water quality committee without further consideration of the BFM committee.

Unless there's any objection, it is so ruled.

Clerk A, are there any other additions to the council agenda?

I have no additional additions.

Thank you very much. Next we'll turn to our special items. We have three Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Awards followed by two proclamations.

Okay, one moment please.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Awards is an annual tradition for the Council in honor of the legacy of King County's namesake, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is really a special opportunity for Council members to recognize individuals who represent exemplary service to their communities and whose leadership embodies Dr. King's question, what are you doing for others? Today we have three Martin Luther King Jr. Service Awards from Council Members von Reitbauer, Council Member Lewis, and Council Member Barone's districts, which means that they've chosen these individuals out of 250,000 residents to receive this award. When it's their turn, each council member will head to the podium and give a brief introduction about their nominee. Then a KCTV video tribute about the nominee will play. And after that, the council member will have the opportunity to say a few words. And finally, the nominee will be invited to speak. And after the nominee is done speaking, there'll be an opportunity for council member, awardee, and any guests they may have brought with them to take photos. The order of the awards will start with Councilmember Lewis, followed by Councilmember Marrone, and concluding with Councilmember von Reikbauer. With that in mind, Councilmember Lewis, please begin when you are ready.

Thank you, Chair Perry. Hello, everyone. I would like to welcome the D2 MLK Service Award recipient, Gregory Davis. Gregory. Gregory is the founding member of Rainier Beach Action Coalition. He has served as a volunteer and board chair with the Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition since 2003, and that coalition later became RBAC in 2015. He is a longstanding and trusted member of the community, and I am excited for you all to learn more about him and his organization.

cue the video my name is gregory davis and i'm the managing strategist for the rainier beach action coalition affectionately referred to as our back We provide the pathway for residents to really make a difference in where they live.

Hi, my name is Darartu. I am a food justice coordinator here at RBAC. We are at the food hub where we do all of our produce distributions. Lettuce, kale, and garlic too. Our produce comes from BIPOC farmers.

Most of our farmers are in Kent, Washington at Horse Neck Farm. My name is Abby Endello. The overall goal is to feed the South Seattle community. We make it very accessible to get fresh produce.

We want to be able to stay in place and we want our families to be able to thrive.

My name is Sophia Bayo. I went to Rainier Beach High School, the school that's behind us. We come out, engage, give out resources, pass out food, talk about our organization and how we contribute to supporting the neighborhood and being present for them.

Some of the young people that you see today doing community safety work. Doing food justice work is kind of an example of how positioning them in critical life aspects can not only support them, but also help the neighborhood be a better place.

I have grown up in this community. I've stayed in the community. Being in Rainier Beach has taught me a lot. I've seen a lot of, you know, tragic things happen, but I've also seen a lot of growth happen.

I had a mentor named Leah, and she was actually the first farm stand manager here. And I was 16, looking for a job. Overall, I just stayed connected to RBAC, and then it kind of motivated me to do social work. My future, I will be working on getting my MSW license, social work license, and then hopefully start doing therapy with children.

Currently with my studies, I'm hoping to do mental health counseling, so I do want to come back to my community and be present for those who are in need of it. Starting with Rainier Beach is my goal.

That's what really spurred the idea of Rainier Beach Action Coalition is to bring people into coalition together, be it in community safety or young people being able to establish a livelihood here in Rainier Beach.

Gregory, could you join me at the podium, please? Thank you. Dr. King spent his life asking one question of everyone around him. What are you doing for others? This award exists to recognize the people in our communities who have made that question the organizing principle of their lives. I am proud to say that Gregory Davis is one of those people. As many of you know, this has been a painful year for Rainier Beach. This past January, we lost two young men who had their whole lives ahead of them to gun violence. The grief of that event is still present in the Rainier Beach community today. Which means that the work that Gregory and the Rainier Beach Action Coalition have been doing for over a decade becomes that much more important. They bring food, presence, and trust to the often forgotten neighborhoods. It's the kind of work that holds a community up in moments like this. And what makes Gregory's approach to how he addresses community needs so meaningful is that he puts youth at its center. RBAC's workforce is largely driven by young people hired from within the Rainier Beach community. I believe that Gregory made that choice deliberately because he knows that a young person with a job, a paycheck, and a sense of purpose in their own neighborhood is a young person invested in the future. a future where our youth can take ownership of their communities without fear of displacement. Dr. King believed that civil rights and economic rights are the same fight. Gregory has never lost sight of that. So it is my honor to present you with the King County Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service, and thank you for everything you do for District 2 and King County, Gregory.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Okay, thank you, thank you. So this is such an honor. I heard from Chair Perry that the awardees tonight were one of 250,000 people from the respective districts. And so that just makes it all the more meaningful and want to thank all the other awardees. I also want to thank Councilmember Lewis. This is so special for me and my family and for the neighborhood. Being that you only have one selection because of being selected to the council makes it more meaningful. And also being the first African American woman on the council makes it even more special. I am dedicating this award to my mother, Jeanette Davis. She's 90 years old. She's the one that impressed upon me at a very young age to do the best that I can do in anything that I do. Of course, my California family who has taken care of her, Rhonda, Danielle, Danny, and Jerry, and then my Seattle family, friends, colleagues, and the like. I receive this award also on behalf of my beautiful family, Sean, who we've been married for 41 years, and our children. Yes, that is it. And our children, Kyla and Jarell. An award this prestigious cannot be attained by a single person. So there has to be talented people, dedicated people, along the way, walking alongside you. So I just want to call out Elaine Hayes-Bennett, Tamsen Spangler, Yolanda Gill-Massendary, Harry Hoffman. And I'm calling on a quote that was actually on the King County's website. We must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future. Seems these are more important these days than ever before. More important uh... to have faith in our people more important to have faith in the collaborative spirit really important to have faith in each other and to our young people and i'm seeing some of our young people that i've interacted with since fourth grade uh... since they've been fourteen years old uh... the young people you see on the uh... video uh... they have started in high school and are now graduating from college and i think that's ultimately uh... the point uh... have faith in them because they will be able to guide us based on what we put in them, imparted in them. So thank you very much again for the award. It is my honor. I will continue to do the work and pass it on to others. Thank you.

council member lewis would you like us to join you or would you okay yes

One, two, three.

One more. One, two, three. Congratulations. Congratulations.

Congratulations. Congratulations.

Congratulations. Great work.

Congratulations to Gregory Davis. And next up is Vice Chair Barone. Please proceed when you're ready. Hello.

Thank you. I'm ready over here. Thank you, Chair Perry and colleagues. As the Chair mentioned, my name is Jorge Barone. I have the privilege of representing District 4. And it's truly an honor to recognize Dominique Alex, who serves as the CEO of Mary's Place, as this year's recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service for our district. I also want to acknowledge that while I get to present this award to Dominique, Mary's Place works across the county, but I'm grateful to say that it's headquartered in District 4, so we're honored to do that. Here's a short video about the work that Dominique and Mary's Place does in the community.

The day that we got evicted and the sheriffs came, we were literally walking down the street with a stroller, with whatever I can fit in the stroller of their stuff. I was fusing at the time. I feel like I was fusing because I didn't know what was going to happen next. I just remember my kids asking me, mommy, where are we going to go? And it broke my heart. And that's when I realized I have to do something different.

The housing crisis is one of the worst crisis we've seen in a long time. Every day, our emergency intake line is taking anywhere between 50 and 70 calls from families seeking emergency shelter tonight. But unfortunately, only one or two of those families can come in a week. And 60% of our population is children, most of which are under the age of eight.

i remember calling around and all the shelters were full there was an opening at mary's place and i remember just how happy i was like oh my gosh like i can get my kids now and we can have somewhere to go i think if people knew

How many families are experiencing homelessness in our community? How many children that your kids go to school with that are also experiencing homelessness? They would be really surprised.

They gave us a place to stay. They helped me enroll my kids in school. They helped get my kids clothes, diapers.

We approached the family homelessness crisis with a three-prong approach, which includes our shelter program, our mobile outreach, and our prevention program.

Kids Club was amazing, super supportive. Kids loved going up there and playing.

One of our primary goals is to reduce the trauma on children at Mary's Place. When families come inside, they can bring their kids to Kids Club and normalize being a kid despite all the trauma that may be going on around them.

Thank you, colleagues. Dominique, why don't you come and join me? This award is one of the many ways we highlight the people in King County who are doing the hard, sometimes unseen work of strengthening our communities. And Dominique truly embodies that spirit of service. As CEO of Mary's Place, Dominique leads an organization that so many families rely on in a moment of real crisis, as you just saw. Mary's Place doesn't just provide a roof for the night, it creates a path forward. From shelter to housing to employment support, their work helps support families and move them toward stability and toward hope. And that work is happening at a significant scale, serving hundreds of families each night and helping thousands over time find permanent housing. But what stands out to me isn't just the scale, it's the approach. Dominique leads with a deep belief in dignity. At Mary's Place, people are not defined by their circumstances. They are supported as whole individuals and families. And she's clear that this work doesn't happen because of any one person. It happens because of dedicated staff, and I want to acknowledge both staff and board members who are here with us today, who show up every day for these families. She consistently lifts up their work and makes sure they're recognized as the heart of the organization. She's also a strong partner across our region, working with local governments, nonprofits, and community leaders to push for more coordinated, more humane solutions to homelessness. And I also want to recognize the work that Dominique and Mary's Place did to respond to the needs of asylum-seeking families who arrived in our region over the past few years. Dominique and her team responded effectively and compassionately to this new challenge for our community. That kind of leadership reflects what Dr. King called us to do, not just to see injustice, but to take responsibility for changing it. Dominique, your work has made a tangible difference in people's lives across King County. Families are safer, more stable, and more hopeful because of your leadership. I'm truly grateful for your partnership and proud to recognize you with this award.

Congratulations.

Thank you, Council Member Barone. Thank you to the other awardees that are here today and for the work you do in the community, making a real difference and helping our communities thrive. And thank you to the entire King County Council. On behalf of our staff, our board, the volunteers, and the families that we serve, we're deeply honored to receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service. Dr. King asked, what are we doing for others? At Mary's Place, our answer is rooted in a simple belief. Every child deserves a safe place to sleep tonight. Not eventually, but tonight. When a mother walks through our doors that you saw in the video with her young children at 10 o'clock at night, and she has nowhere else to go, she doesn't need a wait list. She needs a bed. She needs a meal. someone to greet her and say we got you you're safe here with your family the families we serve are not defined by their hardship but rather defined by their resilience their love for their children and their determination to rebuild this award belongs to our staff to our volunteers and to the guests that have trusted us in their most vulnerable times and to this council Thank you. Not just for this recognition, but for the many years that you all have walked alongside us. These are families who are housed because of your partnership, who are stable and thriving today because you chose to invest in this work. Dr. King's vision of equity and justice is not just a memory. It is a mandate that we are privileged to walk daily. We accept this honor with gratitude and renewed resolve. Thank you.

Councilmember Brown, would you like us to join you?

I want to do the group.

Do you want to fight first?

No, no, it's right there. There you go. Okay, here we go.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

Can you get it? Yeah. One, two, three. Congratulations. Thank you.

