Published January 16 2020
Plus, legislative agenda approved
On Monday the City Council was briefed on the Bellevue School District proposed capital bond on the Feb. 11 special election ballot. The proposed capital bond measure would replace the prior bond approved by voters in 2014, funding the next phase of the district’s capital plan.
The school district undertook an assessment of their facilities to determine the highest priority areas for improvements. The resulting plan focuses on replacing three aging schools (Big Picture School, International School and Jing Mei School), adding capacity to two high schools (Interlake and Newport), creating student safety features such as vestibules and vehicle barrier posts, improving access to specialized programs and purchasing land for anticipated new schools in areas where residential populations are expected to increase.
The ballot measure will require at least 60% voter approval to pass. If approved, the bond would generate $675 million for school capital improvements and would add $0.03 per $1,000 of assessed property value in local school district taxes for the average homeowner. After the briefing on the measure, councilmembers directed staff to return with a resolution at a future meeting to consider taking a collective position.
The presentation and other details are available in the meeting agenda item.
Council approves legislative agenda
Later, the council voted unanimously to approve Bellevue’s draft state legislative agenda for the 2020 session. The agenda represents a list of key priorities the city wants to focus on as they interact with the community’s legislative delegation in Olympia.
Key areas of focus in the agenda included transportation, affordable housing and homelessness, all with a focus on the importance of local decision-making authority. In addition, it lists capital projects such as parks improvements and emphasizes the importance of future place-making projects including the Grand Connection and Regional Aquatics Center.