Council Splits 3–3 on Hiring a Groundwater Scientist

The Bainbridge Island City Council split 3–3 on adding a full-time hydrologist or hydrogeologist on November 10. The tie left the position out of the newly adopted two-year budget, even as the City prepares to carry out a groundwater plan that assumes funding for that expertise.

Councilmember Mike Nelson moved to add the position after residents pointed to Appendix A of the plan. Deputy City Manager Ellen Schroer described its $150,000 annual figure as a rough estimate. The cost would fall on the general fund. The City previously budgeted for such a position and had difficulty hiring and retaining someone.

Water for streams as well as households

Residents challenged the executive summary’s conclusion about the security of water for human consumption over the planning period. Their concern was what that assurance leaves out. The same groundwater feeds streams and wetlands, and a supply sufficient for household use can still leave questions about water available for fish and wildlife. One speaker suggested voluntary metering of private wells, with data anonymized, to improve the City’s understanding of withdrawals.

Deputy Mayor Kirsten Hytopoulos said the costs should be shared across the island because groundwater decisions affect people who draw from private wells as well as City water customers. “This should be a general fund position,” she said. She pointed to the Suquamish Tribe and Island County as examples of governments that employ hydrologists.

Mayor Clarence Moriwaki said a permanent hire would commit the general fund to salaries and benefits in future budgets. “I don’t think it’s our role to tell the city manager how and how he should staff it up,” he said. Moriwaki favored using existing staff and hiring a consultant if a question required specialized expertise.

Councilmember Ashley Mathews raised another possibility. She wondered whether Charlie Kratzer, a hydrologist with the Suquamish Tribe, could “job share” with the City. She also pointed to volunteer scientists on the City’s Environmental Technical Advisory Committee and left open the option of hiring a hydrologist if gaps remained. “I’ve been going back and forth on this one,” Mathews said.

Kratzer was already familiar with the City’s groundwater work. City committee records identify him as having spoken on the Tribe’s behalf in support of the groundwater plan. Mathews raised job sharing during debate on Nelson’s hiring motion. Council took no vote on the idea, and neither the Tribe nor Kratzer offered a job-sharing arrangement at the meeting.

Who will do the work

Public Works said it had promoted a water resources technician to a groundwater and surface-water specialist role and filled the technician vacancy. The technician will continue monitoring wells and streams. The specialist will concentrate on the plan’s actions. Staff said the specialist has relevant field experience and does not hold a hydrologist or hydrogeologist license.

City Manager John Mauro said he wanted to assess what the existing team can deliver before recommending a recurring expense. The adopted budget includes $15,000 to examine unusually high residential water consumption. BIEN’s earlier budget coverage explains the scope of that study.