Congratulations to Dominique, Alex, and to everybody who's serving at Mary's Place. Next, we will hear from Councilmember von Reitbauer. Please begin whenever you're ready.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you, colleagues. I would like to acknowledge three people before I begin the program announcing and acknowledging the MLK Award winners for District 7. First, I want to thank publicly Rod Dembowski, because as Chair of the King County Council, he started this program. And as Chair of the King County Council, he sustained it. And of course, he's away from the stage at this time. The second of two people I'd like to recognize, we would not be recognizing these two individuals today if it wasn't for the commitment that they are followed by, and that commitment comes from their spouses. Lou Johnson and Epi Johnson are here today, and I want to thank both of them because we wouldn't be here today acknowledging our two guests today. Our two guests are Ken, thank you, round of applause, thank you. Ken Johnson and Jesse Johnson. I first got to know Jesse because of his involvement in our community. Jesse would start off as a Federal Way City, first of all, he actually started off as president of the student body at Federal Way High School. And then he became a member of the Federal Way City Council, then a state legislator, and now works in the state treasurer's office. But through him, I had the privilege of getting to know his mom and dad, and that has been a true privilege. We talk about heroes in our society. Not all heroes wear capes. There's a program that I was pleased to get involved with early on with Jesse when he was a state legislator, and I'm on the King County Council. And that's a program of supporting pre-apprentice programs. There's a real crisis out there today for young people leaving high school. The jobs are not there. The jobs that they were led to believe would be there are not there. Council Member and I have been talking for years about this important need in her district, my district. It is universal. It's not just in South King County. we got to recognize that there is now a wave of problems out there that wave is going to be become a tasami a crisis for our community if we do not get ahead of the problem we need to recognize this and jesse recognize this because of the leadership he saw in his own father helping apprentice in his painting business and then jesse as a young man who graduated from Federal Way High School, saw the need there, and worked with me, and we worked on money to support programs in our respective areas. And it's been very helpful to our community. And pre-apprentice programs, folks, is something we've got to consider. Not just for the young people leaving college or leaving high school, but there's going to be a whole series of individuals whose jobs are going to be replaced by AI. and those jobs are not gonna come back. They need to learn skills and the pre-apprentice program that Jesse started at Better Way High School is a good program. So at this time we'll have a video and then we'll have a chance to hear from our two special guests.

Seeing him growing up, getting up at 4 a.m. every day, going to work, being able to provide for our family taught me a lot.

i was an apprentice for my dad at the time i was the superintendent for washington commercial painters hi my name is ken johnson i'm the current owner of transformers painting and pressure washing llc so my name is jesse johnson a former state representative and i'm also the founder of the federaway high school pre-apprenticeship program

so it is a running start in the trades program for juniors and seniors in high school they essentially get to learn different skilled trades such as carpentry electrical welding roofing painting and they graduate with a credentials in osha safety training they get their forklift and flagger credentials as well and then they get all these opportunities to work on job sites College isn't for everyone. I mean, we've seen over the last few decades that a lot of young people want to work with their hands. They want to do different things. And there's a lot of opportunities out there in the skilled trades.

It's very gratifying to see them having coaches and the team and this program around them, wrapping their arms around them.

Ellen and I just actually came out. If you go through a registered apprenticeship in our state, your average salary is $85,000. Three to five years in as a journeyman, it's over $100,000 a year. So obviously with affordability, cost of living, that's a major livable wage, and not just for a job, but a career.

To see how professional these kids are, to see them with all their PPE and gear on, it makes me feel real proud because they're learning this at 17, 18.

Not 35. Yeah, I think it changes the outlook of a family when you see one of your siblings go into a career where they're making money, they're able to provide for themselves, hopefully buy a home. And it's really like breaking generational gaps. It really has an impact on not just that individual, but their entire family. Oh, wow.

Ladies and gentlemen, Ken and Jesse Johnson, please come forward. What's really special about today is we're not recognizing just an individual, but what a family can do together. If we're going to turn this country around, it's going to start with families like the Johnson family. So with... your permission i'll first read the proclamation the ideals of dr martin luther king the foremost civil and human rights leader of the united states are held high at king county king king county was re-designated in his honor and the county logo bears his likeness dr king's vision of equity and social justice is infused throughout the programs and services of king county government ken and jesse johnson have responded to dr king's question What are you doing for others? By dedicating themselves to advocating for high school pre-apprenticeship programs in the Federal Way School District, which is giving students access to family wage jobs. The Metropolitan King County Council today presents Ken and Jesse Johnson with the MLK Award of Distinguished Service for their outstanding community service and honors them as examples to all in our country, state, and nation.

Why don't you share some comments?

Well, thank you so much. Thank you, King County Council, Council Member Von Reichbauer. First giving all honor to God who's the head of my life. I want to start by saying we are in challenging times, but when you have collaboration and partnership like what existed with this program between Council Member Von Reichbauer's leadership, the school district, Dr. Pfeiffer, thank you for trusting the process. I know we started this program during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. economic recession in 2020. We're on our fifth cohort of seniors actually graduating next week. I'll be presenting the first annual Ken Johnson scholarship to one of our seniors. But I always believe innovation is the best form of protest. And as things are happening across the world, when you come together and innovate like we did for this program for our young people, it truly can have remarkable outcomes. My dad, he's probably not going to want to talk, but if he does, I'll say it. We want to dedicate this honor to my grandparents, my dad's parents, Felton and Juanita Johnson, but especially my grandfather, Felton Johnson, who came to Washington State in 1942. from Texas and established a landscaping business in Kirkland, Washington. My dad's a graduate of Interlake, Councilmember Balducci's district. And so they taught our family how to work. My dad was one of 13 kids, actually the middle child of 13 kids. And when my grandfather tragically died my dad was 14 years old he was the head of the household in terms of showing the other younger siblings how to you know make money for themselves how to get by and really thrive and prosper and so my dad took a lot as a lot of folks in the family would say on his shoulders and i truly stand on the shoulders of a giant in my dad so i want to give him all the the praise for this scholarship or this uh this award because it truly is because of him that this program even exists And our young people in Federal Way, we're one of probably the most diverse high schools in the state, if not the country. And you see students of color, you see women, you see young people that were literally about to drop out of school coming back into their school because they wanna be a part of this program. We have a wait list and hopefully we can extend this program to keep it going. I also wanna shout out Billy and Andrea who are over there, who are from Laborers 242. Billy was on. Yes, that's right. Billy was on the onset of establishing this program as well. And of course, my wife, my beautiful wife and my mom. And I'll let my dad say a few words. I know he doesn't want to talk, but I'll put him on the spot.

Well, I'm truly honored to be a recipient of the MLK Service Award. It means a lot to me. Because service is what we need. And I'd just like to start out by thanking Council Member Perry, all the council members, Pete Von Reichbauer. Really appreciate Council Member Reichbauer for his efforts in getting with Jesse and getting this program started. I'd like to say to my son, thanks for watching me all these years. and taking it to another level and having passion for the youth. He has a true passion for the youth and that's why he started this program. And I'm so honored to be a part of the program. Tomorrow we'll be painting the tiny homes and it just, it gives me joy to go and help the youth because all they need is an opportunity. Youth just need an opportunity. And with this program, They'll have an opportunity to get into the trades, work with their hands, make a living wage, have their families, be a part of the community. It's so important. And I'm just so humbled. And I'm not a big talker. I'm more of a trainer, I like to work with people and work with the kids. I've been in the trades for over 35 years. Watched a lot of young people come up through the trades, and I've had the honor to get to train them. And I was a superintendent, estimator, project manager, and I started at the very bottom, very bottom. as a as a apprentice painter just like a lot of these kids that will be teaching tomorrow so it can take you wherever you want to go they just need an opportunity and i'd love to thank my family my wife lou of 37 years she's uh she's been there for me not as a partner Because in the trade, sometimes you can be a little slow at times. So she's been the rock of the family. And I appreciate you. Love you. And I'd just like, again, to just thank the other honorees as well. I mean, all you guys' service that you're doing for the community is so important. And we all need to continue to... reach out to the community, help the community, and especially our youth, which is what Jesse's specialty is. Thank you. Thank you.

And let's join Council Member Van Rijkbouwer at the podium.

Thank you. Thank you.

Let me just feed Lou. Come on over here on the photo. Bring it right up here.

Okay, here we go. One, two, three.

And one more. One, two, three. Great. And seven.

OK. Let's have .

We're just going to shift over just now. That's OK. I don't know what a shift mean. I don't know. But you get it in secret.

No, no, no, no.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Can you see Council Member Lewis?

No.

Thank you.

Okay, here we go.

One, two, three. And one more. One, two, three. That's great. One, two, three. Thank you. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you.

Oh, awesome.

Congratulations. Congratulations.

okay congratulations to jesse and ken johnson these awards are powerful reminder of the inspiring and selfless work that so many in our communities are doing and of the importance of lifting up those who wake up every day and choose service and action for the common good thank you to all of today's martin luther king award recipients for what you bring to the community and for allowing us the opportunity to recognize you With that, we will turn to our first proclamation, which is Mental Health Awareness Month, led by me. So I don't trip here. I'm just going to do this. There we go. Thank you. It's my honor today to proclaim May as Mental Health Awareness Month in King County. Recognizing that all who struggle with their mental health deserve recognition of their struggles, support, and effective treatment. While officially entitled Mental Health Awareness Month, our society has an evolving understanding of neurology and associated health needs, which has led to the more fitting title of behavioral health. These medical health needs encompass areas of depression, anxiety, personality, eating, neurological trauma, trauma associated developmental addiction and other disorders. This issue isn't abstract. I'm confident that each and every one of us knows someone who has struggled or is currently struggling with behavioral health and or substance use issues. I witnessed family, friends, and loved ones struggling with these areas myself. while it can be immensely difficult for those struggling and for their families it also can speak to a person's remarkable bravery perseverance and ultimate resilience to live meaningful lives in support of the incredible bravery perseverance and resilience it takes to address these issues it is important to recognize that major barriers to this care remain. This includes a lack of available therapists or treatment center beds, a lack of knowledge of the signs of certain behavioral health struggles, or lingering stigmas about behavioral health and substance use that prevent those struggling from speaking out and seeking assistance to address their needs. To ensure that each of our family members, loved ones, friends, and community members have the opportunity to live full and healthy lives, it is incumbent on each of us to educate ourselves about and to remove obstacles to basic medical care in the areas of behavioral health and substance use. And I am deeply grateful to those doing this work for the benefit of us all. At this point, I'd like to read the proclamation, and then I'll invite our special guest to receive it. Whereas nearly all King County adults and youth have experienced a behavioral health and or substance use issue at some point in their lives or knows and cares for someone who has. And whereas behavioral health issues are medical conditions, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, psychosis, or even a difficult day living with autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's. Whereas alcohol and drug use issues are also medical conditions when those struggling with other behavioral health issues use these to self-medicate or have an addiction to them regardless of other issues. And whereas there's a profound stigma associated with behavioral health and substance use issues that prevents those who need it most from seeking the help they need. And whereas each government agency, business, nonprofit, health care provider, school, and community member has a responsibility to promote wellness through support, prevention, and treatment efforts. And whereas increased education, awareness, and early support ensure that everyone lives in communities where open conversations about behavioral health and substance use are not stigmatized and they can feel comfortable reaching out for help. And whereas our family, friends, loved ones, and community members who struggle with these medical conditions deserve recognition of their struggle, support, and effective treatment to live fulfilling lives. Now, therefore, we, the Metropolitan King County Council, proclaim the month of May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month in King County and call upon all residents to recognize behavioral health struggles, seek help when needed, and support each other. dated this 26th day of May and signed by all nine council members. Now, I'd like to introduce Kaylee Deitch, the Executive Director of The Garage. The Garage is a nonprofit based in Issaquah providing a safe space for teens to socialize and access critical resources after school. Alongside social programming, most of which is owned and carried out by the teens themselves, The garage has mental health therapists and case managers that teens can access completely free, recognizing the collective understanding that behavioral health is essential to the well-being of our youth. Thank you for the work you do. It has been an honor to know you. Please say a few words if you'd like.

