I'm calling this meeting to order. This is a regular business meeting of the Redmond City Council held on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025, commencing at 7 p.m. I'm presiding over this meeting as mayor pro-10, and I will call roll with, starting with councilmember fields.
Here. Council vice president Forsyck. Here. Councilmember Salahoudin. Here. Councilmember Stewart. Here. Councilmember Nueva Camina. Here. Councilmember Anderson.
here.
Here.
And myself, Councillor Critzer is here.
The first item on the agenda is a proclamation for Pride Month.
We have staff member, Michael Love, who's going to come up to accept this proclamation and
say a few words afterwards, but I will be reading the proclamation first.
I'm reading.
Wonderful.
Well, welcome, Laurel and welcome, Michael.
Whereas the city of Redmond is proud to be home to a diverse and vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender queer, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, and other sexual and gender minority communities.
And, whereas in 1969, the Stonewall uprising laid the foundation for the 2S-LGBTQIA plus rights movement.
Through significant progress, those significant progress has been made.
There is still work to do to ensure the unwavering rights for all people.
Whereas, the first Pride Proclamation in Redmond was created in 2019, and whereas Pride across
the bridge started Redmond Pride in 2022 held annually on Labor Day Weekend, this event
builds and celebrates the community in Redmond and on the east side through performances,
music, LGBTQ plus vendors, and resource booths and more, and whereas the presence and visibility
of the 2S LGBT QIA plus community is vital to the quality of life for all residents and visitors alike in Redmond,
a city known for being welcoming and home for many in this community.
And whereas in the face of current and escalating challenges across the nation,
the city reaffirms its commitment to being in solidarity with the 2S LGBT QIA plus community,
ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly within Redmond's borders.
And whereas during Pride Month, we reflect on the progress that has been made
thanks to the 2SLGBTQIA plus activists and their allies,
while also recognizing that there is still work to be done
to create a world where everyone can live authentically and safely.
Now, therefore, I, on behalf of Mayor Angela Bernie of the City of Redmond, do proclaim June 2025 as Pride Month in the City of Redmond and encourage all residents to celebrate and honor the two S-LGBT-QIA-plus community.
And now I'll invite our staff members to be able to say a few words and then after that, I'll invite those in the community to be able to join us for an even bigger picture.
Thank you, thank you very much, I want to keep it short and sweet, so essentially I just would like to say that at a time when we need the support of our leadership, it means really a lot to have like in the words in this proclamation solidarity, it means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to the constituents here in the city.
city. So thank you very much. And I can't walk away with this, right? Where does this
go now?
Thank you very much. The employee pride committee is happy to accept this on behalf
of the city. Thank you very much.
Thank you. And actually, if you want to
stay up here for a moment, I wanted to invite our council members, in particular, our council
Council members who identify as LGBTQIA plus to join us as well as other council members
and any community members who identify as part of the to us LGBTQIA plus community.
To join us up here and we can take one more group photo just to be able to stand in solidarity
all together.
Thank you.
Thank you all so much. The next item on the 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
If you'll come up to the podium, you'll 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 any time at mayor council at redmond.gov or council at redmond.gov.
The views stated by the members of the public do not represent the opinion of the city of Redmond.
And as a reminder, RCW-42.17a.555 prohibits any public comment during 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.
There are nine people signed up to speak tonight and one person has signed up to speak remotely.
And so I will start by reading the first couple names, first Aaron Hamilton, then Chester Anderson, then Sasha Glenn.
Aaron, please come up to the podium.
Good evening.
With it being Pride Month, it's important for the City Council to make a real effort in holding the Redmond Police Department accountable
when it comes to how they handle hate crimes towards the LGBTQ plus community, especially the trans community.
I've experienced it firsthand, and I've heard from countless others how they cannot trust
the reman police department to do their job in protecting the communities that are targeted
the most.
I would like to share a message I received from a straight cis man who I've never met
or engaged with on any level.
He told me, no one like me is ever going to look at someone like you, ever.
Call yourself whatever you want, you're a dude, and you're imposing your delusions on
others to validate it, a dependent, ugly, disgusting person.
I mean that about your soul, not your face, which is also disgusting, don't ever engage
me.
If you slowed my life down, making you stay out of my way, I will definitely retrieve
a firearm and put you down, stay away from me.
Regardless of never engaging with this man in my life, he knew I lived in downtown Redmond.
Naturally, I called the police to report this hate-driven death threat, hoping that they
would protect me.
I gave them copies of the message that contained a photo of his face and his first name.
What did the Redmond Police Department do?
Nothing.
They didn't investigate it, the officer didn't pass the case to a detective, a death threat
and they did nothing.
I feared for my life, and I stayed locked in my apartment for months.
This, maybe if I was killed, they would have actually taken it seriously, but it would
have already been too late.
This isn't the only time I've had to deal with threats driven by hate here in Redmond.
A man threatened to throw me down to the ground so he could stomp my Adam's apple in.
I've been pushed, punched, slurs used towards me.
A man in a local bar who knew I was an athlete came up to me and told me to pull down my pants
to see if I had a penis.
Why? Because he wanted to prove to his friends that I'm not a woman.
That's only some of what I have to deal with on almost a daily basis just here in Redmond.
I'm sure you're wondering if I bothered to report any of these other incidents to the police.
And I would sit tell you, why would I?
They have already made it clear that they don't care. Heck,
They let the man who sexually assaulted me walk free, but that's another story that I'll share later.
The Redmond Police Department is failing the LGBTQ plus and the trans community and they don't even care.
Lord knows I've asked them directly to do more and they never do anything.
And there's probably a reason why Redmond Pride never wants the police around, and that speaks volumes.
I feel like no one in this city or on this council is holding them accountable to do the one thing that they're supposed to do to serve and protect.
I don't see how they act.
You don't see how they actually interact with the community.
The time is up.
And how they disconnect.
They are instead.
I see them being praised by all of you and the mayor when they haven't earned it.
Did you say they made the motion to extend the time?
The trust is broken and they have the audacity to tell me that it's my responsibility to do.
Second.
There's a motion on the floor.
If you could pause for a moment, there's a motion on the floor.
Motion to extend the public testimony person's time.
And there was a second from Councilmember Forsyth.
There's been a motion in a second
Apologies, I'm just going to consult. Do we need to and
I would like to make a motion to suspend the rules motion to extend the
Suspend the rules and extend the time
There's been a motion. Is there a second?
Second
It has been moved and seconded to suspend our council rules
a lot in the three minutes to each speaker.
This is a roll call vote starting with Councilmember Fields.
Aye.
It passes.
So since the rules have been suspended, we'll give you an additional amount of time.
Thank you.
For those who could not hear our staff attorney who was advising on the situation,
The advice was to make a motion to extend the time by a certain number of minutes.
Is there a motion to extend the time by a certain number of minutes?
I move to extend the time by one minute.
It has been moved and seconded.
This is, is there any discussion?
Councillor Ember Anderson?
I don't finish.
What do you wrote?
Oh, excuse me.
Thank you.
Any other discussion?
Raise your hand.
Honourable.
Councillor Ember.
I'm not sure if Council Member Anderson made a motion to allow more than one minute as an amendment.
I will be happy to amend the main motion to extend the time to allow the speaker to complete what they wrote.
Second.
Yeah.
Our legal has a comment.
My recommendation would be something
that can work across the board with all speakers,
so that you're not giving one speaker
in a public comment opportunity longer.
And so I appreciate that intention.
