KIRKLAND, Wash. -- The Kirkland City Council has voted to give City Manager Kurt Triplett nearly $30,000 in moving expenses. On the job since June, Triplett earns $174,000 a year, but the Seattle resident says The housing market has me temporarily stuck.
State law requires a city manager live within the city limits. Triplett, the former interim King County Executive, lives in Seattle's Crown Hill neighborhood in a home he bought four years ago for much more than it's worth now.
We bought our house. Like many people, we moved up from a starter home to a family home at the height of the market and we are temporarily stuck, said Triplett.
Triplett owns a second Seattle property on Queen Anne Hill. The duplex is rented out. The home is not for sale. Triplett says it's an investment.
That's the kids' college fund, he said.
The $30,000 from the City of Kirkland is considered a temporary housing allowance so he can pay market rent for a house the city owns. Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride says Triplett is worth it.
These funds are not ongoing. If he's able to move before a year is up, it won't be $30,000, said McBride.
