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Record of Proceedings

Redmond Committee of the Whole – Public Safety & Human Services Meeting Summary – May 19, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 19, 2026
BodyRedmond, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:11

And this is the May 19th.

0:17

Council members in attendance are Council President Stewart, Council Vice President Nueva Camino, Council Members Parsi, Forsyth, Sony, Kritzer, and myself, presiding officer, Councilmember Brocria.

0:31

We have five action items on the agenda today.

0:34

And I will note that this is actually a very packed meeting.

0:43

So I may need to cut you off at some point when it comes to questions.

0:47

The first action item is Vision Blueprint 2050, an update of Redmond's capital investment strategy presented by Glenn Coyle of the Planning Department.

1:02

I guess I'll skip you our talking points.

1:04

Okay.

1:06

Good afternoon, Council members.

1:07

I'm Glenn Coyle, senior planner in the long-range planning team.

1:11

Staff is requesting council uh to approve the Vision Blueprint 2050, which is the city's capital investment strategy.

1:19

This strategic plan serves as the nexus between the vision goals and capital facility policies in the Redmond 2050 comprehensive plan and the city's capital investment program, known as the CIP, and the two-year budget.

1:34

Vision Blueprint 2050 compiles the city's capital planning and financial policies as well as projects from the city's adopted functional plans and lays out a capital investment strategy to the year 2050.

1:48

It should be noted that the city's long-term capital projects and these are housed in separate functional plans.

1:54

Vision Blueprint 2050 brings together these existing projects into one resource that can be used as a guide to plan and coordinate the city's CIP as well as long-term planning for capital projects.

2:07

It is not a budget document, but rather a planning document.

2:11

Vision Blueprint 2050 will serve as a resource for the city's long-term capital planning.

2:17

Similar to his present predecessor, Vision Blueprint 2030, the plan is intended as a live in document.

2:23

It will be updated during off-budget years in anticipation of updates to the six-year CIP.

2:30

Lastly, I'd like to note that this was a true multi-departmental effort with numerous staff from public works, parks, finance, planning, environmental sustainability, police, and fire involved in the reviewing and editing process of this plan.

2:45

It is also the product of other important plan updates that needed to be completed before we could finalize this plan, such as the Transportation Master Plan, the Capital Facilities Plan for Government Facilities, and the Fire Functional Plan.

2:59

As it was mentioned, staff is seeking approval by resolution on the consent agenda June 2nd.

3:05

And I will turn it back to the chair for discussion and any questions.

3:09

Thank you.

3:10

Wonderful.

3:10

Thank you, Glenn.

3:11

Any questions?

3:15

Councilmember Kritzer.

3:18

Thank you so much.

3:19

This is a very robust document and obviously reflects a lot of years of work on a variety of plans that are contained within this plan or things that inform the this plan.

3:32

Typically, when we look at something of this kind of scale, we usually have a study session.

3:37

So I'm just curious.

3:38

It seems like this is our first touch of moving it straight to consent.

3:42

Can you speak to kind of the thinking on that or whether is it just because it it's includes so much that we've already covered?

3:50

Otherwise, I I guess I'm just wondering if it makes sense for us to have an additional kind of touch on this.

3:57

I would say yes uh to the first thing uh related that all the material in this is already existing in other places.

4:05

Um adopted functional plans that council had adopted, the Redmond 2050 plan, um, even parts of the current budget and things like that.

4:14

Um that's one of the first reasons.

4:16

The second also is that the city is going into an updated um budget process.

4:22

The city is currently updated updated CIP, which will be coming to council um this spring, summer, fall.

4:29

And we did also didn't want to kind of muddle those kind of similar but parallel processes with this document, um, which would be triggered to be updated uh next year after the next budget's approved.

4:43

So that that was kind of the thinking and the original scope of this plan ultimately was to have this adopted a little bit earlier um in this year, or perhaps even last year.

4:52

Uh it's just with the other delays to some of our functional plans, you know, just trying to get those approves, you know, getting all the numbers and metrics there kind of updated.

5:02

Uh, this got pushed back a little bit.

5:04

So that was kind of the reasoning behind um that um I don't know turns to either.

5:11

Anybody else want to say anything?