Thank you. Council Chair Perry and members of the Council, I am honored to be here today to accept this proclamation on behalf of the Garage for the Mental Health Awareness Month. For the past eight years, the garage has provided free mental health support for teens in Issaquah in a safe and welcoming third place. And to ensure we are meeting teens where they are, we now have a therapist in two of the high schools in the Issaquah School District. When more than 25% of high school students reported feeling sad and hopeless, and 12% considered suicide, according to the most recent Healthy Youth Survey, we have a lot of work to do. Teen mental health support is a crucial prevention tool by teaching emotional regulation, building protective tools, and fostering safe, supportive relationships before issues escalate. This early intervention prevents chronic struggles and promotes lifelong well-being. This population often goes unrecognized and unsupported, which makes this proclamation even more important. And recognizing an organization on the east side also shines a light on an area of our county that is a resource desert. I also want to acknowledge the steadfast and essential support that the County Council has given the garage this past year. After the garage lost significant funding last May, you all stepped up to ensure that the garage kept its doors open and continued this essential service. Two more than, sorry, two more than 700 teens. So I just want to thank you for this honor and thank you for your commitment to mental health support, especially to our young people.

Thank you.

Council members, would you please join us for a photo? Okay, like that. And we'll move this here.

One, two, three. One, two, three.

One, two, three.

One, two, three. Okay, here we go.

I think I've seen these here.

okay turning now to our last special item a proclamation of may 2026 as jewish american heritage month in king county council member balducci please begin when you're ready

Thank you, Chair. I am very pleased and honored today to stand before you to share a proclamation for Jewish American Heritage Month in King County. The Jewish community in our region has a long and proud history. Edward Solomon served as the first Jewish governor of Washington Territory from 1870 to 1872. Bailey Gatzert was elected as the first Jewish mayor of Seattle in 1875. Seattle's Jewish residents held the first documented High Holy Day services just blocks from here on the corner of First and Marion in 1887. Today I want to highlight the work of one preeminent local Jewish resident, Esther Levy. In 1892, Esther formed the Ladies Hebrew Benevolent Society. What began as an organization of 37 women delivering food baskets and welcoming new immigrants to our area grew into Jewish Family Service, one of our most valued and respected service providers, providing everything from counseling to emergency assistance to refugee resettlement and more. This kind of service, connection, and civic engagement continues to be the heart of our local Jewish community and a thread that binds our entire community together. I would love to welcome Rabbi Jason Levine, the Associate Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, which is a network of 36 Jewish organizations and leaders convened by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. The Jewish Community Relations Council is rooted in Jewish values like the one that drove Esther Levy's work, called A Repair of the World, which calls Jewish people to take action to make our community and our world a better place and is lived out today through these institutions and leaders that we have in our community. That is part of why our Jewish community is so important and valued here in King County and why we honor the heritage of our Jewish community today. Rabbi Levine, would you please join me to say a few words? Okay. Kindly do not trip.

Thank you, the Chair Perry, the members of the King County Council, and a special thank you to Council Member Balducci for leading this proclamation. I'm Rabbi Jason Levine, alongside my colleague Hannah Lidman, on behalf of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. We are the broadest collective public voice of the Jewish community in Washington state, representing tens of thousands of Jews. On behalf of our leadership, staff, and the Puget Sound Jewish community, thank you for this proclamation declaring May as Jewish American Heritage Month in King County. The Jewish connection in the region runs deep. For generations, Jewish families have established roots here in King County, building local businesses, establishing synagogues, and creating community institutions, being proud neighbors in this diverse Puget Sound. As we approach America's 250th anniversary, we are reminded of the vital role Jewish Americans have played in shaping, building, and preserving our nation. From our earliest days, Jewish values of justice, equality, and civic responsibility have aligned deeply with the American promise. And we continue this commitment to safeguarding these shared ideals today. Yet we also give voice to the reality that we face some of the most difficult moments in recent memory. Antisemitism is not a relic, but a rising daily threat that causes real anxiety, concern, and fear in our neighborhoods, synagogues, and schools right here in King County. We need committed and dedicated action from this council and our local leaders in support of Jewish safety. We know that our neighbors and allies and many other marginalized communities struggle as well. We know we cannot fight hatred in isolation. It is vital that we build bridges of collaboration with other communities across King County, working with this council, community organizations, friends and neighbors to celebrate how we each are unique and valued and stand together to counter discrimination and bigotry that we might all ensure the safety and success for all. By celebrating the heritage and contributions of the local Jewish community, your proclamation today is a powerful reminder that we do not stand alone in this county's beautiful, diverse mosaic. We are determined to continue working hand in hand with you, our elected partners, to counter bias, build mutual respect, and protect the freedom for all. Thank you for standing with us, hearing our voice, and helping to ensure a vibrant, thriving Jewish community in King County.

And now I'll read the proclamation. Whereas, since 1654, when the first Jewish immigrants arrived on the shores of what is now the United States, seeking stability and a better life, fleeing rising persecution, prejudice, and pogroms, Jewish values, culture, and contributions have shaped our character as a nation. And whereas Jewish American Heritage Month was established in 2006 to recognize and celebrate the generations of Jewish Americans who helped shape our nation's civic, economic, and cultural life. And whereas for generations the story of the Jewish people, one of resilience, faith, and hope in the face of adversity, prejudice, and persecution, has been woven into the fabric of our nation's story. Their diverse experiences and rich histories highlight the ongoing pursuit of liberty, safety, and justice for all. And whereas the Jewish American story is an important chapter of the American story, Jewish Americans with diverse racial and ethnic identities enrich every part of American life as educators and entrepreneurs, athletes and artists, scientists and entertainers, public officials and activists, labor and community leaders, diplomats and military service members, public health heroes, neighbors, friends, and more. And whereas the Jewish community has faced bigotry, hatred, and violence throughout history with a through line that continues even today, Right now, Jewish Americans are experiencing the highest levels of harm in nearly 50 years, with children, families, and communities living through a meteoric rise in anti-Jewish violence, intimidation, and harassment. And whereas Washington state joins together with all Washingtonians to stand up, speak out, and reject anti-Jewish bigotry and advance safety, equality, and compassion, and belonging for our jewish neighbors and all washingtonians and whereas jewish american heritage month is a nationally recognized opportunity to learn about and appreciate the stories and contributions of jewish americans throughout our history attend jewish cultural and learning events and stand in solidarity and community with jews today now therefore we the metropolitan king county council proclaim the month of may 2026 as jewish american heritage month in king county to recognize the adversity Jewish Americans have and continue to face, celebrate the contributions that they have made to our nation, recognize Jewish neighbors who share their joy and passion with us, confronting barriers to safety and belonging, and calling out anti-Jewish harm wherever it appears in our communities, dated this 26th day of May, 2026, and signed by all members of the King County Council.

Council Member, Council Member, would you like us to join you? If you would, yes, please. Thank you. Let me just pull this back.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

just a little bit oh sorry

Thank you so much. We will now turn to the reading of items into the record and the hearing of public comment. First, a quick note that item 9 proposed ordinance 2026-0113, bless you, is on today's agenda for the purpose of holding a required public hearing. The legislation remains in local services and land use committee and while we will be accepting public comment on the item today, we will not be taking action on it. In addition, I want to mention that item 8 uh proposed ordinance 2026-0040 on the department of public defense standards there's been a request to delay we will be taking comments on that today so please do make your comments today but just wanted to let you know that we will be delaying that for further conversation and consideration before bringing it forward Vice Chair Barone, may I please have a motion to suspend the rules to hold the advertised public hearing on item nine?

So moved.

Thank you. The motion is before us. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. The motion carries. Second, I'd like to note that my office has received a request for, as I said, a one-week courtesy delay for the record on item eight, which is proposed ordinance 2026-0040, mentioned just now. I just wanted to ask my colleagues if they had any comments about that since it is on the agenda now. Council Member Mosqueda.

Just a quick comment to say thank you to the Martin Luther King County Labor Council. The Central Labor Council did send us a letter, which I appreciate, and I just wanted to flag that. If we're not going to take vote on it today, I appreciate the delay, but I wanted to flag that for members of our committee as well.

Thank you very much. With that, Clerk Hay, will you please read the items into the record?

Thank you. Item 6 is Proclamation of May as Mental Health Awareness Month in King County and Proclamation of May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month in King County. Item 8 is proposed ordinance number 2026-0040 relating to the Department of Public Defense Standards for Indigent Defense. Item 9 is proposed ordinance number 2026-0113 relating to the withdrawal of approximately 67 acres of land from the Vashon Sewer District. item 14 is proposed motion number 2025-0252 acknowledging receipt of the summary letter and completion of the online annual reporting requirement for the crisis care center's levy and item 15 is proposed motion number 2026-0064 confirming the executive's appointment of sabrina perry who resides in council district 4 to the behavioral health advisory board as a representative who has lived experience with one or more behavioral health conditions

Thank you. That was a pause for effect. So at this point, thank you very much for the reading items into public record. We will now take public comment on those ordinances, motions, proclamations, and recognitions on today's agenda for action. along with comments on any topics directly related to county business. Listening to the public and taking into consideration the public's thoughts is an important part of our process and one that enhances our deliberation. In order to allow everyone equal time to provide comment, I'd like to set the following ground rules. We have about 50 people that have signed up for comment, so we're going to limit it to a minute and a half each instead of two minutes. Please remain seated until your time for public comment and do not make audible noise during the meeting. It's also a reminder that public comment may not be used for the purpose of assisting a campaign for election of any person to any office or for the promotion of or opposition to any ballot proposition. Per Council Rule Number 10, disruptive behavior can or may lead to the commenter being muted or asked to leave the meeting Disruptive behavior includes those already mentioned as well as holding signs at the podium or that obstruct the free passage or view of others attending the meeting and any bullhorns or noisemakers. For online comment press star 9 on the phone or click the raise hand icon on the zoom bar located at the bottom of the screen to notify the clerk. The clerk will call the names or the last three digits of the phone numbers in order and will then unmute each line. At the end of each comment, the clerk will lower the hand. With that, Clerk Foss, please begin by calling the names here in person, followed by those hands raised online for public comment.