A minute, minute half addition on top of the three minutes
would establish it easier for future speakers.
So you'd like me to amend or I'll withdraw my second
amendment or my amendment.
I withdraw the second.
Okay.
May I try again?
The main motion is currently to extend the speaking by one minute.
Councillor Anderson, do you have a comment or an amendment?
My amendment, I move to amend the main motion to add one full.
It's a time period of three minutes. For all speakers, if they ask. Today.
Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Yes. The council member feels like that. Please raise your hands. Thank you. We're in a bit of an irregular situation, but I would ask everyone if you can please raise your hand. That would be great. Thanks. You can go council member. If you have the floor. I'd like just ask council.
So when we suspend the rules, do we need to unsuspend the rules, or is this just suspending the rules for this meeting?
It's suspending the rules for this purpose, right?
Perfect.
Okay.
So just to be clear, council members, Anderson's amendment to the main motion is to give speakers tonight up to six minutes.
Yes, okay, just wanted clarity, thank you.
Is there any other, is there any other discussion on the amendment?
Council member Stewart.
I had a point of information if the chair will permit.
Yes.
I actually didn't hear the, and thank you so much to the speaker for your patience, Aaron, really appreciate you, and for all those in attendance today.
I actually did not hear the typical timer go off, so did we have an issue with the timer today in general?
or was there an irregularity with the timer today as well?
No, the timer went off and then I did the typical process of giving the speaker a moment to conclude and then did mute the speaker as is our process if people are over time.
Okay, then I missed the buzzer actually going off.
Thank you.
Okay, so there's a motion and an amendment currently on the floor, so we will vote on
the amendment if there's no other discussion on the amendment.
We'll start with Council Member Fields.
Aye.
No.
Aye.
No.
And it fails, 5 to 2, 2 to 5.
So we'll now vote on the original motion which was to extend the speaking time by one
minute for this speaker or for all speakers or all speakers for all speakers.
Is there any discussion? Councilmember Anderson, just a quick comment. Thank you so much
for sharing your story with us today.
Any other discussion? Okay, let's vote on this
motion. Councilmember Fields. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. It passes. So you have one more
minute. Thank you. We do have to do things via Roberts rules. So thank you very much.
And also just want to apologize for using the wrong address towards you and please continue.
So, to be clear, she and her, I feel like no one in this city or in this council is holding them accountable to do the one thing they're supposed to do, to serve and protect.
I don't see how they act, you don't see how they actually interact with the community and how disconnected they are.
Instead, I see them being praised by all of you and the mayor when they haven't earned it.
Trust the trust is broken and they have the audacity to tell me that it's my responsibility to do all the work and effort and
Rebuilding that trust
There's that disconnect I've been talking about. They won't listen to me, but they have to listen to you at this point
I wish that the guy would have killed me because I don't want to live in a world where I'm being dehumanized being told
I'm mentally ill or that I've mutilated myself or other things that I don't want to repeat out loud
If it takes someone killing me
For just being me to get the police to change and act, then I will gladly take those bullets every time so that the next trans person doesn't have to, that's the type of person that I am, and that's the type of cop I would have been.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, and thank you for sticking with us around that vote and sharing your story with us.
The next person on the agenda is,
and as a note, based on that vote that we just took,
I'm going to give every speaker four minutes,
so that way we can be consistent,
and we don't have to pause each time
if people want to take their extra minutes.
So the next person up to speak is Chester Anderson.
Yeah, then thank you.
Yeah, appreciate it.
I heard a comment from the audience,
and I will know Sasha Golan is next after that.
Go ahead, Chester.
It's really ironic.
I mean, what we all saw just here,
I am so sorry, Aaron.
I feel your pain.
I, it's really ironic that this time is supposed to be
a time of celebration for all of us.
I remember for years, I yearned for the opportunity
to finally celebrate Pride Month and to be my real self.
And I'm sure all my friends feel the same way, you know, we were all so excited to finally celebrate at the firehouse, but instead we are forced to come here every other week and
scold people three times our age to do their job. And we are all so tired. My grades are down the drain because my health problem has not improved as you all may know, it was indirectly because of the firehouse closing down and me having to take the initiative to help the effort for reopening it.
All my friends are in high school, middle school even, this shouldn't be like a chore for
them to do.
This is all so ridiculous that we all just have to do this every other week, sometimes
more often.
And I mean, I went to the community listening session last week at RSCC.
It was very, very frustrating for all of us, but we did appreciate the council members
that did help us.
And I remember one thing in particular stuck out to me is my friend was talking about how they can't celebrate graduating the way they would have because the firehouse will be closed, they'll go off to college and the firehouse will be closed and they might not ever get to go back and I added and the building will still be safe to occupy and because in short term, according to the city, the building is safe to occupy, it's a long term maintenance issue.
the building is not collapsing in on itself, and the building is still safe to occupy.
I just don't understand why we can't just temporarily reopen the firehouse, get the engagement from there,
because we already have everyone centralised there, get engagement from everyone,
have a transparent process, figure out what works, and then if need be closed down the firehouse with plenty of notice.
The city had at least two years, maybe even more, to do this process.
It's just also backwards and the funny thing is there's nothing even left for me to say that hasn't been said yet
I am so tired. I my mental health is down the drain. My physical health is down the drain. My grades are down the drain
I
Everything feels so pointless at this point and it is so I don't think you all fully grasp how frustrating all of this is
Like I said at the community listening session
It really does feel like talking to a brick wall with a smiley face as we all saw with the Pride Month presentation
It's really, we're listening to you and then they're not.
And there is nothing left for me to say.
Thank you to Steve Fields for your dedication.
Thank you all to all the council members who I hope we'll vote yes in another motion.
Hopefully soon to reopen the firehouse at least temporarily.
Please show your city and your constituents that you are willing to listen to them instead of just saying that you are.
Thank you.
The
next person on the agenda is Sasha Glinn, followed by Wolf and Adriatico, followed by Rob Levitt.
Good evening, councilmembers.
I think you guys have heard a bunch of complaining from me at all the previous meetings.
So I think it was in a meeting with councilmember Nueva Camina that she said the focus really to be productive should be on solutions.
So I have a few ideas to present to you.
And, you know, one of them comes from a really inspiring conversation I had with Chester who just spoke before me just days ago about the impact that the Oath Firehouse Teen Center has had on the LGBTQT plus teen community here.
It has been a safe haven for people to explore their identity without feeling judged.
Many individuals have gone there and discovered themselves and been able to grow and flourish in a safe place where they are loved and appreciated for who they are.
which is why one of my first suggestions would be for you, especially in light of your recognition of Pride Month,
to strongly urge you to allow outdoor activities for Pride Month at the Old Firehouse Teens Center.
The outdoor amenities at that center are amazing and beautiful.
And if the problems are only inside the building, I see no reason why when daylight hours are upon us longer.
We cannot honor Pride Month and honor that community of teens by allowing them to have a few events there
I'm sure that they would be very easy for them to plan a few things very quickly
with very little notice
They would very much appreciate that
The other thing I'd like to suggest I've had a few conversations with council members
And I realize you are all very constrained by your ability to dive into topics
I have come to learn that you can't get together in groups of over four unless it's on public record in order to do a deep dive into a topic like old
Firehouse. Instead, you would have to take that due diligence on your own individual time to do those investigations and then present that information with less than four members present among yourselves.
And I know from talking with Council Member Nueva Camina, many of you are very busy, and for some of you this is just a part-time job.