5:13

Okay.

5:14

Yeah, I guess I would say, like, for example, I know we're in the middle of review right now on our fiscal policies, which um are referenced in chapter three.

5:22

Um, so my only concern about passing this is if this is kind of leveling up.

5:26

One is I think being able to be assured if there are any things in here that aren't policies we already approved or kind of direction that we already approved and being able to pull out anything that's net new in here, which is a little hard to tell from here.

5:39

So and I I I know there's a lot in there.

5:42

Um, but then secondly, some things like for example, the fiscal policies, which um we might have some changes to in the upcoming time as we um still have work ahead on that.

5:50

So um, but I I I again want to recognize all the the great work and thank you so much for that.

5:56

Um so happy to cede the floor to my colleagues, but just wanted to raise that as a question.

6:08

Thank you.

6:09

Um so how are how are we feeling about this?

6:11

Do we want another touch?

6:12

Um do we want to move this consent?

6:15

Can we get a thumbs up if we would like another touch on this uh before moving it?

6:21

Um I think the thing I'll just add again too is that they these are a lot of documents that we've kind of seen already, and you are gonna have further touches on the budget with the fiscal policy and with CIP, and so I feel like we are totally open to have like another conversation about it, and you will be likely having some of the similar topics come up later this year through some of your processes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████37%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████15%
Community Development██████████10%
Community Engagement███████7%
Fiscal Sustainability█████5%
Transportation Safety████4%
Mental Health Awareness███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Redmond Committee of the Whole – Public Safety and Human Services Meeting Summary – May 19, 2026

The Committee of the Whole for Public Safety and Human Services met on May 19, 2026, to review several action items, informational reports, and discuss future agenda items. Presiding Officer Councilmember Prakriya led the meeting, with council members Stewart, Nuevacamina, Parsi, Forsyth, Soni, and Kritzer in attendance. The committee considered consent agenda items, an informational police report, updates on the REDI program, community stability funding, and zoning code amendments.

Consent Calendar

  • Vision Blueprint 2050 (CM 26-3211) – Staff requested approval by consent on June 2; however, council members Kritzer and Stewart raised concerns about the lack of prior study session and the need for a tracking matrix. The committee agreed to hold another study session before consent; questions due by next Friday (May 29).
  • King County EMS BLS and MIH Services Contract (CM 26-3102) – Approved for consent on June 2. The contract provides ~$2.5 million annually in 2026 with an escalator through 2031, including MIH funding at ~$500,000 annually.
  • King County EMS ALS Services Contract (CM 26-3283) – Approved for consent on June 2. The contract represents ~$16.2 million annually in 2026 with an escalator through 2031, covering the Northeast King County region.
  • Washington State Patrol Fire Mobilization Interagency Agreement (CM 26-3274) – Approved for consent on June 2; agreement runs through January 2029.
  • WA DNR Wildfire and Emergency Response Interagency Agreement (CM 26-3265) – Approved for consent on June 2; agreement runs through July 2031.
  • 2025 Legislative Conformance, Business Improvement, and Fences Zoning Code Amendments (CM 26-3313) – Staff presented a revised recommendation regarding administrative lot splits, consistent with new Department of Commerce guidance. Council moved it to consent for June 2.

Informational Reports & Discussion

Vision Blueprint 2050

  • Glenn Coyle (Senior Planner) presented the capital investment strategy. He noted it consolidates existing functional plans and is a planning document, not a budget document.
  • Councilmember Kritzer questioned moving the plan directly to consent, given its scale; she asked for assurance on net-new policies and alignment with fiscal policies under review.
  • Council President Stewart noted the lack of a tracking matrix and expressed interest in using the document as a tracking tool.
  • The committee agreed to schedule another study session; council members will submit questions by next Friday (May 29, 2026).

King County EMS Contracts

  • Deputy Chief Whitney presented BLS and ALS agreements together. He described the tiered response system and explained the difference between BLS and ALS.
  • Councilmember Soni asked about 30-day termination notice; Deputy Chief explained the funding relationship since 2002 and contingency plans.
  • Councilmember Forsyth expressed support and wished the department a happy EMS Week.
  • No objections; both items moved to consent.

