Redmond City Council Business Meeting – June 16, 2026
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Redmond City Council Business Meeting – June 16, 2026
The Redmond City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The meeting featured an American Public Works Association (APWA) accreditation presentation, extensive public testimony on a proposed noise ordinance for the ISA shooting range, approval of a consent agenda, and a staff report on the transition of waste hauling services from Waste Management to Recology.
Consent Calendar
- Approved by a 7–0 voice vote. Items included:
- Approval of minutes from the June 2, 2026 regular meeting.
- Approval of payroll/direct deposit and claims checks (May 29, June 10, June 16, 2026).
- Appointment and reappointments to the Community Facilities District (CFD) 2016-01 Board of Supervisors (AM No. 26-093).
- Acceptance of a $20,000 Port of Seattle Tourism Advertising Grant (AM No. 26-094).
- Authorization to accept Washington State Department of Commerce grant funding for the Redmond Asbestos Cement Pipe Replacement Project (AM No. 26-095).
- Award of a construction contract to Earthworks Solutions, LLC for the ADA Curb Ramp 2026 Project, $1,832,795 (AM No. 26-096).
- Award of a construction contract to NPM Construction for the NE 70th Shared Use Path Project, $602,756, and a consultant services agreement supplement with Perteet, $47,156 (AM No. 26-097).
- Approval of the Redmond Historical Society Lease Agreement (AM No. 26-098).
- Approval of a consulting services contract for the State Lobbyist Agreement with Gordon Thomas Honeywell Government Affairs, $79,338 (AM No. 26-099).
- Approval of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) selection consulting services with SoftResources, $64,750 (AM No. 26-100).
- Councilmember Kritzer commented on item 8 (Historical Society lease), expressing support and hope for longer-term options beyond two years.
Public Comments & Testimony
Twenty people signed up to speak in person. The vast majority addressed the proposed noise ordinance amendments for the ISA shooting range. Key positions included:
- Victoria Kitts – Expressed concerns about communication and accountability during the Norman Rockwell Elementary reconstruction project, citing sleep disruption from overnight lighting and noise.
- Sapria Krishnan – Requested continuation of the 50+ pickleball program, noting its importance for seniors, including a grandmother who called it “her me time” and a woman who returned to play after chemotherapy.
- Aaron Hamilton – Thanked Redmond Police and city officials for supporting the first LGBTQ+ community event with police; noted receiving hate from within the community but committed to continued outreach.
- Jim Hartle (Willows Crest HOA Vice President) – Supported the proposed noise ordinance hours, stated it is not about gun rights but about being a good neighbor; described sudden, jarring gunfire impacting health and enjoyment of homes; said ISA has increased operations over the years.
- Ann and Dan Borman – Supported weekday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.–2 p.m. hours; described being unable to entertain on their deck due to noise; asked council not to delay the hours portion.
- Larry Dime – Echoed support for reasonable hours; noted increased noise over 22 years of residency.
- Scott Farrell – Appealed emotionally, describing gunfire as an “uninvited guest” disrupting family gatherings year-round, including holidays.
- Regina Ball – Asked for the noise ordinance to improve quality of life and reduce stress for dogs and nervous systems.
- Gonzalo Asaza – Seconded neighbors’ comments; said shooting makes home office and deck use impossible.
- Azim Gulam – Asked council to move forward with the ordinance without delay; supported both hours and eventual mitigation.
- Mark Epstein – Presented a computer simulation of neighborhood sound; argued gunfire triggers autonomic stress responses; noted ISA is the only outdoor range in a residential zone in western Washington.
- Peter Jarvis (ISA representative) – Stated ISA has voluntarily cut activity over 90% since 1993, restricted calibers, and proposed a development agreement; cautioned that a quick fix might not reduce noise.
- Wolf Adriatico – Criticized city’s handling of the old firehouse teen center demolition; asked for honesty about whether a new teen center will be built.
- John Oftebro (Redmond Historical Society President) – Thanked city for support and space at the old Redmond Schoolhouse; noted the new space is 20% smaller and lease is only two years; highlighted 2025-2026 activities including 495 in-person attendees at Saturday series + 493 online viewers.
- Jeff Cairns – Supported noise ordinance amendments; said ISA should not get special treatment.
- Mariana Kalisova – Supported operating hour reduction; described fear when walking her dog with gunfire causing elevated heart rate.
- David Morton (unincorporated King County resident) – Supported a sales tax for police staffing; cited Redmond’s ratio of 1.12 officers per 1,000 residents (30% below peer cities) and the need to act before the June 30, 2028 grant deadline.
- Isaukon – Briefly supported ordinance, calling some gunfire “bazooka” sounds.
- Karina Suklan – Asked for noise regulation, not closure, with restricted hours and no shooting on public holidays.
- Maya Koyazo – Described living next to the range; requested reduced hours and hoped for eventual relocation.