Thank you, Chair Perry. The first three names are Billy Hetherington, Andrea Ornelas, Mark Rosenberger,

yep got it got it uh good afternoon chair and council members um first i wanted to go into uh it makes my heart feel full that three of the folks and people that you recognize here mary's place the garage and the federal i'm sorry to do this to you but we're going to start over mr um zimmerman please lower your sign so the people behind you can see thank you go right ahead billy Thank you, Chair. It just makes my heart feel full that three of the folks, organizations, and the people that you recognized earlier, Mary's Place, The Garage, and the Federal Way Pre-Apprenticeship Program, Andrea, myself, and all the members of 242 work with those programs. And Councilmember Balducci, thank you for your work with Interlake too as well. I want to just talk about something else today. I want to thank the council for their leadership you showed in passing the battery energy storage system framework in 2024 and for continuing to move forward this conversation in a responsible way. Battery energy storage is not just about meeting climate goals on paper, it's about building a more reliable, resilient, and modern energy system for the future of King County. Best infrastructure gives us the ability to stabilize that system while creating a capacity needed for future expansion with federal and state investments become available. I found some stats that were pretty alarming. Right now Washington is falling really behind in this. California and Texas both have about 15,000 megawatts of online capacity right now. Washington State has four megawatts. Our neighboring states of Oregon and Idaho are both in the top ten nationally. We are at or near the bottom as a state in Washington in this. Texas, as you recall, had about 15 to 20% rolling blackouts some years back with their battery energy storage. They've reduced that to less than 1% since a lot of that coming online. These systems help minimize disruptions like I spoke about. stabilize long-term energy costs, support climate commitments, and send a message that King County is serious about attracting private investment and innovation to our region. Most importantly, this council has worked to build a safe, thoughtful, and responsible framework around this infrastructure instead of ignoring the issue and falling further behind. So thank you for all your work you've done on this, and that's all I got.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, council and chair. Thank you for allowing us to speak today. My name is Andrea Nellis and I strongly support the battery energy storage system in King County under the thoughtful framework that was passed in 2024. As a mother of five kids, reliable power and clean air are not only political talking points to me, but they directly impact my family and our daily lives. We saw this firsthand during the storms, vulnerable our communities are when the power goes out. Thousands of families were left without electricity for days. Battery energy storage helps keep the grid stable, responds to those outages within seconds, and helps protect families during extreme weather events that are becoming more common. I also support this because it creates union construction jobs, supports local businesses, and brings revenue into our communities. The framework King County already passed was carefully developed with community input and strong safety standards. These systems are heavily regulated, including fire suppression and cooling systems, and require coordination with local fire department before going online. Battery storage is also critical if we're serious about meeting our climate goals. It allows us to store clean energy sources like wind, solar, so it can be used when demand is at the highest, reducing reliance on dirty fossil fuel, and helping create cleaner air for our children. As a parent, a union member, and community advocate, I believe battery energy storage is a part of building a safer, more resilient future for King County families. Thank you for continuing this work.

Thank you Andrea.

Good afternoon King County council members. My name is Mark Rosenberger. This is the third time I've been here speaking in front of you as a member of the Remington Homeowners Association Preserve Drew's Glen Committee, which is located in unincorporated King County. Today I want to provide you a brief update and to Kenny to ask for your support to preserve Drew's Glen Golf Course as an ecosystem benefit to the residents of King County. Since the last time I've spoken to you, our group has met with the city councils of Black Diamond, Maple Valley, and Covington. All those that were in attendance applauded our effort in making an attempt to preserve an open parcel of green space for all the residents of King County. In addition to the city councils, we've also spoken at commissioners meetings for the Mountain View Fire and Rescue, as well as Covington Water District, both of which are suppliers to the local region. In the month of June, we're planning a community meeting in which we will invite the city councils, surrounding agencies, as well as all the HOAs in the area to try to strengthen and unify our efforts to preserve this ecosystem benefit that the golf course provides for residents of King County. In summary, I'd like to once again ask for your support to fully assess the environmental impact that eliminating an existing parcel of open public eco-friendly green space will have to all of King County residents. Thank you once again for allowing me to bring this to your attention.

Thank you.

The next three names are Joe Kunzler, Yagen Nemani, and Jessica Ivey.

Thank you.

Hi, is this on? Thank you, Madam Chair. Joe Consler here. I think you kind of know what I'm here about. I want to thank you first for the Jewish American Heritage Month Proclamation. It was very much appreciated and very timely considering recent events, both in this chamber and around our region. I don't think I need to give this council a recent history lesson. But I also want to ask at this council, adopt rules to exclude people who repeatedly maliciously violate them, like on signs. That's why my point of order earlier, because without speaking for anyone, I'd like to bring the message of someone who I happen to look up to, who happens to be Jewish, but is a badass mama in Vanessa Kritzer, who doesn't know I'm doing this. Oops. Well, I got an ad I got to deal with. YouTube is so crazy these days. They like to monetize everything.

I just want to state for the record that some of the phrases used by Mr. Zimmerman are not welcome in this city. We are a hate-free zone. And we believe that never again means never again.

And you know what? She made rules in Redmond that stuck and got Zimmerman excluded for two six-month periods already. I think we can do the same thing here. And there's also these exclusions from the city of Bellevue. It can be done. Thank you for your public service. I'll take my seat.

Thank you, Mr. Councillor. Would you please share those items with our clerk? Hey, Jake, and go right ahead.

Perfect. Thank you, council members. Thanks for giving me an opportunity. I'm Jagan Nemani, Chief Product Officer of Seattle Orcas, our professional cricket team. First of all, I would like to thank the council, the executive's office, DNRP, and the parks for providing us amazing parks that we enjoy. Thanks for doing all of that. I'm here not only to talk about Seattle Orcas, but also represent the broader cricket community, if you will. The cricket community has been growing rapidly. We have a lot more youth programs in the county right now. A lot more teams get added to the adult leagues. A lot of women cricket players out there, even under 19 girls are playing cricket quite a bit. The growth has not been supported by the infrastructure to support that growth. And Cricket Community Park that we are discussing with all of you is one such project that solves this problem. With the Cricket Community Park, the youth will have the space to play and kind of live their dream of becoming a professional cricketer. They will have other opportunities to kind of explore along with the communities have the opportunities to explore this space. We recently did an online petition and we had about 1,624 people sign up the petition. And we had 14 organizations representing more than 6,000 members signed to the petition. And there are thousands of others who are supporting this particular initiative of Cricket Committee Park. So thanks for your leadership and really hope to kind of get this done with your support. One last thing, I've been to many of these meetings, I always take my car and stress out about parking. Today I took the train, thanks for that.

Excellent, Mr. Namani, thank you.

Good afternoon, council members. My name is Jessica Ivy and I'm the director of marketing for the Seattle Orcas. First of all, thank you for your leadership and the work you do supporting green spaces and throughout King County. I'd like to speak today as a former athlete, longtime champion for equity in women and girls sports, and also as a mom from the perspective of families. and community impact in advocating for more access to sports programming and opportunities for our youth. Sports facilities are much more than places where games happen. Parents meet there, children build friendships there, communities connect there. I've seen firsthand how cricket brings people together from many different cultures and backgrounds and generations. The proposed Cricket Community Park would give those communities a place for connection and a venue for youth events, school programs, and community activities. Seattle Orcas are also working to grow the women's side of the game through our women's T20 initiative here in King County. This has the potential to become the first major competitive women's tournament of its kind in the United States. And that would be an historic milestone. the impact would extend beyond the event itself, inspiring young athletes, increasing participation, and creating opportunities for women and girls for years to come. In 2028, cricket will debut at the LA Olympics, bringing with it visibility and representation by female cricket athletes on a global stage. Having a dedicated facility creates the foundation not only for today's players, but also for the girls and women inspired to participate and compete in the future. Thank you.

Thank you, Jessica.

Chair, a point of personal privilege. Council Member Demboski. Thank you. I thought, given the Council's extensive involvement in recent years, thanks to, in large part, Council Member von Reitbauer's leadership, it would be appropriate to acknowledge and express our condolences on the recent passing of the Orca's founder and co-owner, Soma. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Demboski. Appreciate that very much. Next three names, please.

Rayan Taj, Shadley Van Skokjak, Sean Carey.

Good afternoon, council members. Thank you for allowing me to speak today. My name is Rayan Taj, and I've had the opportunity to represent the United States in the Under 19 Cricket World Cup. Today I wanted to share what this project means to me as a young player in the King County. When kids have places to play, they spend more time outdoors, they make friends, they learn about teamwork, and they stay passionate about sports. Personally, cricket has given me so many opportunities that I would have never imagined. It's helped me grow not only as a player, but also as a person. Cricket has given me lifelong friendships and strong bonds with my teammates. We support each other, we push each other to improve, and we always have each other's backs. I wouldn't have any of these relationships without cricket. But many young players still struggle to find enough places to train and compete. The Cricket Community Park would help change that. It would give young athletes a place to improve, learn, and the ability to dream big. I hope future players from King County can grow up playing there and one day represent the United States as well. For many of us, it simply just starts with having a place to play. Thank you for supporting the youth and investing in future generations.

Thank you, Ram.

Thank you for your service and supporting the recreation and community development across King County. I want to speak today from the perspective of an athlete. International players aren't and do not appear overnight. Every player starts somewhere. It starts with local fields, local leagues, community, and coaches who support them. Facilities really do matter to us. They influence participation, they influence development, they also influence dreams. I grew up in South Africa where I had access to many of these facilities to help shape my international career along with fellow teammates. The one thing that we find when I work in Seattle with the youth is that we do not have access to the same facilities. These players are far more talented than I ever was, that I've ever dreamed to be. And I think a cricket community park gives young players the opportunity to do that. Cricket in the United States is growing very quickly. And King County has opportunity to help lead that growth. This project is not only about today's players. It's about creating the next generation of athletes. Thank you for supporting the projects and investing in the youth. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Shadley.

Good afternoon Council Members. My name is Sean Carey and I serve as the Chief Executive Officer for the Seattle Orcas and I round out the presenters today. As a very new resident of King County, I've been blown away by the beauty and accessibility of your public parks, your recreation facilities, your paths and your trails and I just want to thank you for your continued support in these endeavours. I also want to recognise the effort and collaboration that goes into a project like this one. The Cricket Community Park represents an opportunity to create something truly special for King County. This is much more than a sports venue. It's a community asset. It creates a permanent home for local cricket while also creating opportunities for our youth, the development, the community events and for future growth of the sport. The Seattle Orcas represent this region in Major League Cricket. and our vision is to build that future here in King County. The project creates a pathway where a child can begin playing community cricket, progress through local leagues and one day watch or even play professional cricket in their own community, in their own backyard. You can bring tournaments, visitors, economic activity and long-term regional value to King County. As a team, we currently travel to Dallas, to San Francisco and now to Los Angeles to play our matches. And our fans travel with us. Last year, 48% of our attendees went to San Francisco games. We'd like to bring that here to King County.

Thank you very much, Sean. Thank you.

The next three names, Travis Grizzle, Danielle Wallace, Arathi Hatter,

Council members, my name is Travis Grizzell. I'm a Snoqualmie Ridge resident. I'm not here today to oppose clean energy. I'm a huge supporter of clean energy. I'm here to defend the public trust clean energy needs to be successful. Last week, Garden Grove put a warning before us. 50,000 people were ordered from their homes after an industrial tank threatened catastrophic failure near neighborhoods. They had a warning. Snoqualmie may not. Cascadia Ridge puts industrial scale batteries near homes, schools, parks, wetlands, and tight roads because the interconnection is convenient, enabling higher profits for the developer. That is not clean energy leadership. That is bad sitting dressed up as progress. I'm a technologist by trait. I'm pro-technology, and I'm pro-battery. But after 20 years in corporate America, I know that companies can build great things and still follow their own incentives, causing the public harm. Just look at social media. You were elected to counter those incentives. We need batteries in our clean energy future, but not where failure puts children and neighborhoods at risk. Don't put Snoqualmie in the same headlines as Garden Grove and Moss Landing. You have authority here. Please use it. Please pass an emergency best moratorium in King County. Thank you.

