OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bellevue City Council Meeting - June 2, 2026: Utility Bill Assistance Expansion and Safe Speeds Bellevue Program

City Council — Tuesday, June 2, 2026
BodyBellevue, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:22:02
Transcript — Verbatim
0:38

Good evening, everyone.

0:40

Welcome to the June 2nd, 2026 Bellevue City Council meeting.

0:45

Thank you for being here and for taking the time to engage in the work of our community.

0:51

Before I ask the clerk to call the role, I'd like to note that both Mayor Malicoutian and Councilmember Breyer are unable to join us for our meeting.

1:01

And I would like to entertain a motion to excuse their absence, please.

1:07

Alright, we have a motion and a second.

1:11

Any discussion?

1:13

All in favor, say aye.

1:14

Aye.

1:15

Any opposed?

1:16

Okay.

1:17

Motion carries.

1:18

Thank you.

1:19

With that, City Clerk, would you call the role?

1:22

Thank you.

1:22

Deputy Mayor Hamilton.

1:24

Here.

1:25

Councilmember Bargata?

1:26

Here.

1:27

Council Member Newman House.

1:28

Councilmember Robinson.

1:29

Here.

1:30

And Councilmember Simon Doria.

1:32

Thank you.

1:33

Thank you.

1:33

Councilmember Robinson, would you lead us in the flag salute?

1:36

Okay.

1:38

Please stand if you're able.

1:40

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

2:31

It matters that people feel supported, welcomed, valued, and safe.

2:36

We are creating a space to come together in that spirit of welcoming tomorrow at our Pride on the Plaza event at City Hall.

2:45

I want to invite community members to join us from 3 to 6 p.m.

2:49

to celebrate pride, honor every identity, and continue building a stronger and more connected community.

3:20

And with that, I'll invite Councilmember Bargava to read the proclamation.

3:26

Whereas lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning, intersex, asexual, non-binary, and two-spirit communities are integral to the vibrancy of Bellevue, contributing immeasurably to our city's academic, economic, artistic, cultural, civic, and social life.

3:47

And whereas the month of June is designated as Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots of June 1969, widely recognized as a catalyst for the LGBTQ LGBTQ plus rights movement, and as an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing pursuit of equality, dignity, and belonging.

4:07

And whereas Pride Month is a time to celebrate progress achieved through decades of advocacy, leadership, and community building, while recognizing the continued importance of ensuring all people can live safely, authentically, and with dignity.

4:22

And whereas the City of Bellevue is committed to fostering a welcoming community where all residents, employees, and visitors are treated with respect, and all people can feel can fully participate in civic life, and whereas the city remains committed to supporting and respecting LBG LGBTQ community members, including transgender and non-binary individuals, and to fostering a community where all people feel valued, safe, and a sense of belonging.

4:51

And whereas the City of Bellevue continues to strengthen community through listening to, learning from, and collaborating with LGBTQ plus community members and organizations to help create an inclusive and informing city for all.

5:06

Now, therefore, I, Vishal Bargawa, on behalf of Mo Malakuchin, mayor of Bellevue, Washington, and the City Council to hereby proclaim June 2026 as LGBTQ IA2S Plus Pride Month in Bellevue and celebrate the meaningful contributions and lasting impact of the LGBTQIA to S Plus community members and invite all residents to participate in Pride Month events and opportunities to celebrate inclusion, belonging, and community.

5:40

Now we'll have Corina Lynn Gayett, President, Board of Directors for the Eastside Pride Pacific Northwest to offer some comments and then we'll ask if you would just hang around afterwards.

5:51

We'll do one more proclamation and then we'd love to do a picture.

5:54

Great.

5:54

Sounds good.

5:55

First, I want to start off by saying thank you to the mayor who's not here right now, but for all council members as well, for inviting me here to accept this proclamation.

6:05

It means a lot to me and Eastide Pride.

6:08

But my name is Corinna Lynn Gaillette.

6:11

My pronouns are she and her, and I am the president of East Side Pride PNW.

6:17

I am also a proud member of the LGBTQ Plus community, a mom.

6:22

I have my son Richter here with me.

6:25

And he sees a lot of the activism that we do, proudly.

6:29

But I've been actively advocating for over 27 years, and on the east side, it's been an honor to see all the support that we've gotten over the last couple years.

6:42

But on behalf of the community, thank you for issuing this proclamation.