So I do urge you to form a subcommittee in the city council that is focused solely on what has happened, what can happen, and what will happen with the fire, the old firehouse, and the future of having a dedicated teen center in Redmond.
I think a subcommittee would allow the council to no longer be handicapped by those constraints and to really do this topic justice and serve the community in a transparent way that is fair, where the community thinks can see that a good decision has been made and actual thought has been put into it by the people that we've elected to run the city.
And with that, a great component of that, and I think I've spoken with Steve Field, he's
agreed with me.
A great component would be to have a committee that's also of community members that can work
with that subcommittee and have regular meetings to try to brainstorm and understand what is
going to happen next.
What our options really truly are and why the situation was handled the way it was handled.
So that's one step I think would be great if you guys could take.
The next thing, a little bit darker, I'm sorry, but there's a lot of staffing concerns now.
We see that they're the turnover under Lorraine Hamilton, I think if you look, you will see there's been quite a bit of tumultuous issues with her.
There was issues with her with leadership at the senior center, as that was closing as well, where she treated people very poorly.
I have received numerous reports and heard just through being involved in the community that there's a number of staff leaving.
There's some staff that have disappeared all together, and I think that it comes down to Lorraine Hamilton's management of the parks department.
I do urge the council to call for an investigation into her tactics.
Her tactics at bullying staff members, intimidating them at evading public records requests by instructing them to only speak about things regarding firehouse verbally.
Because that's something I've been in conclusion.
Yeah, and her egregious mishandling of the old firehouse assessment enclosure, she didn't
present real evidence to you guys and she also warped the truth about the engagement that
took place.
Thank you.
And if you can keep the clapping to a minimum, feel free to use hand waves or other types
of things, we typically don't have clapping just so that way we can move things faster within
the meeting.
Next, we have Wolf, Adriatico, then we have Rob Lebit, and then Hunter Gordon.
Hello.
As one of around a dozen people who saw the May 23rd show at RSUC, I deeply thank the
city staff who made it possible, and I thank the legendary slurps for making that Friday
the best day of the month for me.
In a positivity, though, does not much.
Each live show since the old firehouse teen center's closure reiterates the uncompromisable
demand for a dedicated teen services building.
Our first RSEC show was disastrous and unnecessarily stressful for AV staff and myself who was
assisting.
We had three hours to set up and the RSEC had barely any equipment which caused us to compromise
our standards.
The poor wiring layout of the space were demanded several cables to be strung across the
stage causing tripping hazards and making it difficult to set up our equipment.
With no drum or cable rugs, we were forced to use the gross mats in the kitchen as proxy.
The mixing board, an expensive, awesomenable equipment was laid on a sketchy foldout table,
with trash cans lined up so people wouldn't step over the wires, which they still did.
Soundcheck began at around 5.30, which gave our two bands barely any time before the 6.30
doors.
I opened the doors for the audience and bands to come and go and a senior told me to close the doors and
quote, if that guy keeps barking orders, you're going to have to close both of them as well as several other
remarks. We wrapped soundcheck just as people filtered in. They set chairs up and sat far from the
the RICADU stage extensions.
The only people who danced for the first band was a senior couple in the back. Almost the entire audience was seniors and adults who I told about the show before set up and during sound check. The city failed to advertise the show despite me telling them to and nobody knew about it. There weren't even 50 people as the number claimed by recreation manager Eric Cachua. The second band urged the audience to stand.
which formed the horseshoe of death.
That's a quote.
People extremely stiff and far from the stage in a horseshoe shape.
Despite my own attempts, nobody but my family even stepped closer to the stage.
Each band had only half our sets because we needed to wrap up the show at eight,
because we all had to be out at nine.
And tear down was extremely stressful,
and we had barely any time to do so.
I am holding sewing pins left on and around the RSCC stage prior to our show.
We joked about it, sure, but there is no denying the potential danger to us to talent
and equipment.
The red oak community room is used for several programs, as it should be.
That's what it's designed for.
With dividers to split it up and a commercial chicken kitchen, it's clearly purpose built.
That purpose is not punk rock.
We're losing vans and can't attract new ones, obvious considering our sales pitch.
Hey, want to play at the senior center next to the police station?
And as a last note, we compiled a list of everything we were missing after the first show.
We've seen none of it.
And the second show had all the same shortcomings, except for two differences.
We set up at two o'clock, giving us extra time, which made it move a little smoother.
and the band arrived earlier for sound check, and two, the crowd, although there were maybe
12 audience members at most, were energetic teens instead of old seniors.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you.
Next on the list is Rob Levitt, the fellow of 100 Gordon.
Good evening, everybody.
First of all, I regret my decision not to print this out.
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
So to the council and city staff and members of the public, my comments are about the Redmond Teens Center and Teens Services.
I'm first going to offer a little history and a point of view that might be a little different than what you're hearing tonight.
But I am listening to the comments and I've actually made some changes based upon what I was going to say.
Lastly, I'm going to issue a challenge to everyone in the Redmond community, whether
you're in the room or you're watching online, especially everyone who's really passionate
about this topic.
So my history, in the 70s, when I was growing up, watching TV in between cartoons and commercial
breaks, we were subjected to public service announcements about the dangers of lead paint.
The imagery was grim, but the message was clear.
Don't eat the lead paint, it's dangerous.
It wasn't until 1978 that lead paint was officially banned in the U.S.
And we had to wait another 10 years before asbestos was banned.
The hazardous materials were around a long time, but mitigation was complicated and expensive.
and the issue just kept getting kicked down the road.
Both substances, along with other hazardous materials, still pose risks to public safety in many old buildings, like the old fire house.
It was documented in the assessment of the building, which you can get online, it's right there.
But my comments are not an indictment of the old fire house, far from it.
It's a gem and we've been lucky to have it.
The fact that Redmond has a dedicated teen center is actually unusual for the greater Seattle area.
In the greater Seattle metropolitan area, there's just a handful of teen centers.
On the east side, there's maybe three, so what we have here is pretty special and
it's why a lot of bands over the decades have come to the old firehouse to cut their chops there.
here. It's also been a place of safety for area teens for decades, long before the
apartments popped up next to it. My own kids relied on the Ole Firehouse and Redmond's
teen services and my wife and I really enjoyed going to the music shows on Friday nights
to see Redmond's emerging talent take the stage, like the slurps.
So, because of this, because the Old Firehouse has been an important place for Redmond's teens, it's been that third place, that safe place for so many teens, that's why you're seeing the emotions and the passions that you're seeing.
So, I actually love the teen engagement, I love that everyone's coming up because this type of activism can lead to leadership later on in life.
And so it's pretty exciting, but we have a new challenge ahead of us.
And that new challenge is that now that the band-aid has been ripped off, I'm really hoping that everyone in the Redmond, the team community, can be a part of the solution, as I mentioned earlier.
What do you want the team services and team center to be?
We need services and we need a center, a location, a place that is conserved multiple uses.
That's safe for everyone, the city employees as well as the teens.
And so this type of change is never easy.
Woodrow Wilson once said, if you want to make an enemy, try changing something.
So let's get together on this one, let's work together, and actually have been to two listening sessions sponsored by the city on this.
It's been really good, and at those listening sessions, they actually had the timeline of how this was going to go along, so I encourage everyone to continue to get involved and be a part of it.
Thank you.
Thank you, next is Hunter Gordon, that followed by Aspen Richter.
I just want to start by saying, there's a guy who came in here earlier who I'm pretty
certain did a Nazi salute, so, oh my god, just want to acknowledge that and say that
it's not, it's awful.