Thank you, Travis.

Good afternoon, council members. My name is Danielle Wallace and I'm the president of Snoqualmie Valley for Responsible Energy, a recently formed nonprofit. Across King County, we're seeing a growing number of cities, Covington, Black Diamond, Enumclaw, Maple Valley, Auburn, Renton, North Bend, Carnation, Snoqualmie. Nearly a quarter of all cities in this county have either previously passed or maintaining or are currently considering moratoria on battery energy storage systems or BESS. This is not noise, it is signal. It reflects a shared concern that a faulty assumption is being made that the only viable path to clean energy storage and grid resilience is citing industrial scale bests in the heart of residential communities. Spoiler alert, it's not. And the longer we leave communities to go it alone on these issues, the longer we delay achieving true clean energy goals in service of our people. King County Council, as a working mother speaking on behalf of many working mothers that cannot be here today, I ask you to pass an emergency temporary moratorium on BESS, a.k.a. a prudent pause, to make sure that we can do the proper study and necessary community engagement that is clearly lacking to achieve our clean energy goals together. I'll leave it to my Snoqualmie Valley neighbors to take it from here.

Thank you, Danielle.

Go right ahead. Good afternoon, council members. My name is Artie Hatter, and I live in the Snoqualmie Valley with my family.

Artie, could you move the microphone down to your mouth, maybe closer?

Okay. Thank you.

We can start your time over.

Thank you.

Can you hear me now? Yeah. Great. My name is Artie Hatter, and I live in the Snoqualmie Valley with my family, including my middle school daughter, Maya, who's here with me today. I'd like to state some verifiable facts I've learned in researching industrial scale baths. I've learned that the electrical grid averages 95% efficiency. This lets Washington state sell millions of megawatt hours of energy in an average year to other states and Canada. Washington state is already the fourth largest exporter of electricity in the United States. We also learned that transmission lines are the high voltage superhighways that carry Washington electricity across the continent. Many of these transmission lines carry power generated by Snoqualmie Falls and other Washington hydroelectric facilities into Canada and California. Additionally, we learned that distribution lines and the lower voltage are the lower voltage local roads carrying that power to our homes. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. The next three names are Jana Drepush, James Hiatala, and Melody Correa. I hate to see these.

Hello, council members. My name is Jana Drypush, and I'm also a member of the Snoqualmie Valley community. To translate the high voltage from transmission lines to those lower voltage distribution lines, our grid uses substations. There are three main kinds of substations, distribution, transmission, and switching substations. We're going to focus on the distribution substations because the mount size substation in Snoqualmie Valley is a distribution substation. As we've learned, a distribution substation is the kind of substation that translates high voltage carried on transmission lines into lower voltage for distribution to homes, schools, and small businesses. Distribution substations, like those in Snoqualmie Valley, are near homes to convert Puget Sound Energy's 115 kilovolt voltage on transmission lines to 12 kilovolts on distribution lines that our homes can use. Thank you.

My name is James Hytal and I live in the Snoqualmie Valley. The sitting principle for distribution substations is to place them close to the homes that need the lower voltage distribution lines. No distribution substations in Snoqualmie Valley, not in Covington, not in Black Diamond, and not in Newman Claw considered battery energy storage systems when they were built. Those sites were chosen to translate high-voltage transmission lines into lower voltage for community use in the community. Community use is fundamentally different from use by an industrial-scale BESS. Industrial-scale BESS facilities work best when they connect to the grid near transmission lines. Nothing about an industrial-scale BESS energy storage requires it to be built among homes and schools and watersheds. Thank you.

Thank you, Jameson. Hi, I'm Melody Correa from Snoqualmie Valley as well. Perhaps to avoid safety and monetary questions that arise from building a substation tailored for an industrial scale bus, for-profit utility companies like Puget Sound Energy and its battery builders want to put industrial bus by existing substations. That isn't to help the homes, schools, farms, and small businesses that distribution substations were built for. That isn't to help the efficiency of a grid that's already successfully transmitting 95% of generated power. For profit companies like PSE and battery builders want to build industrial scale best near existing distribution substations to save themselves money. and increase their profits. Our children, our homes, our watersheds, our environment, and our lives do not factor into Puget Sound Energy's profit calculations or Battery Builder's profit models. Our neighborhood substations shouldn't either. Thank you. Thank you, Melody.

The next three names are Whitney Schrader, Vera Volk, and John Schrader.

Hello, I'm Whitney Schrader and I live in Sokomi Valley. Only the for-profit utility companies and battery builders profit, benefit from putting a vest near a neighborhood distribution substation. PSE's profit shouldn't matter more than human lives or wildlife habitat or salmon streams. Because BEST can be efficient for our grid near transmission lines, we are free to choose where BEST belong. That freedom lets our community think about where BEST belong in a way that reflects our values. When considering where to build BEST, let's first strive to do no harm. No harm to people through risk or fear, chemical emissions or water diversion or water pollution. No harm to the forests, marshes, rivers, waterfalls, and winds that give us energy and peace. And no harm to the salmon, elk, and other creatures whom we share this land. Thank you. Thank you.

My name is Vera Volk and I live in Snoqualmie Valley. When we consider doing no harm, we should consider how we site baths. We should give people who live near a proposed bath the chance to make decisions. Minnesota requires development for any bath over 10 megawatts to go through state seating laws. Those laws require BAS developers to send their draft application materials to the local government surrounding a potential site at least 30 days before the developer may submit an application. Massachusetts requires that application work with local governments and community groups before submitting an application. In Massachusetts, applicants are encouraged to enter a legally binding community benefits agreement with nearby local governments, property owners, tribal governments, and community groups, and must at least have a satisfactory community benefits plan with interested stakeholders. Thank you.

Hello, my name is John Schroeder. I also live in the Snoqualmie Valley. Even with Massachusetts requirements for community participation, in 2025 their legislators proposed three bills to enhance safety around best siting. One House bill would impose an 18-month moratorium on lithium-ion batteries while safety enhancements are considered. One House bill would impose a 2,000-foot setback from populated areas and a 3,000-foot setback from wetlands and conservation areas. impose ongoing environmental monitoring, and enhance safety practices. One House bill and a companion Senate bill would let local governments impose stricter siting and safety standards than those imposed by the Commonwealth and override state siting decisions. We all want best siting to reflect our values, safety for people, wildlife, plants, and watersheds. We and our environment do not need to be sacrificed for an energy company's profit or a battery builder's convenience. Simply being behind in best capacity versus our neighboring states is not an invitation for recklessness. Any thoughtful nature of the legislations that have been put forth to date is not being contested here. It's simply saying if we don't believe that it has gone far enough to protect our residents, then immediate action is required. And I ask this council to take that seriously. Thank you. Thank you, John.

Joe Hannon, Nikki Bragg, Tonya Coburn.

Good afternoon. My name's Joe Hannon, and I also live in the Snoqualmie Valley. We can choose not to pollute our air and streams. When we consider the Clean Air Transformation Act, we should consider the impact of the material used to store green energy. Chemicals like lithium poison the environment from their extraction through toxic plumes during the spontaneous combustion of thermal runways to decommissioning. Used lithium ion batteries are shredded in a containment facility to create a chemical sludge the EPA refers to as black mass. Experiments have yet to find a way to separate out, recycle, and reuse lithium from that black mass that meets the United States environmental standards.

Thank you, Jeff.

Good afternoon, council members. My name is Nikki Bragg. I also live in Snoqualmie Valley. PSC and Jupiter Power proposed putting lithium ion batteries that store up to 520 megawatt hours of electricity next to our homes, minus 400 yards from that. Jupiter Power included a graph from Electric Power Research Institute, the EPRI, in its application, but didn't include EPRI's underlying data. In EPRI's 2024 paper, EPRI states that its data is incomplete because governments don't require lithium-ion battery failures to be reported and companies aren't willing to self-report. Using EPRI's data, PSE's proposed Jupiter power best has more than a 10% chance of failure in five years. That failure risk increases to 21% over 10 years. And over 20 years, that PSE intends to run the best in our valley. The failure risk is 37%. Thank you. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Tanya Coburn. I live in Snoqualmie Valley as well. And a 37% failure risk underestimates the risk of Jupiter Power's proposed best. In March, the National Institute of Standards and Technology stated that lithium ion battery fires are substantially underestimated in current reporting. That's two reputable sources for one scary fact. We don't know enough about industrial lithium-ion batteries to make them safe enough to nestle amidst our homes. A 37% chance of huge chemical fires emitting hydrogen, fluoride, and other chemicals toxic to life is already too high. When we choose where best belong, we should understand these risks and prioritize doing no harm. Thank you.

Thank you, Tonya.

Mia Sandeep, Sue Virgo, Hannah Prahl.

Hi, my name is Mia Sandeep, and I'm a middle school student from Snoqualmie Valley. And I'm taking time away from school to make sure my classmates' voices are heard. I've also heard about the underreporting of lithium ion fires. I have learned that from an electricity perspective, nothing requires best to be built near a historic substation. From an electricity perspective, if a substation with the right kinds of connections is built with BESS, BESS can be sited near any transmission lines. That means that those underreported risks Tonya described shouldn't be imposed on anyone's home or watershed. We have the choice about where BESS is placed to support our electrical grid. Washington has considered how to transmission emissions, intensive and trade exposed businesses to better protect our environment. Our state knows that not all technology belongs in all places. We're comfortable with assessing risks from new technology, and we know that even promising technology needs to be put in the right place to work.

Thank you, Mia.

Hi, my name is Sue Vergau and I live in Snoqualmie Valley and I'm a proud Washingtonian my whole life. In Washington, we assess technology and its potential use cases so that the technology and the people around it can both succeed. Putting an industrial lithium ion vest likely to spontaneous combust amid homes, schools, watersheds, doesn't do us or BESS any favors. BESS technology needs time to mature before it's ready to be a good neighbor. Washington has over 7,800 miles of transmission lines carrying electricity. Those miles of transmission lines let us choose where to site an industrial BESS so that it can work through its safety proof of concepts an emissions intensive exploratory technology like an industrial best needs space away from communities and watersheds for those experimental fires we expect from nascent technology thank you thank you sue

Hello, everyone. My name is Hannah Prawl, and I live in the Snoqualmie Valley as well. And we need to find sites for BESS to become safer technologies. A BESS can go anywhere a transmission line does. Where might a BESS go to give it the space spontaneous combustion deserves? When a lithium ion battery burns, it releases hydrogen fluoride. It amounts between 20 and 200 milligrams per watt hour of best capacity. As a Snoqualmie resident and a woman in STEM, I did the math. PSE's proposed 520 megawatt hour lithium ion best could release between 10.4 million and 104 million grams of hydrogen fluoride when it burns. Not milligrams, grams. Thank you.

Thank you, Henry.

