Bellevue City Council Regular Meeting - October 14, 2025
Bellevue City Council Regular Meeting - October 14, 2025
The Bellevue City Council held a regular meeting on October 14, 2025, beginning at 6:00 PM. The meeting included proclamations, oral communications, a consent calendar, a public hearing on a property tax classification application, and study sessions on the 2026-2030 Sustainable Bellevue Plan and the 2026 State Legislative Agenda. All major actions were approved by voice vote.
Proclamations
- Hindu American Awareness and Appreciation Month: Councilmember Bargava read the proclamation, received by Suchil Kumar (representing a Hindu non-profit). Kumar thanked the council and noted that during the 2024 Seva Diwali nationwide food drive, over 700,000 pounds of food were donated to local food banks.
- Arbor Day: Councilmember Sumadower read the proclamation declaring October 18, 2025, as Arbor Day in Bellevue. Longtime volunteer naturalist Sally Lawrence accepted and encouraged community members to attend the Arbor Day event at Lewis Creek Park.
Consent Calendar
- Motion to approve the consent calendar, including RES 10548 (declaring a public utility easement at 707 96th Ave NE surplus and setting a public hearing date), passed unanimously.
Oral Communications & Testimony
- Victor Bishop (50-year resident) expressed support for funding an I-405 southbound on-ramp from Lake Hills Connector and suggested consideration of a new southbound off-ramp to NE 10th Street as a standalone early project.
- Maria Frost (Vice President, Government Affairs, Kemper Development) urged removal of the city's request to expand property tax levy lid lift options and real estate excise tax authority, stating that higher taxes hinder housing affordability. She supported inclusion of autonomous vehicle policy language and asked for congestion reduction and AV to be moved to the key priorities section.
- Mason G. (Board Director, Friends of Bellevue Cross Cultural Center) reported strong community support from a recent survey for a physical cross-cultural center and urged the council to include it in the Bellevue 2020-2044 plan.
- Paul Reed presented decibel measurements of yard equipment (e.g., gas leaf blower 116 dB, electric 105 dB) and argued the city's noise regulations are outdated and need objective criteria for small equipment.
- Unidentified speaker (public safety advocate) requested the council to reach out to King County about equitable funding for the prosecuting attorney's office versus public defender's office, citing a 50-defender gap.
- Sam Gumjin voiced concerns about homelessness and low-income housing programs leading to nuisances, crime, and safety issues in neighborhoods, and criticized the code compliance department's inaction.
- Alex Zimmerman made statements about dual citizenship, alleged that some council members cannot hold office, and was warned by the mayor for not following rules. Joe Kunzler (online) supported the mayor's intervention and condemned the remarks.
- Unnamed speaker (Dustin, a Bellevue native) urged the city to leverage the upcoming World Cup to promote local businesses.
City Manager Report: Mini City Hall Update
- Staff (Mike McCormick, Ying Carlson, Ramu Auru) presented the Mini City Hall program, which serves about 20,000 residents annually with 50,000 service requests. A 2024 expansion to a larger facility, supported by a state grant, allowed new partnerships (e.g., PIM Savvy, Africans on the East Side, King County Metro Orca events) and enhanced multilingual services (staff speak Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Somali, Russian, Ukrainian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu). Emerging issues include increased questions about federal funding cuts and immigration enforcement. The report was informational; no action required.
Public Hearing & Action: RES 10549 – Timiri Property PBRS Open Space Classification
- Staff (Tara Johnson, Katie White) recommended denial of the application to enroll 1.33 acres at 4277 137th Ave NE in the Public Benefit Rating System. The King County Hearing Examiner also recommended denial. Public testimony:
- Barbara Hughes (President, Bridal Trails Community Club) opposed the application, stating there is no public benefit and the land is already constrained by easements; granting a tax reduction would shift taxes to other residents.
- Ms. Johnston (online) echoed opposition, arguing the act should not be abused for non-public-benefit purposes, and asked the council to urge King County to strengthen PBRS provisions.
- Council discussion: Members noted the applicant failed to provide evidence of significant wildlife habitat (pileated woodpeckers) and that easements already limit developability. Motion to adopt Resolution 10549 denying the application passed unanimously.
Study Session: 2026-2030 Sustainable Bellevue Plan
- Staff (Tara Johnson, Jennifer Ewing, Anna Hagara) presented the final draft plan, which includes updated goals, priority/catalyst/resilience strategies, cost ranges, and implementation metrics. Community engagement involved ~700 survey responses, over 300 students, and 200 participants at events. Top priorities included accelerating climate action, enhancing resilience, and ensuring equitable access to programs. The plan aims for 50% GHG reduction by 2035 (deferred from 2030) and carbon neutrality by 2050, dependent on state and federal policies.
- Council discussion: Members generally supported the plan, emphasizing cost-effectiveness, tracking metrics beyond implementation, and focusing on controllable local actions. Councilmember Newenhouse requested better cost-benefit analysis before adoption; Councilmember Bargava suggested exploring foundational investments like district energy. Councilmember Lee advocated for prioritizing municipal operations and demonstrating achievable results.