6:46

Visibility at the city at the city level matters very, very much, as there's still a lot of people that feel invisible.

6:54

Our community is experienced, as you know, a profound challenge across the nation, facing alarming surge in anti-trans legislation, which is targeting violence and coordinated efforts that are rolling back many of our hard-won civil rights over the years that we work really hard for.

7:37

And our residents are valued and that we belong.

7:41

And I just want to take this opportunity to say, you know, that we look forward to building this momentum.

7:46

Um things don't happen overnight, but I've seen so much positive uh support.

7:52

And I just want to personally thank um Lynn Robinson, Councilmember Lynn Robinson, for all your support in helping us get Paws and Pride off the ground, one of the largest LGBTQ plus celebrations.

8:04

Uh, that event means a lot to our community.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Water And Wastewater Management██████████████████18%
Procedural██████████10%
Affordable Housing█████████9%
Fiscal Sustainability███████7%
Community Engagement█████5%
Miscellaneous████4%
Public Safety███3%
Animal Welfare█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Bellevue City Council Meeting - June 2, 2026

The Bellevue City Council met on June 2, 2026, to discuss and take action on two major study sessions: expanding the Utility Bill Assistance Program and advancing the Safe Speeds Bellevue initiative to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The meeting included proclamations for Pride Month and National Gun Violence Awareness Day, public comments on traffic safety, immigration enforcement, and other community concerns, and approval of the consent calendar. Deputy Mayor Hamilton presided in the absence of Mayor Malicoutian and Councilmember Breyer, whose absences were excused.

Consent Calendar

  • The council approved the consent calendar by unanimous vote, which included three items related to the Grand Connection Crossing project (design contract and preconstruction work for general contractor/construction manager).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Raymond Zhao expressed support for reduced speed limits but urged investment in multimodal infrastructure and traffic calming to naturally encourage slower driving.
  • Ann Clark, a resident of the Vassa Park neighborhood, described dangerous speeding on Southeast 34th Street near a school bus zone, citing a lack of sidewalks and recounting her own serious pedestrian injury. She warned that a child could be killed if action isn't taken.
  • Steve Pantel, a Bellevue resident for 30 years, supported the Vision Zero strategy and speed limit reductions but encouraged faster implementation of low-cost safety projects, particularly for biking infrastructure in Factoria and Somerset.
  • Alex Zimmerman claimed he had been repeatedly trespassed and targeted by city officials due to his candidacy, alleging misuse of city funds and calling for accountability.
  • Guillermo Rivera, on behalf of Eastside for All and Safe Heaven, reported on immigration enforcement activity, stating that in just the last two weeks, 12 Bellevue residents had been detained (13 documented detainees) in Lake Hills, Crossroads, and Sammamish High School neighborhoods. He called for policies to protect immigrant families.
  • Heather Kelly, a lifelong Bellevue resident, described the fear and disruption caused by federal immigration enforcement, noting that parents are being forced to make childcare plans in case of deportation. She urged the council to recognize the human and societal consequences.
  • Lynn Franson requested a speed limit reduction to 25 mph on Southeast 34th Street to enable sidewalks, crosswalks, and speed cameras, noting that families and children are at risk.
  • Dr. Varinder Sadio, speaking on behalf of a neighborhood regarding a proposed safe parking program, expressed support for the program but opposed its location in a residential area due to traffic, safety, and animal welfare concerns.
  • Joe Kunzler (virtual) defended the city's actions regarding Alex Zimmerman and asked for continued exclusion of his disruptive behavior.

Discussion Items

Utility Bill Assistance Program Expansion

  • Staff from the Utilities Department and the Environmental Services Commission presented a recommendation to expand the long-term utility bill assistance program to all low-income households (up to 80% of Area Median Income, or AMI). Currently, 1,100 households receive assistance annually costing over $1 million.
  • The recommendation (Option B1) maintains a 70% discount for seniors and disabled residents below 50% AMI, provides a new 35% discount for seniors/disabled with incomes 50-80% AMI and for all other households up to 80% AMI.
  • Estimated annual assistance per household ranges from $500 to $1,600.
  • The expansion would be funded by a 1.2% rate increase to water, sewer, and stormwater bills, equating to $2.79 per month for a typical single-family home.
  • The council unanimously directed staff to incorporate the recommendation into the upcoming biennial budget and utility rates.