I am, I don't really have too much to say that the teens haven't already said that other
people have already said, during the last speaking session, whatever you call it, I thought it
I was really emblematic of how difficult it is to sort of talk about the teen center with the meeting starting with 40 minutes of going off into another room and coming back in a motion being stopped.
I don't think that's good at all, I don't think that's sufficient.
I want to see a lot more in terms of the teens being involved.
And from what I keep hearing, there's so many shortcomings that are coming to the space at Marymore,
not just from constraints that exist in the space, but in terms of responsiveness and their needs.
So that's all I have to say for today.
Thank you.
I will also note that I was informed by our tech that apparently something was not plugged in correctly over there to show that the time was up and make the beep or I think it showed time is up but didn't make the beep.
So some of the confusion earlier may have been a technical difficulty, appreciate everyone sticking with us as we dealt with this.
and Aaron, again, want to apologize if that was not a great experience for you and appreciate you coming.
Next on the list is Aspen Richter.
Aspen Richter, Redmond resident, came here tonight just as an individual because I wanted to thank the city and the city council for the item on this consent agenda, with the resolution for protections for our two SLGBTQIA plus community members, and I will not take the four minutes.
So everyone could not worry about that.
Again, I just wanted to first start off thank the city and the residents honestly for
everything that the city has done in the past several years to really make Redmond feel like a very welcoming city.
When I moved inside city limits, and now I walk through Redmond, I see like pride fence art and pride flags and businesses.
In August, I'm really looking forward to going to Redmond's Pride Celebration again, and even though it's been many, many months since our
price crosswalk went in, like every time I walk through downtown, seeing that crosswalk
makes me feel so very happy, so very welcomed and so very affirmed, so I love that thing.
And then second and more specifically, just thank you for this resolution.
I've seen a good number of proclamations this month that have very wonderful words and a lot
of heart to them, but this one actually has specific and timely protections and actions
in it.
I greatly appreciate that, and that is all I have to say.
Thank you.
Next on the list is David Morton and followed by GNY.
Good evening Council members and Mayor Pro Tem.
I'm David Morton, and it's good to see that the four minute time limit is back for public
comments during items from the audience, if only for this evening.
I commend the Redmond's commitment to achieving community-wide carbon neutrality by 2050.
It is important to have robust policy and governance strategies to reach this critical
goal.
Here are five key strategies, many of which Redmond already actively pursues.
First, establishing a dedicated city climate action office with dedicated staff centralizes
Redmond's efforts.
The Environmental Sustainability Program team and advisory committee already drive the
environmental sustainability action plan or ESAP, bolstering this capacity further will
ensure continued focus and expertise and will allow for more comprehensive planning and
coordinated action across all city departments.
Second, creating a clear carbon budget with annual reporting is essential.
Redmond regularly publishes greenhouse gas summary reports and ESAP updates showing progress
and identifying areas for improvement. This is crucial for accountability, allows residents
to track progress towards Redmond's ambitious targets and helps the city manage its carbon
footprint more strategically. Third, implementing internal carbon pricing for municipal decisions
can powerfully drive sustainable choices, while the city operations zero carbon strategy
already guides departments toward lower carbon alternatives, formally integrating a
carbon cost into decision making could accelerate Redmond's transition to clean energy and efficient
operations. This mechanism transforms environmental considerations into tangible economic incentives
encouraging every department to prioritize carbon reduction daily.
Fourth, developing partnerships with companies like Microsoft as a significant asset.
Redmond's existing collaborations with Microsoft on various environmental projects
demonstrate the immense potential of leveraging private sector innovation and resources
to meet the city's climate goals.
Partnerships can unlock innovative solutions and shared investments that would be difficult
to achieve independently.
Finally, joining regional climate initiatives as Paramount, Regen Redmond's participation
in the King County City's Climate Collaboration, or K4C, and the East Side Climate Partnership
showcases an understanding that climate action transcends city limits.
Collective action on regional issues like transportation, renewable energy purchasing,
and shared infrastructure is vital for broad impact, economies of scale, and amplifying influence.
By strengthening these foundational strategies, Redmond can ensure a sustainable, resilient future for all residents.
Thank you.
Now the final in-person speaker is Jan Y.
You have four minutes.
Thank you.
I'm Jan Young, she, her from Kirkland, Washington, and staunch advocate of the LGBTQIA plus community.
Erin, for what's it's worth, what it's worth, I see you and you matter to me.
I wanted to first thank you, the council, for raising the pride flag in front of City Hall.
I also want to thank you for recognizing this as Pride Month, and to also be one of the few cities to take a step further with the Pride Proclamation by considering adopting Resolution No. 1605, affirming Redmond as a city that welcomes transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse communities.
and commits to protective pro-active protections for the civil rights, safety, and well-being of all two SLGBT QIA plus individuals.
This shows that you're not only talking the talk but walking the walk.
I like that it includes that red-
Management is committed to upholding and expanding the strong legal protections that even the state has established. I also like that the resolution has the city commits to proactively show visible support for the community through policy advocacy and investment in inclusive programs and services. As a mother of a daughter who identifies as queer, I've been watching what transpired regarding the OIFH teen center closing. And I'm worried about what the
the teens that relied on the center as one of the few lifelines available for many teens.
Teens from Kirkland and as far out as Kenmore have sought the teen center out.
I see this as a great opportunity for Redmond as it grows in size and services to jump
at a chance to create a unique, easily accessible safe space for this targeted population.
and as you adopt the resolution, this is the way to walk the walk and show how you follow through by providing a much needed lifeline to this underrepresented, yet underrepresented, yet vital part of our communities, our teens.
Thank you, and again, happy pride.
Thank you.
one person has signed up to speak remotely, Noah Radford.
Hi Noah, you have four
minutes to address the council.
Wonderful. Thank you very much. First of all,
I want to apologize to council member fields. I think we were all rightly
confused two weeks ago and upset by the closed-door meeting holding the
proceedings up and I can say you truly seem to be the only one on the council with
any visible interest in not rubber stamping the erasure of the old firehouse and I'm sorry if you
being the messenger doing what you had to do within your professional constraints has clouded
my ability to see that. To all of you I don't envy your position in that you're not entirely free
to make changes you wish to or even be able to share your reasoning but you didn't have to run for
City Council and you need to be held accountable for how you present info to the public. I think we can
all agree that the update on that proposed movement and rescinding of it was presented in the most
opaque and suspicious way conceivable, speaking purely about imagery. And I want to be clear about
my own biases here. I love old stuff, not just because I'm old, but I grew up around even older
things. When I was a child, I restored old boats with my grandpa. Three of them are currently museum
ships across the Pacific Northwest. They hold events both public and private. These boats are
from the early 1900s and even the late 1800s.
Things can be restored with time and resources,
but I'm not deaf.
I know a boat is not a building,
and while the mysteries of the hose tower
and the boiler room are intriguing,
they are clearly best left to Scooby Doo in the gang.
But the more I've heard unfolding
about the actual assessment of the firehouse,
the less I feel we have actual knowledge.
We have second-hand accounts from speakers
that are all well and good,
but surely finding an unbiased third party or ready at multiple third parties that both sides can agree on can look into this and provide an objective assessment that isn't related to hearsay from people with a vested interest one way or another.
But even if everything on that report was a five out of five and even if we actually had proper objective definitions for what those numbers mean and could communicate them, I would implore the council to retain that location as a team center.
even if it's a new building, and if you do build a new building and design it,
listen to the team themselves and people who have worked with them that the team's trust,
like, for example, Jeff Hagen, as how to provide for what they need.
