The Redmond City Council held a regular business meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 7:00 PM at City Hall and via remote access. The meeting included public comments, approval of a consent agenda, staff reports on World Cup planning and first-quarter finances, ombudsperson and committee reports, and executive sessions. The council approved the consent agenda 7-0 and authorized the purchase of a property for a new municipal operations site.
Twenty-four community members signed up to speak in person, and two spoke remotely. The majority of speakers urged the council to pass the Redmond Renters Bill of Rights by the end of July 2026. Speakers included representatives from Transit Riders Union, Eastside for All, King County Bar Association Housing Justice Project, Africans on the East Side, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Tech for Housing, and the 45th and 48th Legislative District Democrats. They argued that nearly two-thirds of Redmond households are renters, and that the city needs to address junk fees, rent stability, retaliation prevention, and transparency. Several speakers shared personal experiences with hidden fees (e.g., $165.34 in monthly fees, $500 in common area fees, $20 to use the bathroom, $65 high-speed internet fee, $3.99 per payment fee) and the threat of displacement. A few speakers raised the possibility of a ballot initiative if the council does not act promptly.
Other speakers addressed:
World Cup Planning Update – Deputy Director of Planning Serafi Allen and other staff presented a comprehensive update on the city’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Seattle, with Redmond hosting watch parties and community events. Key highlights: the city has budgeted approximately $2.4 million (with $395,000 from grants and sponsorships); 28 watch party grantees; a legacy sign unveiling on June 12; a “Meet Me at Marymoor” final match celebration on July 19 (capacity up to 4,000 with FIFA license); enhanced public safety staffing (six additional officers on game days, three on non-game days); pedestrian scrambles installed on Redmond Way; and a new emergency alert system (text REDMONDREADY). Councilmember Forsythe raised a question about communicating the drone-as-first-responder program to visitors, and staff agreed to incorporate it into outreach.
First Quarter 2026 Financial Report – Deputy Finance Director Harita Nara presented the report. General fund revenues are 9% above target, driven by strong sales tax ($15.2 million above target), utility tax, and development-related revenues. Expenditures are 5% below budget due to vacancies (6% vacancy rate). Citywide overtime is 18% over target, primarily in police and fire. Capital project spending is on track. The report noted economic uncertainty from federal funding and inflation. Councilmember Prakriya asked about intergovernmental transfers being 10% below target; staff attributed it to timing. Council President Stewart questioned a 48% underspend in utility CIP; staff will follow up.
Ombudsperson Reports – Councilmember Forsythe (May) and Councilmember Kritzer (April) reported on constituent contacts regarding renter protections, Recology pricing, trans community safety, the noise ordinance, and other topics. Several councilmembers voiced support for the transgender community following a recent tragedy at the University of Washington.
Committee Reports – Councilmembers reported on meetings of the Tenant Protections Subcommittee (developing a policy matrix), Finance Administration and Communications Committee (federal lobbying, data governance, budget engagement), Eastside Transportation Partnership (fourth line support letter, World Cup transit planning), One Redmond Foundation (Marymoor Arts and Science Center feasibility study), and Regional Water Quality Committee (sewer rate letter, Sound Transit expansion statement).
I'm calling this meeting to order. This is a regular business meeting of the Redmond City Council held on Tuesday, May 19th, 2026, commencing at 7 o'clock PM. I will call roll starting with Council President Stewart. Council Vice President Nueva Camino? Here. Councilmember Forsyth. Here. Councilmember Pakrea. Here. Councilmember Parsi? Here. Councilmember Sony. Here. And Council Member Kritzer. Here. Thank you. There are no special orders of the day. The first item on our agenda is items from the audience. I have the sign-in sheet for members of the public to speak tonight when I read your name. You will come up to the podium and have three minutes to address the council. Council members generally will not respond to comments or questions directly at the meeting. Members of the public are welcome to email the council anytime at Mayor Council at Redmond.gov. The views stated by members of the public do not represent the opinion of the city of Redmond. As a reminder, RCW 29B 45010 prohibits any public comment during the council meeting and support or opposition of ballot propositions, measures, or candidates. All comments must pertain to the city of Redmond business as indicated on the sign in sheet. And there are uh twenty-four people signed up to speak tonight, and two people signed up to speak remotely. So normally what I do is I start with the first four names, and I'll keep rotating through so you'll kind of know when you're coming up. So um, and I apologize if I mispronounce your name. I do my best to read these. Um I will start with Paul Edward Morris, then Guillermo Rivera, then Craig Peck, then Lam Ho. Well, as I live and breathe, how the heck are you? I'm Paul Morris. I'm a resident of Kirkland. And I'm here to seek answers to why we are not seeing public access defibrillators installed in your city parks. This is my third go-around to request that the city of Redmond install public access defibrillators in all of your city parks. The reason why is because lives are precious to me. And I truly hope that those lives are equally as precious to you as council members and our honorable mayor as well. Um fire chief is here. I see him over here. Hi. I'm sure that you would appreciate having proper CPR administered uh with sudden cardiac arrest, right? Yes. And so you'd like to have a patient that's actually viable. And the only way you can do that is to get in the four minutes that the new guidelines of the AHA have delineated, and that's four minutes. And I doubt very seriously that if your department is dispatched out, it will not get there in four minutes. Um excuse me, sir. Um, point of order. The speaker does need to direct the comments to the council tonight. Oh, okay. I'm sorry.