BREMERTON — The Bremerton City Council voted unanimously to withdraw from the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council Wednesday evening.

City council president Greg Wheeler will now draft a letter to the KRCC informing them of the Bremerton’s withdrawal. After the letter is submitted, Bremerton will remain a member of the KRCC for six more months.

The city can still reverse its decision during that time and cancel its withdrawal.

However, that does not appear likely.

Wheeler called the move one made as a matter of policy, not because of a dispute between the two entities. He believes this will allow Bremerton to focus solely on its own interests.

“I just look at it as a policy decision,” Wheeler said. “It’s a refocusing of energy and resources.”

Robert Gelder, county commissioner and KRCC chair, said he’s spoken with other KRCC members over the past several months and hasn’t received any indication for a desire for compromise.

“Ultimately, it is (Bremerton’s) decision to make,” Gelder said. “As much as other members of the KRCC have tried to understand the root cause of the issues at hand and offer options, we haven’t heard any interest in diverging from the decision that the Bremerton City Council made (Wednesday).”

Bremerton’s vote signals some major changes in the way the city will handle business with the county.

State law requires counties to coordinate with cities. Kitsap County normally does so with the KRCC. Although Bremerton is exiting — and thus, losing its vote — Wheeler was adamant in stating that it will remain a partner with the county.

“Relationships will be redefined, but we will still work together,” Wheeler said.

The city will also have to compete for transportation and infrastructure funding at the Puget Sound Regional Council on its own, instead of hand-in-hand with the KRCC, as it did previously.

Wheeler said he’d like to see the approximately $25,000 Bremerton pays in KRCC membership dues be put toward a position that lobbies for economic development on behalf of the city.

John Powers, executive director of Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, pleaded to the council to reconsider, saying the decision should be made for economic reasons.

“I believe that intra-governmental collaboration on multiple jurisdictions in the same marketplace … in the same region is very beneficial to that region’s ability to present itself in a very positive light to the marketplace,” Powers said.

He also said the situation offered a chance for Bremerton to take a leadership role and leave no stone unturned by seeking mediation with the KRCC.

Bremerton City Councilman Roy Runyon felt the KRCC had already shown a lack of leadership by not responding to emails and not giving Bremerton issues enough attention at meetings.

“I think where the leadership failure is is in the leadership of the KRCC,” Runyon said. “And I’m really disheartened by the lack of response and frankly, the respect for the electeds that represent the people of Bremerton.”

The KRCC is hosting a retreat July 28 in which will discuss issues at length. The city will still be a member at that time; Councilman Jerry McDonald requested the city attend in hopes of possibly mending fences.

Once the city is officially out in six months, rejoining would require a vote from KRCC members, according to Ken Bagwell, the city’s legal counsel.

The KRCC exists to help Kitsap cities and the county develop countywide plans. The city campaigned for a change to the its voting structure for months.

Under current rules, two of the three commissioners are required to agree on a vote. If one commissioner is absent or abstains and then the other two disagree, the motion fails.

This is seen as veto power by many on the Bremerton City Council.

Bremerton’s request for a change to the voting structure was rejected by the KRCC on May 5.