Even I, from a rank amateur outside view, can tell you, in all ages, music venue,
is not the same as a corporate boardroom with Spencer's gift lights.
And I know some of you on the council are roughly my age and had probably forgotten
about Spencer gifts. But I guarantee you knew about it when you were teenagers. So let's not try to
pretend that we know what's good for them.
Thanks to the magic of RCT. I'm not done yet. Thanks to
the magic of RCTV. I got to see the pride proclamation and commemorative photo op and immediately after we
were treated to a voters harrowing testimony and quite a kerfuffle on how to handle that. I think that shows
some evidence that perhaps you haven't all earned that pat on your own backs because writing pretty
words and raising flags feels good, but actions when things get rough actually get things done.
The Old Firehouse has been described as a haven in the city for queer youth.
We have heard very clearly that they do not feel valued and if you don't even give a good
faith effort to keep that location for them, what sort of photo would you put up on your
website to commemorate that?
I still have a little bit of time so I'd like to take 10 seconds of silence so we can all
I'll just think on this matter and maybe look out at the people showing up for themselves
who, as Chester said earlier, really shouldn't have to put up with this.
Thank you very much.
Have a wonderful evening.
Thank you.
And with that, items from the audience is now closed.
Our next item of business is the consent agenda.
Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda?
A move?
Is there a second?
There's a second.
Is it moved and seconded?
Moved by Council Vice President Forsyth and seconded by Council Member Stewart.
Are there any items to pull?
Council Vice President Forsyth?
Pull item 4 and I'd like to speak to item 7.
Great. It has been asked to pull item 4.
And is there any other items to pull?
Council member Nueva Camina?
Not to pull comment on 7.
Great. If there are no other items to pull,
I will call on Council Vice President Forsyth to speak to item 7.
I'd like to speak to item 7, a resolution welcoming our 2S LGBTQIA plus
community is with great pride that I served as the primary sponsor of tonight's welcoming resolution.
The community is stronger than the hateful rhetoric and this resolution reflects our long history
of collective action and community care. We stand for a future where systemic change,
mobilization, and education work in tandem to create a more just and equitable world.
We unequivocally rebuke violence against the trans community and reaffirm that trans people
We will deserve unwavering care and support.
Cool, together we will continue to build a future where every member of our community
can live safely with dignity and pride.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councilmember Nueva Camina.
It's a nice resolution is more than symbolic.
It's a reaffirmation of our city's values.
By declaring Redmond a welcoming city for our queer community, especially our trans and
non-binary neighbors, we're saying clearly and unapologetically, you belong here.
We do this at a time when the rights and dignity of trans and non-binary folks are being
actively undermined by executive actions at the federal level.
In the face of that, it's even more critical that local governments lead with courage and compassion.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, the time is always right to do what is right.
And that time is now.
This resolution acknowledges the disproportionate discrimination, violence, and a ratio that
trans and non-binary folks face.
It also makes clear that Redmond chooses inclusion, over fear, affirmation, over marginalization,
and justice over indifference.
This is not just about inclusion, it's about dignity, safety, and community, a sense of belonging.
And I'm proud that we're taking this step together.
Thank
you.
If there are no other comments, this is a roll call vote starting with Councilmember Fields.
Aye.
It passes seven to zero.
The item that has been pulled is consent item number four, AM number 25089, which is an
an ordinance of the city of Redmond relating to the use of automated traffic safety cameras.
Council Vice President Forsyth you pulled this item. Would you like to speak, actually, I think we'll start with, is there a motion to approve this item?
So moved.
Second.
It has been moved and seconded, Council Vice President Forsyth, would you like to speak to this item?
Yes, thank you. I very much want to applaud the feedback that was taken into consideration and
The adjustments that were made for this item, the only thing that I saw that I would like to make a motion on is I moved to amend that the data collected from the speed camera pilot program be included in the Redmond Police Data Governance Policy passed on December 3, 2024.
4.
Second.
It has been moved and seconded.
Our clerk, did you get that motion?
Thank you.
Is there any discussion?
Councilmember Stewart.
Could we please have the motion typed into the chat.
It was read with great enthusiasm and I just want to make sure that ourselves and the viewing
public have a chance to see it.
Usually the chat is able to pop up on the side of the screen there.
If I understand the motion correctly, I'm generally supportive of that because actually I believe that we're already on our way to covering this because the policy we created in the police department or asked for in the police department related to data is a stopgap measure.
we actually funded in the budget an overall effort of work to identify the data governance
needs in our city because data is everywhere and personal data is everywhere and as folks
are interacting with our government we need them to feel that the government is trustworthy
to do so. So that overarching work for the city of
is ongoing. Hopefully I've taken up enough air time with my slow thoughtful comment to make sure
that we can get that in the chat. Thank you. And Chip, could we have the chat displayed on the
side of the screen? Thank you. Thank you. Did I see in the other hand just another comment?
Can I ask a person for a sec? I was just going to be happy to read it again for the listening
public as well. I moved to amend the data collected from the speed camera pilot program to be included
in the Redmond Police Data Governance Policy, passed on December 3rd, 2024.
Thank you.
Council Member Fields.
So I'm in support of the motion.
I have expressed my concerns about data falling into the wrong hand tends to, seems to be growing.
But I would like to ask if there's representative from our police department.
if there's any concern or issue with that change.
And we have our police chief Darryl Lowe coming up to join us, chief Lowe.
Would be great if you can speak to this motion, thank you.
Thank you, there's no concern with the amendment.
We've noted it and we will add specifically the speed camera enforcement program to the language of our data policy.
And just to follow up, Chief, thank you.
With the outside vendor, that's not an issue.
You don't want to anticipate an issue for them.
Sorry, I do not anticipate an issue.
They're already very clear rules and regulations around the records retention schedule
with the Secretary of State, specifically in chapter 6.4 for violations and traffic enforcement.
I had already spells out in state law what the retention of data is and when it has to be, you know, deleted.
Berby, thank you.
Thank you very much, Chief.
Are there any other questions from the council for the chief while he's up here?
That council vice president for us, I'd.
Thank you.
I was torn on this, as I'm sure is a surprise to no one, but I did go back and read that data governance policy and it does reflect
that we will not participate in investigations that do not comply with Washington law or have standing for proper investigations.
So I feel pretty confident with the surveillance issues that we're seeing that our police department will not participate in those external forces if you could just elaborate on that for a moment.
Yes, that is correct.
So we will not share any data that we have collected through any of our automated systems
with other law enforcement agencies that do not violate Washington law.
So in general, we would generally cooperate with other law enforcement agencies for legitimate
criminal investigations, but they have to be criminal matters in the state of Washington as
well.
Thank you very much.
Councilmember Anderson?
Just to clarify, I'm assuming that does not mean it's limited to Washington law, we also include federal law as well.
Correct, but so the issue and concern as our caller around reproductive rights and
other states and that type of thing.
So if it's not a violation in Washington, we would not share any data or
cooperate with those investigations with outside states as relates to federal matters.
There's keep Washington working act that precludes local law enforcement from cooperating or
working with federal authorities around immigration and other things.
So there are the appropriate guardrails and safeguards in place.
Thank you, thank you.
And I will note that part of this data policy, which the motion requests that we include the speed cameras with.
As well, does specifically call out around immigration law violations, and that is not something that we will be sharing data on. So I just want to call that out specifically. So I'm very much in support of this motion. Let me just ask our staff over here. This was made as a motion as a separate motion.
