The city of Mercer Island checked one item off its to-do list on Jan. 2 as it enters the new year with a permanently shuttered city hall.

On that evening, the Mercer Island City Council returned to in-person gatherings with its first regular meeting of 2024 at its new chambers within the Slater Room of the Mercer Island Community and Event Center.

City Manager Jessi Bon said in her report at the meeting that it’s a tight fit for councilmembers and those attending meetings, and staff will engage in some fine tuning of the room’s elements and listen to feedback as the month rolls out.

“Thank you to all of the staff and our consultants and contractors that helped get this room converted over to our council chambers,” Bon added.

On the Mercer Island Municipal Court front, the city has leased space for staff offices on the third floor of Newcastle City Hall, and courtroom space for hearings in that city’s second-floor council chambers will be set for usage starting Jan. 8, according to the Mercer Island website.

On Jan. 2, Bon noted that the offices would soon be ready for occupation following carpet-installation delays (the city website notes that the court’s permanent location will be in Suite 301 beginning Feb. 1). In recent months, court hearings have been held at the Kirkland Municipal Justice Center. For more information, visit https://www.mercerisland.gov/municipalcourt

In the police department realm, Bon said city staff is making progress with the modular buildings to house the department in the city hall parking lot. Power, sewer and water is ready for connection to the buildings, which are anticipated to be affixed in early February, Bon said. Many of the police department members have resided in a Luther Burbank Park building during the closure of city hall.

“The court and the police have been the most impacted by the closure of city hall. I just want to say thank you to those staff teams and our patrons for their continued flexibility as we work through this big transition,” Bon said.

Residents needing assistance to access city services can call 206-275-7600 or email customerservice@mercerisland.gov.

In upcoming council activity regarding city services, the seven members will join together in a study session on March 5 to evaluate locations for water meter data collection stations and consider alternative solutions. The seven new stations — which will replace all residential and commercial water meters — will utilize an advanced metering infrastructure system to help detect and fix leaks, increase efficiency, and create an online portal for customers, according to a city press release.

The permitted sites are Island Crest Park and the Water Reservoir. The city paused the permit application process for five locations: Mercer Island City Hall, South Mercer Playfields, Roanoke Park, Eastside 71st and South Point Landing.

For more information, visit https://letstalk.mercergov.org/water-meter-data-collection-stations