Anna Lynn Greer, Amanda Wright, Jim Chesfault,

Hello, my name is Anna Lynn Greer. I live in King County and I grew up in Snoqualmie Valley. 10,400,000 grams of hydrogen fluoride is like an entire full size school bus. 104 million grams would be like 11 school buses made of hydrogen fluoride. For adults wearing personal protective equipment, OSHA restricts hydrogen fluoride exposures to three parts per million averaged over eight hours. We don't typically wear personal protective equipment around Snoqualmie Valley and the wildlife doesn't either. Puget Sound Energy contracted with Jupiter Power for a lithium ion BESS. PSE didn't ask Snoqualmie Valley if we were prepared for the risk of a BESS. Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, council members. My name is Amanda Wright, and I as well am a Snoqualmie Valley resident. And PSC also hasn't asked King County residents if we are prepared to take on the risks of a BESS facility cited by our homes. This is true in Snoqualmie Valley, and it's true across the county. During Covington's Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, PSC's representative responded to a question about safety by telling commissioners that PSC deferred to agency standards for BESS. When Covington planning commissioners asked about those standards, observing that they are continually updated as more best failures occur and more causes of best failures are identified, the PSU representative disclaimed knowledge and responsibility. PSE sought approval for building best between one and five megawatts in size throughout Covington without engaging in a comprehensive safety review or understanding the risks of the best facility building request PSE is making. Thank you.

Thank you, Amanda.

Hello. My name is Jim Chesfold. I live in Snoqualmie. I joined King County residents in asking you to require community agreement in writing before permitting a BESS builder or for-profit PSE to apply to build a BESS within five miles from our homes, schools, or watersheds. When lithium-ion best facility burned in Moss Landing, residents within eight square miles were evacuated. Here in Washington, we explore technologies and we learn from mistakes. We understand that the electric grid has average 95% efficiency and that some chemicals spontaneously combust. Please update county laws to give residents a chance to decide whether an industrial best belongs in our watershed or close enough to our homes to force us to evacuate. Utilities and battery builders should work with us like utilities and developers in Minnesota and Massachusetts do before applying to build best facilities.

Thank you. Georgia North, Shelly Smith, Nivi Tanwar.

Good afternoon, council members. My name is Georgia North. I live in Snoqualmie, and I join my King County neighbors in asking King County to update its laws about best siting decisions. Agreement from residents and tribal governments within five miles of a proposed best facility site should be required to apply to build a best facility. Communities and tribal governments should also be permitted to impose more stringent safety requirements through their usual governance. In Washington, we set floors on safety for one another, not ceilings. If a watershed is particularly vulnerable, if a valley cannot be evacuated quickly, if an area is prone to flooding, people who live nearby know it. Those people should be permitted to impose higher safety standards for building an industrial best facility in their area. We as a broader county should set a floor that is community first, not developer first. In addition to requiring local site specific supplementation to necessary standards by those who know the area best. Thank you. Thank you, George.

The President.

Hi there, my name is Shelly Smith and I too live in Snoqualmie. Along with the community and tribal government consent before a battery builder can file for a building permit and the right of the local governments to impose higher safety standards on best facilities, we should explicitly set safety standards that require at least two evacuation routes for each resident within the evacuation zone of a best facility. Those evacuation routes should be required to be accessible year round without bridges or roads subject to annual flooding or closures due to landslides or avalanches. King County's waterways and mountains make it beautiful, but also means some of our roads are impassable for parts of the year. Those evacuation route requirements should be part of the floor we set for siting a best facility. No one should be stranded by flooding. Unable to flee a toxic plume of best facilities thermal runway. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Council. My name is Nivi. I live in Snoqualmie, and I'm here to ask enhancing King County's best siting requirements. King County should explicitly require that before a battery builder apply for building a best facility, it must obtain a water right license from Washington Department of Ecology for the water that will be required to slow a thermal runway. Snoqualmie used 1.5 million gallons of water per day on an average in 2017. A Tesla semi-truck battery is less than 1,500 the size of Jupiter Power's proposed best facility in Snoqualmie. When a Tesla semi-truck accident in Nevada required 50,000 gallons of water and was still too hot to move for 12 hours. We can extrapolate that the industrial best blaze could take up to 25 million gallons of water. That's 25 times as much water as our entire city uses in a day, and water is already scarce. Thank you. Thank you, Nivi.

David North, Rashree Jaajah, Theresa Bechtold.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the council. This wonderful country in 1978 allowed me to go through the immigration process and my home has been King County ever since. I live in Snoqualmie and I'd like to continue on the thought from my predecessor about builders. We would like for you to explicitly require that before a battery builder may apply to build a BESS facility within King County, the battery builder must obtain a license from the Washington Department of Ecology, specifically addressing the treatment of toxic runoff created by the millions of gallons of water that would be required to slow the thermal runway or prevent a fire's spread. At least that builder should be required to obtain a conditional no exposure exemption should be required for best facilities. As you probably are aware, under current state Washington state law, industrial firefighting requires a minimum flow of 1,000 gallons per minute for an hour, 60 minutes. So do the math. That's 60,000 gallons of polluted water. The Beth facility that we're aware of that is proposed is a 520 megawatt hour lithium facility that would require millions of gallons more to contain. And as we understand it, the resources to manage that would fall on our friends and neighbors in Issaquah Firefighters Group to manage that.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

Hi, good afternoon council members. This is my third time and I'm also the resident of Snoqualmie Valley, which includes city of Snoqualmie, North Bend, Covington, Auburn, Black Diamond, and Clough. For profit making, you get sound energy and it's battery builders. They didn't ask if we're willing to accept the risk of mess by our homes. Please, please, please revise King County's laws so that our communities can impose higher safety standards to require multiple evacuation routes for every residence within the evacuation zones of PESP facilities and to require water planning and community consent before battery builders apply for a permit. From the cradle to grave, clean energy should not do harm. We shouldn't be forced to sacrifice one aspect of our health and our environment for another. We understand that technology is in the wrong place, doesn't work, and that the right technology in the right place keeps us moving forward. Please consider a temporary moratorium, a much-needed pause on best facilities and siting and related permits while we enhance King County's regulation. Thank you. Thank you, Rashmi.

Thank you King County Council for hearing us. My name is Teresa Bechtold and I live in Snoqualmie and I volunteer for SVRE. Industrial battery energy storage works efficiently near transmission lines and doesn't require use of neighborhood distribution substations. Washington's grid operates at 95 percent efficiency and our grid doesn't require best facilities near homes and watersheds. Industrial lithium ion best facilities like the one proposed for Snoqualmie Valley carry a 37% failure rate over 20 years, emit up to 104 million grams of hydrogen fluoride per fire, potentially demand 25 million gallons of water during one blaze, and cause toxic runoff requiring remediation. Please enhance BESS siting regulations by requiring nearby written community and tribal consent and ecology issued water rights and runoff treatment licensing before any permit application may be filed for a BESS in King County. Please authorize communities to impose stricter safety standards reflecting the situation in which they actually live, and mandate year-round dual evacuation routes for all residents within a BESS evacuation zone. Please also consider a moratorium on BESS permitting while you do this important work enhancing our county's regulations. Thank you. Thank you, Teresa.

Denise Brandt, Alex Zimmerman, Zach Pinier,

Good afternoon. My name is Denise Brandt, and I live in the Snoqualmie Valley. I'm here to ask the King County Council to consider what is being permanently traded away.

I'm sorry, Denise. We'll start your time over. Mr. Zimmerman, if you're standing with your sign, would you please stand against the door so the people behind you can see?

No problem.

Thank you very much. Denise, go right ahead. Let's start our time again, please.

Okay. I'm Denise Brandt. I'm from the Snoqualmie Valley. And I'm here to ask the King County Council to consider what is being permanently traded away for the Cascadia Ridge Best Project. 1,400. That's the number of trees identified in Jupiter's Power's own materials as needing to be removed. That is not an abstract number. It is habitat, carbon storage, and watershed protection being cleared at scale. $725,000, the amount of funds approved through the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum 2026 CWM grant program for riparian and restoration projects across this region, many of which focus on restoring native forest. And that number represents only a portion of total grants requested. 20, the number of acres of new impervious surface that would fundamentally alter the wetlands, fish bearing streams, forest cover, and increase heat and flood stress in a valley still recovering from the 2025 floods. Flood recovery has been already exceeding 53 million through the Washington Flood Control District. So the question is simple. How is this the highest and best use of this land? Please pass an emergency moratorium on industrial scale best in King County. We clearly need to take more time to be making the right sitting decisions for these facilities.

Thank you. Denise, would you wait there for a moment? Uh-huh. Thank you. I appreciate your comments. Okay.

Hi. I am Alex Zimmerman. You know this? Good. So I lived with Consul Balducci in Bellevue for 40 years. Experience? Nightmare. She more aggressive anti-Semite, Nazi, fascist, bandita. What is I know? And I give you couple example. This not about something so I talking. This about something what is cost money. Five times she trespassed me from some transit board because I talk about $36 billion. What did you steal from people? Yeah? Nice. Super. It's number one. Number two, about Jew. Yes. For a year, what, as I live here, I cannot find a Jew. No, we don't have Jew. Jew is people who accept different opinion. We don't have this. Ever heard this guy come and talking. He never talking about Israel. He never talking about problem. What is you 15 million Jews in this planet have? She very nice. And I know experience with them for 40 years from my first class action. what has happened more than 30 years ago. My opinion about you guys, very simple, you ordinary bandita. You are mafia, you know? Aggressively mafia, what is controlled two and a half million people, makes this totally zombie. It's talking about same. Viva Trump, viva new American revolution, stand up, slaving, happy copper. Stop stealing us money, billion and billion.

Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman. Thank you very much. Next, please.

next three names oh sorry about that go right ahead thank you very much my name is zach pinard i'm a king county resident speaking on behalf of clean and prosperous in strong support of the 2024 best ordinance This ordinance, as is, is an excellent response from King County to our state being ranked dead last in the nation for building clean energy. It was passed after extensive public input and technical review and allows for the responsible construction of desperately needed grid reliability assets. We recently returned from a study mission to Texas, where we saw a grid-scale best facility seamlessly integrated into a residential community in Houston. From September 2020 through September 2024, Texas's total operational capacity of utility-scale batteries increased by more than 4,100 percent. Despite that mind-boggling increase in utility scale BESS, Texas has not experienced a BESS fire, despite having more than 100 facilities, according to Environment America. Additionally, that area is prone to hurricanes and cold snaps that can cause major disruptions to the grid. But now, in the event of a power outage, that BESS facility will be providing the City of Houston with much-needed backup power to keep the lights on and ensure that residents don't freeze in their homes. King County residents prone to bomb cyclones like the one in 2024 that left 650,000 of us without power deserve the same reliability. So thank you again for passing this ordinance. Reopening it would risk delaying the grid reliability and the clean energy economy that we cannot afford to wait for.

Thank you, Zach. Mark Vassler, Howard Steele, Nathan Hatch.