Not an amendment, but we have another motion that was on the floor.
It's a motion to amend, great.
Okay, so I just wanted to clarify that one, ask our parliamentarian there to keep us honest on how we go through this.
So there is an amendment to the original item, or is there any more discussion?
Council, restore it.
Just a point of information and along the same concern.
Do we need to be more specific about where we would like this text to appear in the package that we are about to vote on?
I believe the direction is to update the current police department policy to include the speed cameras.
Does this text of the motion make that clear enough for you, Chief Low, to be able to update that?
Yes.
I guess I would ask, should this amendment pass that the council also be provided with
the updated text so that way, if we need to make any additional changes we could make
so in the future, but at this point we've given you the direction to be able to make those
changes.
Understood.
Does that work for the council?
Great.
I'm seeing nods.
All right.
So with that, we will actually take a vote on this amendment, starting with council member
It passes 7-0 and now back to the original motion, which is consent item AM number 25-089.
And ordinance number 3-2-1-6 in ordinance of the city of Redmond, Washington relating
to the use of automated traffic safety cameras authorizing the use of those cameras to detect
text, speed, zone, and fractions in school zones,
incorporating rcw46.63.220 into this ordinance,
providing for the severability and establishing
an effective date, and this motion as amended,
by the previous amendment.
Is there any discussion on this motion as amended?
Seeing none, we will move to a roll call vote
starting with Council Member Fields.
Aye.
Bill.
Aye.
It passes six to one.
And with that, that brings us to the end of the consent agenda.
And so the next item on our agenda is the omlet's report.
Sorry.
I had my hand up.
Apologies.
Council Vice President Forza.
Thank you.
Given that we just passed a resolution that states that the city will actively promote uplift
and celebrate our 2S LGBTQIA plus community.
And we have talked in prior meetings about Council using contingency to support an ask that was recently made to council and council leadership just learned today that we have $3,000 in unspent 23 24 council contingency.
I move to allocate $3,000 in unspent 23 24 council contingency funds to pride across the bridge to sponsor the 2025 Pride Redmond event that creates a meaningful space for our community to gather and connect.
It has been moved and seconded.
Is there any discussion?
Councilmember Stewart?
I guess a point of information is my theme of the night.
Would this item be better, better considered under new business?
It might be, but now there is a motion on the floor, so I think we'll move forward with
that at this point.
Okay. So, first of all, pride across the bridge and the Pride Festival. Heck yes, provides
so much great and like value to our community is one of the most beloved festivals and I truly
believe it's an honor to participate and stand with community every single year and I just
received my invitation to be involved again this year earlier today and I will be there standing
with community. The motion as it was introduced introduced a lot of new information for the
Council, so I ask for the public's a little bit of forgiveness while we get caught up
here.
There's some new information about what the Council, the end fund balance is and how much
of it there is and the request, so if we could get that in writing, that would be helpful.
And I'll let my fellow Council members chime in while we get caught up on what the situation
is.
Thank you.
Council President Forza, would you like to speak to this, or have you speak to it about the
the background. I can absolutely speak to the background.
We had our council contingency that we had not spent last budget cycle and instead of
rushing last December to make a motion very last minute, we decided to ask if that money
could be rolled over. We a couple of weeks ago had asked where that, you know, how much
that money was there and there was some confusion between all the moving parts so we had to do
a little more research and Director Cochran was able to get back to us today and share with us
that yes that money did roll over and it was in the amount of $3,000. I realized this may feel like
a surprise to some but we have talked about the ask that had recently come in at prior talk times
And we were just waiting to hear what that number was.
I apologize that it took a while for us to get that information.
But we did just get that information today.
And given the excitement and energy tonight with all of the pride proclamation,
the trans community support resolution, and actually putting our walk in the walk instead of just talking about it.
I wanted to go ahead and make this motion tonight because it seems like a perfect moment to cap off.
us actually doing the things that we say we're going to do.
Thank you.
I will just note that I'm in support of this motion.
Typically, the council uses its contingency funds to be able to support efforts that are going on our community that provide a great public benefit, but there may not be a typical funding source for it.
our most recent contingency allocation, which we didn't do on the last meeting on the previous one,
was to central cultural majicano to support a lot of the great work that they do to support folks in our community.
Previous other types of uses have been things like the Saturday market and
other types of things that support our community.
We have not sponsored Redmond Pride before, and I think I align with Council Vice President Forsyth
And in wanting to not only have passed this resolution that I'm really proud of our council
to pass unanimously, but also to be able to show up as a sponsor and provide this great
benefit to our community to create a space where we can bring people together and be able
to stand with our community as an inclusive place.
So thank you.
Councilmember Fields.
I just want to make it a couple of quick comments here.
I am also in support of the resolution or I'm sorry, the motion.
I do want to argue devil's advocate and then I want to argue against devil's advocate.
I appreciate council president's description of what the council contingency fund is used
for and I think this is appropriate, and I think it's correct, and I also, in concern
about precedent, and there are a lot of really good causes out there, there are a lot
of really good celebrations, and setting a precedent could be seen by other community
members as an invitation for their concern, are there a celebration or their cause or their
protections. But that's the devil's advocate part. Setting a precedent that every time
we get a request that we can meet that request is a concern. However, we do as the council
president pointed out, share deeply in this celebration. The city staff and the city council
members of the city electives are often involved in this, and it is a public benefit when
elected officials try to promote both protection and civil liberties and rights for different
groups.
So I wanted to be on the record of saying I can concern about precedence, but in this one
I'm not concerned.
Thank you, Councilmember Fields.
And I will note that I think we haven't had a very clear process to be able to look at
how we allocate our council contingency.
Typically, it's done just right at the end of the biennium.
We see how much we might have left over if any, because we keep the contingency in case we
need to use it for various purposes throughout the biennium.
And I do think that's something that we might address before our next budget process or before
we come to the end of this biennium.
So that way, we could assess and be able to take various proposals and make sure that we have a really
transparent process on that. So appreciate you bringing that up.
So with that, is there any other comments on this motion?
Council member Nueva Kamina.
I'm in favor of this motion, very happy to support it.
I've often said you can always tell what's important by
by either an individual or an organization's calendar and spending account.
How we spend money should be in alignment with our values.
We also know that the local queer community, especially with our teens in losing that third space,
how else could we, this is a way where we can take action, immediate action,
and say, no, this is important, place making is important, and here is an opportunity where we can create the space.
It's a weekend event, it's a one-day event, it's not a permanent, but it's doing what we can with what we have.
And this is something that, as a council, we do have agency over.
So I'm very happy to be in support of the motion.
Thank you.
Seeing no other council member Stewart?
Thank you so much. Could we have the balance of the council contingency put in the chat?
Yes, the balance of the council contingency. I believe we have our finance director here who can
confirm that the current balance of the council contingency is $3,000. So I believe the motion
is to allocate that balance to this purpose.
Can you confirm, Director Cochran?
I can.
Yes.
Great.
Thank you.
Can you clarify for us since this was council contingency from last budget and I know you've
been closing out the budget how this will work in terms of adjusting?
It is a part of our year in process to reallocate dollars that have been assigned for specific
reason and not used. And so prior conversation with Council was expressed as
desire to carry over the Council contingency from the last biennium instead
of allocating it during the budget process specifically because we wanted to
take a little bit more time to think about how to apply it. So 3,000 is the amount
that is unspent from the last biennium that we can carry over for you. Thank you so
much Director Cochran. Are there any other questions for Director Cochran? Council member Stewart?
