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Home My WebLink About01/20/2026 - Work Study - MinutesDocusign Envelope ID: 6A3A127B-381 E-4697-B310-5042D6320DD8 �Volt ORCHARD Meeting Location: Council Chambers 216 Prospect Street Port Orchard, WA 98366 City Council Minutes Contact us: Phone (360) 876-4407 cityhall@portorchardwa.gov www.portorchardwa.gov Work Study Session of Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Roll Call was taken by the City Clerk as follows: Present: John Morrissey, Mayor Pro-Tempore, Councilmember, Position No. 2 Jay Rosapepe, Councilmember, Position At -Large Shirah Dedman, Councilmember, Position No. 6, via Zoom Mark Trenary, Councilmember, Position No. 1 Eric Worden, Councilmember, Position No. 4 Heidi Fenton, Councilmember, Position No. 5 Scott Diener, Councilmember, Position No. 3 Robert Putaansuu, Mayor Staff present: City Clerk Wallace and City Attorney Archer. 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Putaansuu called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. A. Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Putaansuu led the audience and Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. 2. DISCUSSION ITEMS Mayor Putaansuu said he would like to share with the Council a couple things at the end of the meeting; downtown mural proposal, Gorst Coalition, and funding for Bay Street. A. Nomination and Appointment of Mayor Pro-tempore 2026 Moved by Eric Worden; seconded by Scott Diener to Appoint Councilmember John Morrissey as the Mayor Pro-tempore for 2026. Motion Carried: 7- 0 Voting For: Mark Trenary, Jay Rosapepe, Scott Diener, Eric Worden, Heidi Fenton, John Morrissey, Shirah Dedman Voting Against: None B. Council Committee Assignments Docusign Envelope ID: 6A3A127B-381 E-4697-B310-5042D6320DD8 January 20, 2026, City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 5 After discussion and polling, the Council Committee assignments were suggested as follows: Land Use Diener Rosapepe Dedman Economic Development/Tourism Fenton Morrissey Dedman Transportation Diener Trenary Worden Finance Trenary Worden Morrissey Utilities/SAC Fenton Dedman Rosapepe Lodging Tax Morrissey Ad hoc POMC Title 2.04 Review Rosapepe Worden Diener Outside agencies: Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council (KRCC): Fenton Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council (KRCC): Trenary (alt) Kitsap Economic Development Alliance (KEDA): Morrissey Kitsap Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) : Trenary (alt) Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC): Rosapepe (alt) Kitsap Public Health Board: Rosapepe (alt) Kitsap Transit (2nd year term): Rosapepe (alt) 911: Fenton (alt) Docusign Envelope ID: 6A3A127B-381 E-4697-B310-5042D6320DD8 January 20, 2026, City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 5 Council Direction: A resolution will be brought forth at the next Council meeting for adoption of the Committee assignments. C. Team Building Workshop Mayor Putaansuu provided a proposal for a team building workshop for him and Council. The purpose is to provide City Council and the Mayor with a structured, neutral retreat designed to strengthen trust, clarify toles, and establish shared ways of working, so Council meetings and interactions are more productive, respectful, and aligned with the City's values and responsibilities to the community. In response to Mayor Putaansuu asking if the Council would like to proceed with this workshop, Councilmembers Fenton, Dedman, and Trenary voiced their concerns which included the cost of $5,000. Mayor Putaansuu mentioned this workshop would need the full Council's support. As it does not, the workshop will not be moving forward. Council Direction: None A brief discussion was held about not having a facilitator for the next Council Retreat. At 7:55 p.m., Mayor Putaansuu recessed the meeting for a 5 -minute break. At 8:00 p.m., Mayor Putaansuu reconvened the meeting back into session. D. Council Outreach Coffee with Council Council discussed the next few months of Coffee with Council and agreed that Councilmembers Diener, Fenton, and Dedman would attend February 7th; Councilmembers Morrissey, Dedman, and Worden would attend March 7th; Councilmembers Diener, Rosapepe, and Trenary would attend April 4th; and Councilmembers Morrissey, Trenary, and Worden would attend May 2nd. Councilmember Virtual Hours Councilmember Dedman inquired about hosting virtual meetings for her to meet with the public. She would carve out a specific timeframe and noted this would also be helpful to individuals who may have accessibility issues. In response, Mayor Putaansuu noted he would like to assist with this idea and asked Councilmember Dedman to send him an email outlining what she envisions. Once it is finalized, he would like to share the information with the public. He said this option is open to all Councilmembers. Town Hall Meetin Docusign Envelope ID: 6A3A127B-381 E-4697-B310-5042D6320DD8 January 20, 2026, City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 5 Councilmember Worden read into record a statement outlining his concerns regarding another Councilmember questioning meetings he and Councilmember Morrissey wanted to have with their neighbors at McCormick Woods. He said he is open to hearing from all Councilmembers on this topic but asked that we be honest and consistent. Discussion was held regarding transparency, having town hall meetings that would target certain geographic areas, not having the meetings at City Hall but rather in the specific geographic area of the City, attendance of the meetings, option to mail notices, town hall meetings should be less formal than City Council meetings, location options, using the City's booth at the downtown Farmer's Market, outreach, staff responding to citizen questions, timeframes, and holding a Q&A during the town hall meetings. City Attorney Archer explained there is no requirement to record the meeting, but by state law, the meeting would need to be noticed, an agenda published, and minutes taken. Council Direction: Hold the first meeting in McCormick Woods, discuss at a work study session the topics for these meetings, bring this up again at the next Council meeting for possible dates, and have the Town Hall meetings on a Thursday. Mayor Putaansuu spoke about federal funding and the Bay Street project which was selected for three million dollars, explaining he was notified earlier in the day that there is a bipartisan transportation funding package that is working its way through the system and there could be a vote as early as next week. He explained the next steps in the process and pointed out we may still not receive the money. Mayor Putaansuu also said he received a proposal from a local artist for a mural downtown off the Bay Street Pedestrian Pathway near the Soroptimist pavilion. The proposal is $4,500 plus tax. Additional discussion was held regarding a bid and proposal process to allow other options and artists to showcase their work. Council Direction: Council would like more options and artists to choose from and would like Mayor Putaansuu to bring up the Gorst Coalition topic at the next Council meeting. 3. GOOD OF THE ORDER Not held. 4. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:58 p.m. No other action was taken. Docusign Envelope ID: 6A3A127B-381 E-4697-B310-5042D6320DD8 January 20, 2026, City Council Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 5 Signed by: �vau wa(, AU- Brandy Wallace, MMC, City Clerk Signed by: �S✓l•47D... Robert Putaansuu, Mayor