At their June 17 State of the City meeting, King City staff highlighted the city’s most recent milestones and promised to direct future growth.
“Perhaps most importantly, we have continued investing in the future,” King City Mayor Rachel Kazmierski said. “While growth brings challenges, it also brings opportunities.”
The meeting began at 5 p.m. with Kazmierski’s commemoration of accomplishments made by city councilors and staff in 2025 and was followed by a similar speech from King City Manager Vincent Ferraris.
“We’re already seeing progress in strategic planning, organizational development, infrastructure planning and long-range financial discussions that will help shape the future of our city,” Kazmierski said. “Good government doesn’t happen by accident; it requires thoughtful planning, transparency, accountability and a willingness to continually improve how we serve the public.”
In her speech, Kazmierski noted larger projects, such as the city’s transportation system plan and the city council’s recent charter amendments, while also previewing infrastructure updates, such as improvements to SW 131st Avenue.
“Another significant accomplishment this year has been the council’s commitment to residents and thoughtfully evaluating major community issues. One example is the city’s transportation system plan update,” Kazmierski said. “Rather than moving forward with previously identified concepts, the council chose to pause, listen and ensure that all options were fully evaluated.”
Gratitude for community input was a common theme in Kazmierski and Ferraris’s proclamations, and both harkened back to past community collaborations, citing these interactions as inspiration for continued partnership.
“When I accepted the opportunity to serve as King City’s City Manager, one of the first commitments I made was simple: listen first,” Ferraris said. “What I heard was clear; people care deeply about King City.”
Kazmierski thanked Farraris, who was hired in January, and city attorney Melissa Ryan, who was added to the team after serving as an interim attorney since 2025.
“After careful consideration, the council selected Vincent Ferraris to act as our city manager,” Kazmierski said. “I just have to say we couldn’t be more happy.”
In lieu of future growth, Kazmierski and Ferraris both emphasized the importance of continued community input for upcoming residential infrastructure projects.
King City’s community has been steadily growing over the past decade, and in 2020, King City reportedly had 5,184 residents, 66% more than its population in 2010.
“As our community grows, we must continue evaluating how our infrastructure supports both existing residents and future development,” Ferraris said. “That work takes time, takes resources and partnership.”
Another milestone mentioned during the mayor’s speech was the city’s budget for the upcoming year, approved at the subsequent city council meeting later that night. The council approved King City’s $16.8 million adopted budget in a 7-0 vote.
“Developing a budget is one of the most important responsibilities of the local government as it reflects our communities’ priorities and helps ensure that limited resources are used effectively,” Kazmierski said.
King City’s State of the City wrapped up at around 5:25 p.m., and Kazmierski, Ferraris and city councilors encouraged attendees to hang around and have a slice of pizza while they prepared for their city council meeting at 6 p.m. In Ferraris’s closing remarks, he hammered on the fact that King City has grown and alluded to city staff’s intention to guide change in a positive direction.
“Our community continues to evolve,” Ferraris said. “The question before us is not whether King City will change, it will. The real question is whether we will guide that change with intention, discipline and trust…The future will bring challenges, but it will also bring opportunities.”