Washington State Patrol and DNR Fire Mobilization Agreements

  • Deputy Chief Whitney combined these items; they allow rapid deployment and reimbursement for all-hazard events.
  • Council Vice President Nuevacamina asked about safeguards to maintain Redmond capability during deployments; Deputy Chief cited voluntary participation and recall capability.
  • Councilmember Kritzer asked about employee injury responsibility; Deputy Chief clarified the city retains responsibility, and there is cost recovery for apparatus.
  • Councilmember Soni asked about overtime reimbursement; Deputy Chief explained backfill is covered at the deployed individual's pay rate.
  • Councilmember Parsi asked about coverage during the gap between January and the June approval; Deputy Chief acknowledged the agreements had expired earlier than expected but confirmed state partners would honor deployments.
  • No objections; both items moved to consent.

Q1 2026 Police Activity Report

  • Chief Lowe presented the RPD Q1 report. Total calls for service were 6,664, up 0.5% from 6,631; arrests up ~7%; thefts down ~67%; residential burglaries down under 65%; shoplifting down ~27%; property crime down ~42%; violent crime down 56%; assaults up ~18%, with ~50% domestic violence-related.
  • Traffic collisions increased; Chief Lowe noted emphasis patrols and collaboration with traffic engineers.
  • Councilmember Parsi asked about cross-department collaboration on collision causes; Chief Lowe confirmed coordination.
  • Council President Stewart welcomed future investments in the Safer Streets for All action plan.
  • Councilmember Soni asked about shoplifting strategy and locations; Chief Lowe noted organized retail theft at big-box stores and emphasis operations.
  • Councilmember Kritzer asked about auto theft decrease; Chief Lowe attributed it to regional task forces, license plate readers, and aging out of juvenile offenders.
  • Councilmember Parsi suggested examining per-capita rates; Chief Lowe noted rates are based on population counts approximately two years behind.
  • Council Vice President Nuevacamina requested a heat map of collision locations; Deputy Chief Coates offered to share the Power BI map.

REDI Program Update

  • Zach Hovener provided updates: the Ready Program Administrator recruitment received 61 applicants; 14 met criteria; six screened; five moved to staff panel interviews; community panel scheduled for May 28. Final interviews with the mayor/COOs and an offer expected by mid-June.
  • Citywide Ready training rollout will bring ~800 FTEs through mandatory half-day sessions beginning in June.
  • Upcoming Pride events were highlighted, including flag raising June 1, Rainbow Bingo June 5 (90 spots remaining), and Pride Promenade June 6.
  • Councilmember Parsi asked about police presence at events and hate crime prevention; noted community concerns from neighboring cities.
  • Council President Stewart expressed support for continued measurement of organizational health in the next biennial budget.

Community Stability Funding Update

  • Deputy Director Narayana (Finance) reported $1.4 million budgeted for the Community Stability Fund in 2025-26; about $250,000 spent, leaving $1.15 million in the human services fund.
  • Brooke Buckingham (Human Services Manager) outlined three funding buckets: organizational capacity/resilience, food and essential needs (e.g., food banks), and community stability (rental/financial assistance); plus potential nonprofit capital needs.
  • Councilmember Forsyth expressed support for direct assistance (food, housing) and added legal support as a growing need.
  • Councilmember Kritzer suggested a nonprofit grant round and mentioned Pride Across the Bridge's proposed Rainbow Resilience Network.
  • Councilmember Parsi suggested supporting local nonprofits and medical fee coverage.
  • Council President Stewart requested data on whether previously funded organizations in housing stability, legal services, and food security could expend new funds within the year; staff agreed to email.

Zoning Code Amendments

  • Lauren Alpert presented a small change to the proposed code amendments regarding administrative lot splits, aligning with revised Department of Commerce guidance. She noted the change clarifies that lots created through the lot-splitting process may be eligible for further subdivision through short subdivisions or subdivisions.
  • Council President Stewart asked for examples of other processes; Alpert cited short subdivisions and subdivisions.
  • The committee agreed to move the item to consent on June 2.