I know for the questions for Director Cochran. I have an additional comment.
Great. Go ahead. Thank you so much. Once again, really support this fulfilling the entire ask
of Pride Across the Bridge for their festival, because it has been in the queue for about a month now,
and Council has had trouble scheduling the conversation to deal with this unique request.
My end goal is absolutely to fulfill the entire need of pride across the bridge to have yet another amazing festival.
I also need to, it's my duty to ensure good governance here in the city of Redmond and on our council that has included a culture of inclusion for our colleagues.
Limiting surprises, you see me asking for it to be written down because I need that and inclusion matters in all kinds of ways.
So I am going to make a motion that is a tool of mine and I'm explaining it to you as
the public, that I expect to fail, but it gives me a chance to hold my, to help hold
my team accountable to the expectations we've set for ourselves to be really strong.
So because council hasn't had an opportunity to, which could be done at council talk time
next week, hear about the end balance and consider any other ways that we could actually be funding
this request. In my mind, there are up to three different ways we could fund this request.
It is a mere $3,000, so I do expect we'll just get this done tonight so that we can expedite
that. But I now move to postpone this motion until the next regular council business meeting.
There's a motion on the floor. I believe it's procedural, so we can continue with that. Is there a second?
Second for discussion. It has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Council Member Stewart. Thanks. I think we could take five minutes and discuss this at Council talk time next week. We should talk about, you know, get everyone up to speed. This is dollars from a previous biennium where some of our current colleagues weren't even there. So in terms of just having respect of inclusion for one another, let's make sure we're making a good choice and also get the meeting scheduled to discuss the community events.
innovation funds that was actually sponsored by Council President Kritzer in our last budget.
And we've set some dollars aside to help energize and ignite local events that are four red men elected,
or excuse me, four red men locals who struggle to access other dollars like from the tourism fund.
Thanks.
Councilmember Anderson?
We're working on an amendment, that's correct, right?
Seconded, a postponement, thank you.
I don't think we should postpone it tonight, mostly because I kind of like that of order.
So, thanks.
Thank you.
Council members, it feels?
Actually, I respect Council members Stewart's argument and request.
I made that argument on other issues much more complex and bigger that I think that we
rushed through.
But this one for me is not complicated, not complex.
And I think we have all the information in front of us, and I will not support the amendment.
Council vice-president Forza.
Thank you.
I, too, am very interested in the innovation fund that we still need to discuss.
But a reason why I personally feel like this is the right motion to make tonight is that whatever we move forward with with that innovation fund for an event,
And this event, A, would not qualify, and B, will not be up and running in time for any of that money to be allocated for it.
So I will also not be in favor of this motion or this postponement motion, but I do think that now is the right time.
Thank you, any other comments?
I will just note that I appreciate Councillor Restorat raising this and I also, and I do believe that this upcoming month,
And the staff have committed to coming back with information for us to look at establishing
that community-based events innovation fund, and I do think, but as Council Vice President
Forsyth mentioned, I'm not sure if this event would ultimately qualify unless it brings
something new to the table since the idea is to kind of launch new events, and this has
been around for a couple of years.
So I will also note that I think there are other ways for different events to be funded and
And we can definitely discuss that in the future.
Out of respect for my colleague who is asking us to give it a little bit more time,
but still sounds like she wants to vote for it.
I will be in support of this motion to postpone assuming that we are going to be able to do it.
So I just wanted to share that, although I'm also happy to support this tonight.
So with that, unless there's any other comments, we'll move to a vote on the motion
to postpone. Can you clarify your motion, Council Member Stewart?
To postpone to the next regular Council business meeting.
To postpone to the next regular Council business meeting and we'll start the roll call vote
with Council Member Fields. No.
No. No.
Aye. No. No.
Aye. It fails. Five to two and now we'll vote on the original motion, which I will pull
up again, the original motion which was to allocate $3,000 in unspent, 23, 24 council contingency
funds to pry across the bridge to sponsor the 2025 Redmond Pride event that creates a meaningful
space for our community to gather and connect. Are there any other comments on this motion?
Okay, if there's no other discussion, then we'll move to a roll call vote, council member Fields.
It passes 7 to 0 so congratulations to Redmond Pride and pride across the bridge on that sponsorship and thank you for all that you do in our community.
I'm very excited to be able to support this.
All right moving on that brings us to the next item on our agenda which is hearings and reports.
There's no public hearing, we'll move on and we don't have any staff reports tonight so the next item is the Ombuds Report.
Our Ombuds for the month of May was Councilmember Salahuddin and our Ombuds for June was Councilmember Stewart.
Let's start with Councilmember Salahuddin.
Thank you. I'll try to keep this pretty brief, received comments and conversation around the Old Firehouse Teen Centre.
So I had a few conversations there, also received an email from a student on behalf of sole
connections the youth led organization focused on supporting the unhoused community in
King County.
So, Diedra and I are coordinating response there and working towards getting more information
to that student, received an inquiry regarding Idlewood Park and potential development.
So, working with staff to get the full information there specifically around what any impacts might be around that area.
And there was a one question specifically around the vote on April 15th, 2025, specifically around the speed cameras and what the record showed.
and some missing information online, so I believe we voted on a separate ordinance on the automated speed safety cameras for that resident to track, so I will be getting back to them with that information.
Thank you, Council Member Stewart.
Thank you. The only item for the entire Council for June thus far had been related to the Pride Across the Bridge sponsorship, which is now resolved.
so the following is my own update for this month or the last two weeks.
At my office hours, I spoke with a renter about their experience with a new landlord
and also provided resource navigations for resident seeking social services, food security,
and rent stabilization here at the city of Redmond.
Since we have an audience, I'll just go ahead and make sure everyone knows this here at the city of Redmond
through our human services budget. We do fund all kinds of services, so we're happy to help
folks navigate and find those resources.
Our council conversation last week at Crossellon Park really appreciated the opportunity to meet residents.
I heard support for faster permitting and more efficient inspections in Redmond, feedback on light rail, including the need for more bathrooms along the two line.
We are incentivizing those feedback from human services providers on how we can better listen to them.
The exact suggestion was actually something the council agreed on at our retreat in February.
So hopefully we'll get some coordinated action on that soon.
And lots of interest in bike infrastructure and bike safety.
A couple folks asked me for the draft chapters of the TMP so they could take a look at the
spine network and all of that and we've had a great email back and forth since the meeting last week.
Also had a resident stop by who's also hoping to land a new job in the parks department.
So just help them navigate the website for that.
Had an email from a resident in support of tonight's resolution.
Had an email from a resident regarding the pavement improvement projects on Avendale from Noble to Hill Road to Northeast 130 second.
We currently have some projects planned for their south staff are helping to help me understand whether or not the capital improvement, the CIS, the longer term outlook has some of those other programs, projects programed in yet.
The events I attended last week included the teen services listening session.
Thanks for everybody who came out to that.
On Monday, I attended Imagine Housing's workshop on how to leverage Faith Onlyland for affordable housing.
It was really great to see a lot of our local faith communities and attendance as well as other jurisdictions and staff from a regional coalition for housing.
Today, I attended the round table discussion regarding governance and the future of a regional coalition for housing and I really encourage any of my fellow council members who are able to participate in one of those three.
to be sure to do so, and last one for my council colleagues, June 5th is the deadline to participate in the AWC legislative priorities committee survey for 2026, so please fill that out if you'd like. Thanks.