Vision Zero and Safe Speeds Bellevue Program

  • Staff reported that 2025 was the worst year for traffic safety in the last decade: 3 fatalities and 38 serious injuries, 61% higher than the 10-year average. Speeding became the leading contributing factor.
  • The Safe Speeds Bellevue program proposes reducing speed limits on streets currently posted at 30 mph or higher. The recommendation covers 64% of these streets with a 5 mph reduction, 20% with a 10 mph reduction, and 16% unchanged.
  • Implementation is planned in phases starting in 2027, beginning with the urban core and high-injury network (which covers 8% of city streets but accounts for 68% of fatal and serious injury crashes).
  • The council approved a motion to direct staff to finalize city code amendments to adjust speed limits in accordance with the Safe Speeds Bellevue recommendations.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved consent calendar (unanimous).
  • Directed staff to incorporate the Commission's utility bill assistance expansion (Option B1) into the 2027-2028 budget and utility rates (unanimous).
  • Directed staff to finalize and bring back an ordinance amending Bellevue City Code 11.32 to adopt the Safe Speeds Bellevue recommended speed limit changes (unanimous).
  • The council noted that the City Manager will provide a report on the Community Crisis Assistance Team (CCAT) program at a future meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the June 2nd, 2026 Bellevue City Council meeting. Thank you for being here and for taking the time to engage in the work of our community. Before I ask the clerk to call the role, I'd like to note that both Mayor Malicoutian and Councilmember Breyer are unable to join us for our meeting. And I would like to entertain a motion to excuse their absence, please. Alright, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay. Motion carries. Thank you. With that, City Clerk, would you call the role? Thank you. Deputy Mayor Hamilton. Here. Councilmember Bargata? Here. Council Member Newman House. Councilmember Robinson. Here. And Councilmember Simon Doria. Thank you. Thank you. Councilmember Robinson, would you lead us in the flag salute? Okay. Please stand if you're able. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. It matters that people feel supported, welcomed, valued, and safe. We are creating a space to come together in that spirit of welcoming tomorrow at our Pride on the Plaza event at City Hall. I want to invite community members to join us from 3 to 6 p.m. to celebrate pride, honor every identity, and continue building a stronger and more connected community. And with that, I'll invite Councilmember Bargava to read the proclamation. Whereas lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning, intersex, asexual, non-binary, and two-spirit communities are integral to the vibrancy of Bellevue, contributing immeasurably to our city's academic, economic, artistic, cultural, civic, and social life. And whereas the month of June is designated as Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots of June 1969, widely recognized as a catalyst for the LGBTQ LGBTQ plus rights movement, and as an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing pursuit of equality, dignity, and belonging. And whereas Pride Month is a time to celebrate progress achieved through decades of advocacy, leadership, and community building, while recognizing the continued importance of ensuring all people can live safely, authentically, and with dignity. And whereas the City of Bellevue is committed to fostering a welcoming community where all residents, employees, and visitors are treated with respect, and all people can feel can fully participate in civic life, and whereas the city remains committed to supporting and respecting LBG LGBTQ community members, including transgender and non-binary individuals, and to fostering a community where all people feel valued, safe, and a sense of belonging. And whereas the City of Bellevue continues to strengthen community through listening to, learning from, and collaborating with LGBTQ plus community members and organizations to help create an inclusive and informing city for all. Now, therefore, I, Vishal Bargawa, on behalf of Mo Malakuchin, mayor of Bellevue, Washington, and the City Council to hereby proclaim June 2026 as LGBTQ IA2S Plus Pride Month in Bellevue and celebrate the meaningful contributions and lasting impact of the LGBTQIA to S Plus community members and invite all residents to participate in Pride Month events and opportunities to celebrate inclusion, belonging, and community. Now we'll have Corina Lynn Gayett, President, Board of Directors for the Eastside Pride Pacific Northwest to offer some comments and then we'll ask if you would just hang around afterwards. We'll do one more proclamation and then we'd love to do a picture. Great. Sounds good. First, I want to start off by saying thank you to the mayor who's not here right now, but for all council members as well, for inviting me here to accept this proclamation. It means a lot to me and Eastide Pride. But my name is Corinna Lynn Gaillette. My pronouns are she and her, and I am the president of East Side Pride PNW. I am also a proud member of the LGBTQ Plus community, a mom. I have my son Richter here with me.

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