Good afternoon, council members. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you this afternoon and support a better energy storage. My name is Mark Wassler. I've practiced medicine and lived in King County for 25 years and am immediate past president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility. As a physician, I routinely had to assess the risks and the benefits of a treatment that I considered prescribing. No surgeries without risk, no medication without side effects, but if the treatment could cure a serious disease with low risk of harm, I would recommend it. Our continued use of fossil fuels is a serious disease. The WHO estimates 7 million people die annually as a result of air pollution, with 100,000 in... the United States. Climate change is harming our health via extreme weather events, wildfires, spread of insect-borne diseases. These impacts will continue to worsen, including right here in King County, if we fail to supply our society's needs with clean sources of energy. BEST is necessary for the clean energy transition. It facilitates the use of variable sources of generation. And as deployments go up, the fire risk that has been talked about extensively here goes down. They're actually decreasing rapidly as we deploy more, as we learn more how to build these systems properly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mark.

Good afternoon, Council Members, Council Member Fain. I'm Howard Steele, I'm a fifth generation resident of Council District 5. And I submitted a statement to each of your offices through the clerk. I'm here in support of the council's own reportedly robust 2024 ordinance that guides the siting of facilities like battery energy storage systems. I don't think I have to understand that. Chairman Perry was around when that happened, right? And presumably it's a careful, fair, safe, all-inclusive framework that you're proud of. So I'm here in support of having a consistent framework so that development of a robust energy system that will prevent brownouts in each of your districts and neighborhoods that will affect the very people that we heard from this morning. is crucial right okay and so follow your own ordinance be a good example but also i hope that you're paying attention to the permitting reform efforts in the congress because national permitting reform is necessary before you're going to be able to do much of anything thank you very much

Hello council members. My name is Nathan Hatch. I'm here as a volunteer and I'm also here in support of the existing 2024 battery energy storage system framework. So first of all, thank you council members for your work designing and passing that policy. Like many who have spoken today, I'm deeply worried about the future generations of children in King County. We need to maintain their safety at school, but we also need to protect their future by phasing out fossil fuels and reducing atmospheric pollution. I think almost everyone who spoke today agrees we need to build battery storage somewhere. The question is where? We also all agree that wherever it goes, it needs to be safe. No matter where a lithium ion fire happens, there has to be some facilities nearby to help extinguish and control that fire. Putting it near an existing substation helps with the blackouts that previously were mentioned. The closer it is to communities, the less likely it is that a transmission line in between will get knocked over by a windstorm. And also makes it closer to the firefighting departments that are required under state law to work with site developers to come up with a safety plan for the battery energy storage system site. If a developer fails to adhere to this requirement, then by all means, they don't deserve a permit. But let that be decided during the permitting process already laid out. What we have is good. Thank you again. And for the sake of future generations, let's keep it.

Thank you very much. Michael Truag, Roderick Jefferson, Yvette Dinesh.

Hello, good afternoon. I'm Michael Troga. I'm a dad. I live in West Seattle. Partially the reason I've come here today and never come is to listen to other people and their concerns, and I appreciate everyone who's spoken. If you're still around, I ski up in the, I go up through North Bend and ski up there, so I care about the forest. I'm a clean energy enthusiast. I actually just went to Washington, D.C. this month to advocate bipartisan for geothermal energy, so that's exciting in the east side of the mountains. We're going to need permitting reform. But battery storage, solar, wind have come down in price. They provide the solution to address to get us off fossil fuels. And I think I'll just leave one idea. There's a cost. When we talk about cost, there's a cost of doing nothing. not taking advantage of this cheap storage that stabilizes wind, solar, and supports geothermal, clean energy, viable sources means that we're going to have higher insurance, more forest fires, worse air. There's a cost of not doing nothing and giving off fossil fuels. So thank you all. I appreciate you and everyone else here, and thanks again.

Thank you, Michael. Right. Join us.

Welcome. Thank you, Chair and council members. My name is Roderick Jefferson. I'm a journeyman electrician for IBW Local 46. And I take great interest in the Battery in the Best initiative. I support it to being built. According to the US Census Bureau, from July 2024 to July 2025, the top 10 counties have growth numerically. Only one county was not based in Texas, Arizona, or North Carolina, and it's King County, number six. And clearly that illustrates we have a demand here for power. Our county, it's growing. We have a finite limited for infrastructure through the Western interconnection of power, which is the grid. King County is a part of the larger grid. And we can't rely on the federal government to put further investment to expand that so we can use that power. We need to have extra power somewhere for standard use and for, heaven forbid, an emergency. And we have partners here who are very smart, who can build that technology with proper labor standards and safety. And we can't have our society held hostage from advancement due to certain people who have certain properties out way far in the forest of natural land. You know, no one talks about the Snoqualmie hydroelectric plant that was built underground that's been there for over 100 years. I don't think they had a disaster in your recent memory. So clearly the labor and the engineering is there, and we can use that to have a safe, best system to meet the demands of our growing society. Thank you.

Thank you, brother. Hello, Miss Dinesh. What's his name, Rodney? Brother. That's a great name.

Good afternoon. And the proclamations, once again, was a delight to witness. A quick bio. My organization, the Color Girls Garden Club, distributes free food twice a week in my Rainier Beach community. And when I was asked recently how many people I feed, I stopped and did the math, and it's over 2,000 people. I had no idea. I know it's a full-time job. And I take it seriously. And recently, from one of my distribution partners, donated us some Girl Scout cookies. And so in a small token of appreciation for all you do, I brought you each your own box of Girl Scout cookies, and Gavin got his box as well. I'm glad you're enjoying them. And also last week, I attended the Skyway Town Hall with Executive Gurmay Zahilai, and one of the community members mentioned that the newly upcoming Skyway Community Center, which used to be the bowling alley, be named after Olajuwon Brown, a rising community leader who in 2010, getting off the bus, he was killed in an unprovoked murder at the age of 12. His parents are keeping him alive through the Olajuwon Brown Foundation. And so take a look at his Facebook page to see all that they do in the community. And if you could consider naming the community center after him, the Olajuwon Brown Community Center, it would very much be appreciated. Thank you for enjoying your cookies and see you next week.

Thank you, Ms. Dinesh, and thank you for your incredible community service.

Laura Robinette and Eddie Rye Jr.

Good afternoon. My name is Laura Robinette. I am a proud public defender and I'm the president of SEIU 925's public defense chapter. I'm here today on behalf of my union to urge you to vote in favor of proposed code amendments concerning the Department of Public Defense. The proposed amendments have come out of necessity. As the council knows, the current code language is unclear as to what standards govern public defense in King County. The proposed amendments were carefully crafted with the input of public defenders and appropriately balance the needs of our department with those of the county as a whole. Most importantly, these amendments recognize that public defense is a team sport. They codify what those of us practicing in this area of law already know. We cannot do it alone. Attorneys depend on the essential work of interpreters, legal assistants, paralegals, investigators, and social workers. Personally, I would be ineffective in both a practical and a legal sense without the work of these dedicated professionals. The proposed amendments have neither immediate nor projected fiscal impacts. Rather, these amendments provide essential guidance regarding the standards that govern our department. They thoughtfully codify best practices for public defense in King County's unique landscape. My colleagues and I represent constituents of every council member here. Thank you. I urge you to vote yes on all the proposed amendments. Thank you. Thank you very much, Laura.

Eddie. Is Eddie right, Junior? And Maya.

No. Go ahead to the next one.

Maya Hatter.

Hello, my name is Maya Hatter. I'm 13 years old and I go to the seventh grade in Snoqualmie Valley. King County and Jupiter Power are proposing the construction of lithium ion battery storage near Fisher Creek Park in our beautiful town. But we, the people of Snoqualmie, have not had as much say in this matter. Lithium ion batteries contain volatile electrolytes, which, when exposed to high temperatures or physical damage, can release flammable and highly toxic gases. This is according to calculations by the Snoqualmie Valley for Responsible Energy heard using failure data there is a nine to seventy percent chance of failure in a 30-year best lifetime and the fact that it ranges by that much is concerning in itself it is set to be built near fisher creek park a community filled with young children my friend he lives right next to where it's happening and him his family and his six-year-old little sister will not be able to evacuate in time it is simply impossible well Snoqualmie is for or environmental energy we want green energy but we do not want it at the cost of our safety and our children please impose more safety regulations thank you thank you maya senator anyone here who would like to speak that has not had a chance anyone in the room that hasn't had a chance anybody online that would like to speak that hasn't had a chance

Okay, we have two more. Go right ahead and call those numbers. The first name is Dan Murphy.

Good afternoon council members. My name is Dan Murphy. I live in Snoqualmie and I serve on the city council there, but today I speak to you as a dad, as a small business owner, and as an individual who proudly represents many of the very smart and very nice people you heard from today. Over the past three months, SVRE, Snoqualmie Valley for Responsible Energy, organized around the issue of responsible siting for battery energy storage systems and has set a new standard for community advocacy. They've knocked on over 4,500 doors, organized a peaceful march of over 650 people, filled council chambers like this one, and drafted comment letters to King County, PSC, and the UTC. They rolled up their sleeves and they did the work. And it's resonating. This month alone, North Bend, Snoqualmie, and Carnation have passed or are considering best moratoriums, joining several other King County communities who have done the same. These projects are being driven by out-of-state developers with private equity money, many with a long history of investing in fossil fuels, who are now looking for the path of least resistance in the energy transition. Supporting a green energy future and keeping large-scale lithium batteries away from homes, schools, and parks are not in conflict. You don't have to choose. But without stronger siting standards, industrial-scale facilities end up in the wrong locations, putting residents, our environment, and our businesses at genuine risk. Our community members are asking King County to pass a moratorium, not to stop progress, but to strengthen ordinance 19824 so that we get the siting right and pave the way for a green energy future our whole region can be proud of. Thank you.

Thank you. Katie Coleman.

Hi there, can you hear me? Yes, go right ahead. All right. Good afternoon. My name is Katie Coleman. I'm a Snoqualmie resident, homeowner, and a mother raising my children here in the Valley. Professionally, my career is in technology research and development. I work with emerging tech every day, so I know the innovation cycles and how they work, and I know what I'm talking about. And that's why I can tell you with professional certainty that this is not a NIMBY issue. The energy is necessary, but this proposal is simply the wrong site and the wrong technology. I want to point out that none of the proponents who spoke before me today actually live in Snoqualmie, Auburn, Covington, or Black Diamond. They vaguely say that they're from King County. Furthermore, the Houston battery site mentioned earlier as a success story was not in a residential area. That facility was built in a heavy urban industrial zone right next to a commercial ship channel. Yet, we're being forced to accept the exact same unstaffed, remote-controlled industrial hazard right next to our homes, schools, and parks. The mountainside substation we have in Snoqualmie was never built or meant to support an industrial project of this magnitude. But Jupiter Power's own Accord and account, they want to run this massive 130-megawatt facility at 100% capacity. Initial surveys on this exact site explicitly warned that it was not suitable. Local fire departments opposed it because they can't handle a multi-day thermal runaway crisis burning at over 1,000 Celsius, venting toxic hydrogen fluoride gas. To make matters worse, fighting lithium fires requires millions of dollars.

Thank you very much. The timer just went off. Thank you very much for providing comment today. okay seeing no more in person or online i want to thank everybody that came out especially our youth that came out to share your voices and really take public comment very seriously it matters a lot to us the fourth wednesday of every month there's an opportunity to speak about anything not on the menu not on the agenda. As we've heard from somebody who is particularly colorful in his comments today, First Amendment rules here, but we do really encourage speaking and showing up. It matters a lot to us, so thank you very much for that. Seeing no further requests, we will close the public hearing at this point. We'll now turn to item eight. It has been delayed, but we would like to hear a report on it as requested by our council member. Proposed ordinance 2026-0040 relating to the Department of Public Defense standards for indigent defense. As I shared earlier, this item is being deferred for action at next week's council meeting. We will receive a short briefing today after we hear comments from council member Lewis.