- Key Outcome: Council voted unanimously to direct staff to prepare the plan for adoption at a future meeting (by consent calendar).
Study Session: 2026 State Legislative Agenda
- Katie Halsey (Assistant Director for Government Relations) presented the draft agenda, including key legislative priorities (housing/permit streamlining, transportation projects like I-405/167 and Grand Connection, and a new economic prosperity section) and broader policy statements. Association of Washington Cities (AWC) priorities include indigent defense, housing, transportation, and state-shared revenues.
- Council members proposed and discussed eight amendments:
- Under transportation: Add language that the city plans to request future ongoing state partnerships for the Bellevue Grand Connection (Hamilton). Accepted.
- Under thriving people/communities: Strengthen human services language to request strong state partnership (Hamilton). Accepted.
- Under transportation: Add line expressing concerns about a potential retail delivery fee (Newenhouse). Accepted.
- Under community safety/health: Remove reference to CJTC and revise training funding language to “state funding” (Newenhouse). Accepted with friendly amendment.
- Under high performance government: Add encouragement for state to preserve local flexibility when state policies are achieving goals (Mayor). Accepted.
- Under high quality built/natural environment: Expand SEPA categorical exemptions to support residential conversions (Mayor). Accepted.
- Under economic prosperity: Revised phrasing to “Bellevue strongly urges the legislature to avoid tax proposals that could create a direct impact on our employment base and may put Washington at a competitive disadvantage” after debate (staff recommended vs. stronger “will not support”). Consensus reached on “strongly urges.”
- Under high performance government: Remove the second half of bullet 4 (after “revenue decisions”) to avoid appearing to advocate for specific tax increases (Newenhouse). Accepted.
- Key Outcome: Motion to adopt the 2026 state legislative agenda as amended passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Approved consent calendar (RES 10548).
- Denied Timiri property PBRS application (RES 10549).
- Directed staff to prepare the 2026-2030 Sustainable Bellevue Plan for adoption.
- Adopted the 2026 State Legislative Agenda with the eight amendments noted above.
- Meeting adjourned at approximately 10:15 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good evening everybody. Welcome to the Bellevue City Council meeting for October 14th, 2025. Before we begin, we will be having public comment tonight. I'm going to ask that you be polite. I know you can do that. Most people are. We have some people who find it difficult to express themselves without profanity, and I'm going to ask them to try today to be civil and polite and not wave signs around. I will call out people who raise signs around that block the view of other people. With that, may I have the clerk do the roll call? Mayor Robinson. Here. Deputy Mayor Melakutian. Here. Councilmember Bargava. Here. Councilmember Hamilton. Here. Councilmember Lee. Here. Councilmember Newman House. Here. Councilmember Sima Demoria. Deputy Mayor Melikutian, will you please lead us in the flag slide? Absolutely. Please rise. One nation. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We have two proclamations tonight. The first one is the Hindu American Awareness and Appreciation Month proclamation that will be read by Councilmember Bhagavad and received by Suchil Kumar representing Hindu, oh dear. Hindu Suiam Sakak Sivak, sorry. Um a nonprofit organization promoting Hindu values and culture. And with that, Councilmember Bargava. Thank you, Mayor. So whereas Hindu American Awareness and Appreciation Month provides an opportunity to recognize and honor the significant contributions of Hindu Americans to the social, cultural, spiritual, and economic fabric of our city and nation, and whereas Hindu Americans represent a rich diversity of backgrounds and traditions, including individuals from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Malaysian, Indonesian, Afghan, Nepali, Bhutanese, Sri Lankan, Fijian, Caribbean, and European descent. And whereas the teachings and practices of Hindu philosophy, such as Vedanta, Ayurveda, Yoga, Meditation, and the celebration of arts, music, dance, and literature have enriched lives throughout Bellevue and across the United States. And whereas October holds special meaning as the birth month of Mahatma Gandhi, whose philosophy of nonviolence inspired movements of justice around the world, and as time as the time of major Hindu festivals such as the Navratri and Diwali, which symbolize light, renewal, and triumph of good over evil. And whereas Hindu Americans continue to strengthen Bellevue's civic life through service, innovation, and philanthropy, embodying the city's values of inclusion, compassion, and respect, while reminding us of the importance of understanding and celebrating that diversity that enriches our shared community. Now, therefore, I, Vishal Bhargaba, on behalf of Lynn Robinson, the mayor of Bellevue, Washington, and on behalf of the entire city council to hereby proclaim October 2025 as Hindu American Awareness and Appreciation Month. In Bellevue, Washington, and encourage all residents to celebrate the vibrant culture and spiritual traditions of Hindu Americans and to continue building a community route in mutual respect, learning, and shared prosperity. Thank you, Councilmember Sushio. Welcome. We have two speakers. It is turned on or two speakers and Mita G will speak first. Thanks, Noah. Then we'll do that. Thank you. So I'm my name is Vita Patal, and I'm Bellevue residents for over 22 years, and my husband is here for 25 years. And thank you very much for first of all. On behalf of Hindu American community, we accept the thanks to you, Mayor Lin. And thank you to all the councillors and staff.
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