On January 3, 2023, Council held a special joint meeting with the Planning Commission at 6:00 p.m. before the regular Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. If you missed watching it live, you can always see videos of past Council and Commission meetings on our YouTube page.
Here are the highlights from last week’s meeting. See the Agenda Packet for additional information and documentation.
6:00 P.M. Joint Meeting with Planning Commission
Members of the Planning Commission met with Council to give an overview of their 2023 work plan. The plan was approved on consent during the regular Council meeting.
7:00 P.M. Regular Council Meeting
Newport Hills Creek Railroad Embankment
After receiving several emails from the community, at the top of the meeting, Agenda Bill 23-03 and Resolution 2023-925 were removed from the agenda. These items were about the Newport Hills Creek Railroad Embankment, and they were pulled so that staff could address resident concerns. These items will come back to Council at a future date.
Themes from Councilmembers included wishing residents a happy New Year and thanking the maintenance team for their recent winter storm response.
The written report covers upcoming events and staffing updates. The big item: Chief Jason Houck has accepted a position as Detective Sergeant at the City of SeaTac, another position with the King County Sheriff’s Office, which will take him away from the City of Newcastle. The job application became available amongst KCSO sergeants on December 13. We will review applicants and schedule interviews early in January. Chief Houck will remain with us until late January/early February. We’re excited for his new adventures, but very sad to see him go!
A discussion was held about the agenda for the City Council Retreat for 2023, which is scheduled for February 10.
The next Newcastle City Council meeting will be held Tuesday, January 17. There will be a 6:00 p.m. special joint meeting with the Community Activities Commission in advance of the 7:00 p.m. regular meeting.