Thank you, Chair Perry. Ordinance 20260040 has been in the works for several months. A lot of time and effort has gone into trying to reconcile two sets of standards, the Washington State Bar Association standards and the state Supreme Court standards. To recognize, reconcile, and to develop legislation that is both responsive to and compliant with the standards. The Law and Justice Committee has had two passes at this ordinance, but only half of our council is on the Law and Justice Committee. So in consideration of our colleagues who aren't on LJ and recognize that council time has been consumed by recess and then the DC trip, I thought it prudent to allow more time for colleagues to digest

uh the legislation which is why i requested that we get a briefing only today and delay discussion and deliberation for one week appreciate your accommodating that thank you very much council member lewis and with that i'd like to invite leah krekelzapi from council central staff who's joining us online to brief the item as well as any amendments go ahead whenever you're ready

Good morning, council members. I'm Leah Krekel-Zoppe, council staff. The staff report for this item begins on page 31 of the meeting packet. As council member Lewis mentioned, this item was briefed pretty detailed in committee. So I am gonna give a higher level overview of the key points. The full details discussed in committee are in the staff report that's in the packet. So state law requires counties to adopt standards for delivery of public defense services and lists 16 elements that must be addressed in the standards. State law also notes that standards endorsed by the Washington State Bar Association or WSBA should serve as guidelines for those standards. The proposed ordinance before you would update the county code to specify the county's adopted standards for the delivery of public defense services. The specified standards would be the Supreme Court's standards for indigent defense, which were updated by a court order issued in December 2025. I'll refer to those standards as the court rule standards. Some of the 16 elements that are required in state law were reserved in the Supreme Court standards. So for those elements, the proposed ordinance would adopt specified components of the WSBA standards that were updated in September, 2024. The specific components can be found in the table that starts on page 42 of the meeting packet. The most consequential differences between the updated WSBA standards and the updated court rule standards, in those instances, the proposed ordinance would follow the court rule standards. And those major differences are, number one, the timeline for implementing the updated caseload standards for felony and misdemeanor case credits, and two, whether the WSBA professional staff ratios are required. For the implementation timeline, the WSBA and court rules standards provide different timelines for reaching the new attorney caseload limits of 47 felony case credits and 120 misdemeanor credits. Table one on page 36 shows the differences in timeline between the WSBA standards and the court rule standards. In the first column, you can see that counties following the WSBA standards would need to reach the new caseload standard by July, 2027. Whereas the second column shows the timeline the county would most likely follow under the proposed ordinance, which is the court rule timeline. Under that timeline, King County would have until January 2033 to reach the new felony caseload standard. The third column shows an alternate interpretation of the court rule standards that would provide the county with 10 years to implement the new caseload standards, but that interpretation is still under analysis. Moving to fiscal impact on page 37 of the packet, implementing the new Supreme Court Attorney caseload standards will have significant fiscal impacts on King County. As noted above, The timing of those impacts varies based on whether the county applies the court rule timeline or the WSBA standards timeline. Under the proposed legislation, the fiscal impacts would be phased in over a seven to 10 year period rather than the three-year period under the WSBA standards timeline. So under the proposed ordinance, the estimated total cost of implementing the court rule standards 67.2 million annually by 2034. This estimate includes the staff necessary to implement the caseload limits, as well as the estimated IT and facility costs to accommodate the increased staff levels. The cost estimate does not include full overhead costs, nor the cost impacts that may occur in other county criminal justice agencies. If the county applied the WSBA standards for professional staff ratios, the full estimated implementation costs for salary and benefits would be 77.2 million annually by 2034. implementing either the court rule or the wsba timeline would require a supplemental budget request within this biennium table 3 on page 38 shows a comparison of how those costs would be phased in under the proposed proposed ordinance approximately 7.2 million for attorney and professional staff positions would need to be appropriated for 2027 whereas under the wsba standards timeline 64.8 million would need to be appropriated for 2027. now moving to the bottom of page 38 the staff report analyzed the impact of not acting on the proposed legislation If the county doesn't enact the proposed legislation or an alternate version of it, King County would remain out of compliance with state law. State law requires counties to adopt standards for the delivery of public defense services. While King County's code does not include adopted public defense standards, it does direct the Department of Public Defense, or DPD, to follow the Washington state standards for indigent defense services. DPD interprets this as directing the agency to follow the WSBA standards. If the code is not clarified by July 2nd of this year, when phase two of the WSBA standards takes effect, the lack of clarity could lead to adverse consequences. According to the executive, the executive plans to transmit budget appropriations aligned with the Supreme Court implementation timeline. If DPD interprets that the agency is required to adhere to WSBA implementation timeline while only being appropriated enough resources to comply with the court rule timeline. Consequences could include criminal cases being dismissed and defendants being released, DPD shifting resources to attorney positions and reducing professional staff ratios, potential unfair labor practice complaints, and potential litigation. Moving to page 39 of the materials, as I mentioned, there's a second area of significant differences between the standards in the proposed ordinance and the WSBA standards, and that is the area of professional staff ratios. In alignment with the previous version of the WSBA standards, the county has historically provided resources to support legal assistance paralegals and investigators, each at a ratio of one to every four full-time equivalent attorneys. The county has not historically provided appropriation for mitigation specialists or socialists. but DPD, excuse me, social workers, but DPD has been funding mitigation specialists by shifting resources within the agency's appropriation authority, thereby reducing the ratio of other professional staff to attorneys. The 2024 WSBA standards increase the number of professional staff per attorney and make those ratios requirements rather than guidance. These requirements are not included in the court rule standards. Table 4 on page 40 shows the current professional staff resources compared to the current approach compared to court rule standards and to the WSBA standards. The proposed ordinance would not adopt the WSBA standards related to professional staffing ratios and would instead leave professional staffing resource decisions to be made through budget appropriations and management decisions. This provides the county with greater flexibility However, this approach leads to the risk that if the county faces significant financial constraints, professional staffing levels could fall short of levels considered optimal for providing efficient and quality public defense services. So that concludes the summary of the staff report. There were a number of amendments that were proposed that were not taken up in committee, which I will go ahead and describe unless there's questions on the staff report before that.

Chair, we're going to have to go through all of this next week. Point of order, we're going to have to go through all of this next week before we take votes. Do we need to do it today after this very long meeting?

Let me ask the chair of the committee and the sponsor if we can. Are you fine waiting, chair? Okay, thanks very much. Thank you, Council Member Balducci. So we'll let go of that description of the amendments at this point. Lee, do you have anything else for us? Nope. Okay, thanks very much. I really appreciate it. Chair Lewis and Committee Sponsor Barone, would you like to make any comments at this point, followed by any comments from our colleagues?

I'm just going to ask people to look at Table 3 on page 38. I would recommend that you look at that chart before we vote on this item next week. Thank you.

Council members, any other comments? I would like to say for the record that visuals in this particular case would have been very helpful to follow along. I just want to make that statement. Thank you. Thank you very much. Seeing no further comments, we'll take this discussion in action next week and we'll look at the chart that Vice Chair Marrone recommends. Moving on to our next action items, as a reminder, item nine is on today's agenda for the purpose of holding a public hearing. The ordinance remains in committee and since we're not taking action on it today, we will proceed to items 10 through 13. Turning to the hearing examiner consent agenda, Clerk Hay, will you please read the items into the record?

Thank you, Chair Perry. Item 10 is proposed substitute ordinance number 2026-0041, concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to approve subject to conditions the application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space, submitted by Pavel Aprikian and Louisa Cuda Verdean for property located in Newcastle. Item 11 is proposed substitute ordinance number 2026-0042 concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to approve subject to conditions. The application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space submitted by Jessica and Nicholas Furso for property located in Duval. Item 12 is proposed substitute ordinance number 2026-0044 concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to approve subject to conditions The application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space submitted by Lena Tong for property located in Redmond. And item 413 is proposed substitute ordinance number 2026-0045, an ordinance concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to approve subject to conditions. The application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space submitted by Jeff Smith and Clover Bachman for property located in Duval.

Thank you very much. Councilmember Fain, would you please move hearing examiner consent agenda items 10 through 13? So moved. Thank you. Consent agenda items 10 through 13 are before us. Clerk Hay, will you please call the roll? Thank you. Councilmember Balducci? Aye.

Councilmember Barone?

Aye.

Councilmember Domboski? Aye. Councilmember Dunn?

Aye.

Councilmember Fain? Aye. Councilmember Lewis? Aye. Councilmember Mosqueda? Aye. Councilmember Von Reichbauer? Aye.

Aye.

Chair Perry.

Aye. The vote is nine ayes, zero noes. Thank you. By our vote, we've adopted proposed substitute ordinances 2026-0041, 0042, 0044, and 0045. Turning to the final action on today's agenda, the motion consent agenda items 14 and 15. Vice Chair Barone, will you please move consent agenda items 14 and 15.

I move consent agenda items 14 and 15.

Thank you. Consent agenda items 14 and 15 are before us. Claire Kaye, will you please call the roll?

Thank you. Council Member Balducci? Aye. Council Member Barone?

Aye.

Council Member Dembowski? Aye. Council Member Dunn?

Aye.

Council Member Fain. Aye. Council Member Lewis. Aye. Council Member Mosqueda. Aye. Council Member Von Reichbauer. Aye. Chair Perry.

Aye. The vote is nine ayes, zero nos. Thank you. By our vote, we've adopted proposed motions 2025-0252 and 2026-0064. if there's no objection the published marked agenda together with any changes made in today's meeting will stand approved as the first reading referral and referral ordinances and motions items 16 through 26 and 28 as listed a few things under other business but i will uh I'll mention one right now and then we'll go to Councilmember von Reichenauer. In accordance with King County Chapter 2.3, I am letting my colleagues know, King County Code, letting my colleagues know that there are three vacant at-large positions on the Women's Advisory Board and requesting my colleagues to submit nominations to fill that position. Councilmembers are encouraged. to review the provisions of KCC 2.30.060.A for the diversity criteria recommended by that section. Council members may nominate an individual by sending an email with the completed application forms to our office by June 8th at 5 p.m. All nominations will be announced at the June 9th council meeting and forwarded to the executive. Also, I'm letting my colleagues know that in accordance with RCW 71.24.590, the Department of Health has requested the Council's consultation regarding the proposed location of an opioid treatment program by Therapeutic Health Services. The proposed location is in Kent at the 24823 Pacific Highway South location department of health has requested a response by june 5th i'm working with staff on next steps including any necessary legislation and intend to have an update at the june 2nd council meeting with that do my colleagues have any other business for the good of the order council member van rijkbouwer chair perry

On July 19th, Sunday, July 19th, all King County employees and their families can be guests at Emerald Downs. So July 19th, all King County employees can be guests at Emerald Downs. And I'll get back to my colleagues about other activities as well. Thank you.

Well, my goodness, what a generous offer. Thank you very much for that, Council Member von Reikbauer. Do my other colleagues have any other comments? Okay. Seeing no further business before us, this meeting is adjourned.