Discussion Items
- APWA Accreditation Presentation – Mayor Birney recognized the Public Works Department’s effort to achieve accreditation. Tina Nelson, APWA Region 9 Director, reported the department achieved 98% full compliance across 376 practices and was granted full accreditation. Two model practices were recognized: equipment/fleet replacement analysis and street cleaning environmental compliance (decant facility). Redmond joins 230 accredited agencies in the U.S. and Canada. A plaque was presented.
- Waste Hauler Contract Transition from Waste Management to Recology – Utilities Manager Aaron Moldver and Solid Waste Program Administrator Jesse Dunbar presented. Recology began service January 1, 2026. Key stats: rates increased ~20% over WM (WM had proposed 100%), and Redmond’s 32-gallon cart rates are third lowest in King County. Missed collections average 0.37 per 1,000 homes (94/month) versus WM’s 98/month. Early morning collection issues were resolved; exception zones established on Willows Road, near Costco, and Microsoft campus. Cart replacements have been slow but improving. The Recology Store has collected nearly two tons of Styrofoam, a ton of batteries, etc. Diversion rate increased nearly 4% since January. The city launched Wastebuster AI sorting assistant. Residents should contact Recology first, then Jesse Dunbar for unresolved issues.
- Ombudsperson Reports – Councilmember Forsythe (May) had no updates. Councilmember Soni (June) reported correspondence including a letter from firefighters on administrative concerns, inquiries about multifamily tax exemption, concerns about detention facility siting, and other items. Other councilmembers shared updates on community events, the World Cup planning, and the East Rail Corridor letter.
- Committee Reports – Councilmembers reported on:
- Sound Cities Association Public Issues Committee (PIC) – King County Solid Waste proposing 8.5% fee increase (63% cumulative 2028–2032).
- Tenant Protection Subcommittee – Met June 16, preparing items for study session July 14.
- Public Safety and Human Services Committee – Discussed MFTE tax exemption amendments; moved five items to consent.
- Finance, Administration, and Communications Committee – Reviewed budget ground rules and long-range financial strategy.
- King County Transportation District adopted a new sales tax (effective Jan 1, 2027) with 12.5% potentially returning to cities.
Key Outcomes
- The consent agenda was approved unanimously (7–0).
- No ordinances or resolutions were adopted; the noise ordinance discussion will continue at the Planning and Public Works Committee on July 7, 2026.
- The waste hauler update was informational; no vote taken.
- Council received reports and correspondence; committee reports were noted.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. I'm calling this meeting to order. This is a regular business meeting of the Redmond City Council held on Tuesday, June 16th, 2026, commencing at 7 o'clock PM. I will call role starting with Council President Stewart. Here. Council Vice President Nueva Camina? Here. Councilmember Forsyth? Here. Councilmember Parkria? Here. Councilmember Parsi? Here. Councilmember Sony? Yeah. And Councilmember Kritzer. Here. Wonderful. The first item on the agenda is a presentation for the American Public Works Association or APWA accreditation. I'm going to in a moment ask the region director to come up and speak for a little bit about the work that our public works department has done. But I just want to say just a few short words. So our, as everyone knows, I hope, our public works department is committed to delivering exceptional services that support a thriving community. But they wanted to do better. So in 2024, they took a major step and they embarked on the journey of becoming accredited with the APWA. It is part of their continued focus on ensuring that they are delivering the best service to our community as possible. And I have a note here that says really you don't you want to know it's working well because if it's not working well, then you know it's not working well, and then that's when you give you give us a call and you things aren't working right. But um, but our team does such a fantastic job. Um, and this accreditation will just enhance all of that service. They did major updates. It was an incredible amount of work. Every we have a whole bunch of our team members here. Um, and it also included work from different parts of our city to ensure that they were able to get this across the finish line. We are so proud of Director Burt and the entire team that got this through in honestly, a pretty short period of time. It was really a full team effort to make it happen. And I know that this will just ensure that our infrastructure continues to run smoothly for our community. Um, and once again, hopefully the community will never know because everything's going to be perfect from here on out. I know. I know there are issues that happen, but our team is really exceptional in ensuring that everything is working well. And so with that, I'm going to turn it over to Tina Nelson. She's the American Public Works Region 9 director to share the results of our effort, and then when she's done, we're gonna take a big picture of everybody. So Tina, come on up. Thank you so much, Mayor. Um good evening, Mayor and Council, city staff, and the wonderful folks here from your public works department. I really appreciate this invitation, and it's a pleasure to be here and to provide uh a few words. Public works is my passion, and representing APWA is a true honor. And one of the privileges of being one of the board of directors is to get to connect with others about public works and APWA, including events like these in recognition of exemplary work. So just a quick here. What is APWA for those that don't know? APWA, the American Public Works Association, was formed in 1937. It's a not-for-profit international organization with about 30,000 plus members involved in the field of public works, governed by 17 directors, a CEO, and 56 full-time staff.
openpublica.com