The Environmental Services Commission advises the City Council on water, wastewater, storm and surface water and garbage programs in the following areas: planning, budget and rates, CIP financing, contracts and policies. The Environmental Services Commission is comprised of seven persons who reside within the city or within the city's service area for either the water or sewer system.
Meetings
Meetings of the Environmental Services Commission are held the first Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. Regular meetings are conducted in a hybrid manner, with both in-person and virtual options.
The sign-up for oral communications and public hearings will open at noon the day of the meeting and close at 6 p.m.
Public Meeting Records
Find previous meeting minutes, agendas, packets and other meeting records on Legistar or the Environmental Services Commission Public Meeting Archive page. Upcoming meeting agendas are published two days before a regular meeting and 24 hours in advance of special meetings.
Members
Members of the ESC are appointed by the mayor with the concurrence of City Council for four-year terms, which expires May 31 of the last year of the term.
Councilmember Conrad Lee is council liaison to the ESC.
- Chair, Vanja Knezevic (Term expires 5/31/2025): Vanja joined the Environmental Services Commission to use her skills in operations and strategic planning to improve Bellevue's environmental sustainability. With over 10 years of experience in healthcare management, she excels at optimizing systems, managing budgets, and ensuring compliance. Currently, she serves as Chair of the Bellevue Utilities Commission, where she guides policies on rate stabilization and sustainable resource allocation. Vanja’s education includes an MBA and ongoing doctoral studies in Organizational Leadership. Beyond her professional work, she is passionate about community service and loves spending time with her daughter, Aria.
- Vice-Chair, Ken Wan (Term expires 5/31/2026): Ken Wan joined the Environmental Services Commission in July 2020. He has lived in Bellevue since 2004 and is a graduate of Bellevue Essentials (Class of 2015). He currently works as an attorney at an environmental non-profit organization. Prior to his current job, he worked as an in-house attorney for over two decades in the retail apparel and restaurant sectors.
- Member, Andy Dupertuis (Term expires 5/31/2025): Andy Dupertuis joined the Environmental Services Commission to apply the best of public and private sector thinking to balance strategic rate stabilization and reserves, policy and planning, capital allocation, and supply chain resiliency to deliver intentional growth, quality of life, and long-term access to clean and sustainably sourced water for the City’s 41,000 rate payers and 151,000 residents. He has two decades of experience in the technology sector including key roles at Oracle and Microsoft. Andy is an inquisitive life-long learner with a passion for civics.
- Member, Ann Hajnosz (Term expires 5/31/2027): Ann has had a fulfilling career in the utilities industry. She enjoys the diverse range of issues and challenges and loves working with collaborative people to find solutions that align with our community’s needs and values. She hopes to bring her experience to the City to help make the right utility decisions for current and future residents. Ann graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has an MBA in Finance from Indiana University at Bloomington. She is also a Class of 2016 graduate of the Seattle Leadership Tomorrow program. She is a professional civil engineer and has been a utility consultant for 35 years, working with water, wastewater, recycled water, stormwater, solid waste and energy agencies. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Ann has lived in Bellevue since 1990. She and her husband have two kids and are enjoying their one-year-old grandson.
- Member, Gabby Lacson (Term expires 5/31/2027): Gabby wanted to serve on the Environmental Services Commission to be more active within the Bellevue community and provide a different perspective on utility priorities as a younger renter in the City. She is a Double Dawg, receiving her BA in Environmental Studies at UW in 2021, as well as her MPA with a concentration in Public Financial Management at the UW Evans School in 2023. She has policy and budgeting experience, previously working for a Seattle City Councilmember who chaired the Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities committee. Gabby is currently working as a budget analyst within King County’s Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, baking, and going on runs around Bellevue.
- Member, Kurt Lutterman (Term expires 5/31/2027): Kurt Lutterman has lived in Bellevue since 1992 and loves the vibrancy of the City. He is passionate about finding ways to live sustainably in our beautiful northwest natural environment. After stints in the US Navy Submarine Service and computer companies, he has been the Facilities and IT Manager at Saint Andrew’s Lutheran Church since 2001. Kurt has been active in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Cub Scouts, affordable housing non-profits, and his neighborhood association. He enjoys traveling, biking, and lazy weekends at home with his wife and toy poodle.
- Member, Michael Margolis (Term expires 5/31/2027): Michael moved to Bellevue with two small children in 2007 to take advantage of the City’s excellent schools, trails, libraries, and other impressive resources. After both children graduated from the Bellevue School District, he wanted to contribute to the ESC to help our professional staff ensure the safety and reliability of our infrastructure and preserve our natural habitats for future generations. After studying anthropology and ecology at Stanford University, Michael became a user researcher, helping teams build and launch many successful new products. As the UX Research Partner at Google Ventures, he has partnered with hundreds of early-stage startups on customer research, product design, and product strategy. Michael’s recent volunteer experience includes Volunteer Conciliator for Bellevue Conflict Resolution Center, board member of the Newport Hills Swim & Tennis Club, and mentoring for Startout and UW’s CoMotion Labs.
Authority
The Environmental Services Commission is governed by City Code Chapter 3.55.
FAQs
How to participate?
All interested persons are encouraged to attend the ESC meetings and to provide written and/or oral comments.
To provide written comments:
- By mail: send to Environmental Services Commission, c/o Bellevue Utilities Department, PO Box 90012, Bellevue, WA 98009-9012
- By email: send to esc@bellevuewa.gov
- Written comments must be received by 3:30 p.m. on the day of the scheduled ESC meeting.
To provide oral comments during the meeting:
People can sign up to speak during oral communications noon-6 p.m. the day of the ESC meeting. People can also access the sign-in by using the QR code posted outside the meeting room.
To speak at a public hearing:
People can sign up to speak during public hearings noon-6 p.m. the day of the hearing. People can also access the hearing registration by using the QR code posted outside the meeting room.
To provide written comment for a public hearing:
- By mail: send to Environmental Services Commission, c/o Bellevue Utilities Department, PO Box 90012, Bellevue, WA 98009-9012
- By email: send to esc@bellevuewa.gov
- Written comments must be received by 3:30 p.m. the day of the ESC meeting.