Key Outcomes

  • Vision Blueprint 2050: Held from consent; another study session to be scheduled; council questions due by May 29.
  • EMS BLS and ALS contracts: Both moved to consent for June 2 business meeting.
  • WSP and DNR agreements: Both moved to consent for June 2.
  • Zoning amendments: Moved to consent for June 2.
  • Community Stability Fund: Staff to email council with additional data on funding recipients.
  • Police dashboard: Deputy Chief Coates to share Power BI heat map with council.

Meeting Transcript

And this is the May 19th. Council members in attendance are Council President Stewart, Council Vice President Nueva Camino, Council Members Parsi, Forsyth, Sony, Kritzer, and myself, presiding officer, Councilmember Brocria. We have five action items on the agenda today. And I will note that this is actually a very packed meeting. So I may need to cut you off at some point when it comes to questions. The first action item is Vision Blueprint 2050, an update of Redmond's capital investment strategy presented by Glenn Coyle of the Planning Department. I guess I'll skip you our talking points. Okay. Good afternoon, Council members. I'm Glenn Coyle, senior planner in the long-range planning team. Staff is requesting council uh to approve the Vision Blueprint 2050, which is the city's capital investment strategy. This strategic plan serves as the nexus between the vision goals and capital facility policies in the Redmond 2050 comprehensive plan and the city's capital investment program, known as the CIP, and the two-year budget. Vision Blueprint 2050 compiles the city's capital planning and financial policies as well as projects from the city's adopted functional plans and lays out a capital investment strategy to the year 2050. It should be noted that the city's long-term capital projects and these are housed in separate functional plans. Vision Blueprint 2050 brings together these existing projects into one resource that can be used as a guide to plan and coordinate the city's CIP as well as long-term planning for capital projects. It is not a budget document, but rather a planning document. Vision Blueprint 2050 will serve as a resource for the city's long-term capital planning. Similar to his present predecessor, Vision Blueprint 2030, the plan is intended as a live in document. It will be updated during off-budget years in anticipation of updates to the six-year CIP. Lastly, I'd like to note that this was a true multi-departmental effort with numerous staff from public works, parks, finance, planning, environmental sustainability, police, and fire involved in the reviewing and editing process of this plan. It is also the product of other important plan updates that needed to be completed before we could finalize this plan, such as the Transportation Master Plan, the Capital Facilities Plan for Government Facilities, and the Fire Functional Plan. As it was mentioned, staff is seeking approval by resolution on the consent agenda June 2nd. And I will turn it back to the chair for discussion and any questions. Thank you. Wonderful. Thank you, Glenn. Any questions? Councilmember Kritzer. Thank you so much. This is a very robust document and obviously reflects a lot of years of work on a variety of plans that are contained within this plan or things that inform the this plan. Typically, when we look at something of this kind of scale, we usually have a study session. So I'm just curious. It seems like this is our first touch of moving it straight to consent. Can you speak to kind of the thinking on that or whether is it just because it it's includes so much that we've already covered? Otherwise, I I guess I'm just wondering if it makes sense for us to have an additional kind of touch on this. I would say yes uh to the first thing uh related that all the material in this is already existing in other places. Um adopted functional plans that council had adopted, the Redmond 2050 plan, um, even parts of the current budget and things like that. Um that's one of the first reasons. The second also is that the city is going into an updated um budget process. The city is currently updated updated CIP, which will be coming to council um this spring, summer, fall. And we did also didn't want to kind of muddle those kind of similar but parallel processes with this document, um, which would be triggered to be updated uh next year after the next budget's approved. So that that was kind of the thinking and the original scope of this plan ultimately was to have this adopted a little bit earlier um in this year, or perhaps even last year. Uh it's just with the other delays to some of our functional plans, you know, just trying to get those approves, you know, getting all the numbers and metrics there kind of updated. Uh, this got pushed back a little bit. So that was kind of the reasoning behind um that um I don't know turns to either. Anybody else want to say anything? Okay. Yeah, I guess I would say, like, for example, I know we're in the middle of review right now on our fiscal policies, which um are referenced in chapter three. Um, so my only concern about passing this is if this is kind of leveling up. One is I think being able to be assured if there are any things in here that aren't policies we already approved or kind of direction that we already approved and being able to pull out anything that's net new in here, which is a little hard to tell from here.

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