Thank you.
Council Member Fields.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I've got two items.
The first one is I met with a Redmond resident, and the one of the executive board members of a nonprofit that he is sponsoring in a hundred mile run on Sunday, a hundred miles straight that ends in our city and in our downtown park.
So the purpose or the charity raises money to help people who have lost limbs in war or their vision in war.
And I think it's an incredible effort to run 100 miles so that you can help other people restore their lives.
And that's what it's called 100 miles to restore lives.
So I just wanted to point that out.
We have a lot of spirit in Redmond,
and we have a resident willing to run 100 miles for a good cost.
The second thing is, as was discussed in public testimony,
I did meet with Sasha Glenn trying to find a path forward
for the teams.
And I did discuss with Ms. Glenn about the listening session
that we had, and it was clear to me during
in that listening session that the teens who were there felt that they didn't have empowerment,
they didn't have autonomy, they didn't in the new programs or the new plans forward.
And that's really what's missing is this place that they care and love and treasure as Council
So remember, no if it can be called the third space is not available to them now.
So in meeting with Ms. Glenn, we tried to be, as she pointed out, what can we do?
What can we do to be constructive?
And I would highly recommend the path forward that she described,
that we can open as much of the teen center as it exists today safely.
If that means outside, then let's do that.
And let's form a subcommittee, a council subcommittee that works with teens from the community.
Now I recognize that there are many teens who've been using the community center, I'm sorry,
the teen center, who will be going off the college or who will be not located here and
will not get the benefit of the work that they're doing.
But being able to empower the city for the future of people just like you, who can share it, is something, is something of tremendous value.
So my request is that council leadership get together with the mayor's office and see how quickly can we put together a subcommittee that works closely with the community?
community committee on both making the space available, if it can, and also work to find a path forward to open the teen center safely with full services, full engagement as we deal with the long term decisions about what to do with the teen center.
I think you, Councilor Rufields, and I think this warrants more discussion.
We can discuss this at Council talk time as is our practice to discuss on buzz items
and be able to follow up as well and appreciate you sharing them with us since we've got the
community tuned in right now.
Council vice president Forsyth.
Thank you.
I did want to share that in our Council leadership conversation with the mayor, that Council
president Kriter and I actually brought up the idea of a stakeholder group with Council
members on that stakeholder group for the teen center, like we had with the Redmond
Senior and Community Center. So these conversations are through Council
leadership. We are working towards some sort of solution that actually is very similar
to what was brought up to tonight. So stay tuned for more on that. We just brought it up
last week and we hope to be hearing more from the mayor and staff about what we can do in
in that same vein.
Also wanted to share that Council President Kritzer and I had a conversation with a community member about
tenant policies and updates in accordance with the state policies that passed and
our own rental protections.
And then I wanted to just share that the council connections and conversations in Grassland Park was a fantastic event for those that were able to attend.
Thank you and it was great to see a lot of my own neighbors in that park.
And we all were able to walk to that conversation, a lot of us were able to walk to that conversation, and talk about a variety of things, and one of my favorite moments was meeting the new executive director of Central Cultural Rao Mejicano.
Thank you. Any other items for on-buds?
No, I will just note that I also, in my on-buds report, that really appreciated being able to attend both the teen services, and ultimately,
the OHH listening session as well as the, as well as council conversations. I will note
just for the listening public that after our teen services session, this council had requested,
we got a really great session.
The summary from the parks department, since the groups had been broken up into different segments, and so got to hear a lot of the different pieces, even if we weren't in one room or the other. And I think have a lot of really, it seems like the also, the park staff took away a lot of great actions from those conversations of things that we can do as well. So just looking forward to having more of this conversation, and as council vice president Forsyth mentioned, being able to follow up on forming a state
stakeholder group, as we move forward in these conversations around the teen center,
and discussing more with council at council talk time next week.
Council member feels.
Thank you.
You know, I left out a very big part of what I wanted to say, just checking my notes.
Trust is really the issue that struck me the most during the listening session with teens,
and trust, the lack of trust, and restoring trust is really important.
So if we do move forward, I think we should move forward quickly,
because time tends to make trust that much harder to bridge.
And I think we need to move quickly and fast and respond as openly as we possibly can.
Thank you. And I will just note as a follow-up on Ombuds and Council Conversations that our
next Council Conversations will be September 25th from 5 to 7 p.m. in Estera Park. So we're
heading over to our over Lake neighborhood and hope that community members there and those
from across the community will come join us. With that, we'll move on to the next item on our agenda,
which is committee reports. Are there any committee reports this evening?
Council member Stewart.
Thank you earlier today.
I chair the Planning and Public Works Committee of the whole.
For the council, we moved a few things to our next business consent agenda, including
our Orca contract renewal and our application for our countywide center certification.
The headline of this meeting is, of course, that on June 17th, that our next regular business
meeting will be moving some very large work items through our agenda.
And that includes the Redmond 2050, 2025 code package, 2025 housing amendments, and
downtown Redmond Center plan.
This package concludes the work of Redmond 2050 and
puts in place those final zoning code changes to implement that work.
So a huge lift and what the council has been working on and the planning commission has been working on.
And of course, that so many community members participated in.
So that is one of the biggest items, or the biggest item for sure that we sent to our consent
agenda on June 17th. The other big item that we have coming up for study on June 24th is from
our public works department. Let me make sure I got that date right. Yes, it is from our public
works department on June 24th. We're going to be turning our attention to the Redmond Municipal Code,
not the zoning code, the municipal code, to review a number of changes and various chapters that are
we're going to be responsive to Redmond 2050,
helps streamline many things.
And overall, have us take a good hard look
at the benign that has just occurred in the municipal code.
Lastly, the item for June 17th from Public Works
that I wanted to mention, we sent this item
to our consent agenda.
It is an ordinance amending Redmond municipal code
for utilities.
This is our specific work to integrate
all the changes necessary to realize our dreams
around middle housing, and providing more housing choice here in Redmond.
So things like how are sewer and water connections going to work in middle housing.
This is where we get to work on all of that.
The other committee report I have for today is last week I attended the Puget Sound Regional Council's General Assembly with Mayor Bernie.
In addition to the standard action items like adopting the work plan in budget, we also adopted the PSRC Safe Streets for all action plan.
We, of course, and Redmond have our own that was funded through the same program.
Having all of these funded means we are now eligible for all those federal dollars in that program.
And there is an active call for funding requests right now, so we're pretty helpful about these dollars.
The speaker at this event, the keynote speaker was a transportation expert and
actually served as the federal highway transportation administrator in the Biden administration and
And shared many, many things about what cities can do to overall improve the safety on
local roads, many things coming down to lowering the speed, lowering speeds in all of our
areas.
Essentially, he started his talk by saying I don't understand why there aren't speed
cameras in every school zone in America and earlier tonight, you saw us take action toward
just three in our city to test that out and see how it goes.
So I'm very glad to have seen the council take that action today.
Okay, thank you.
Thank you.
Are there any other committee reports this evening?
Councilmember Nueva-Kamina?
Thank you, last week.
I chair the Committee of the Whole Parks and Environmental Sustainability Meeting.
We accepted the Department of Energy, Energy, Efficiency, and Conservation, Block Grant Formula
the funds, the amount of $143,150 for energy efficiency upgrades at the public safety building.
We also got information on the East Redmond Quarter Implementation Plan final update.
That has been just a council, a generation, no council stewarding of this plan.
So still remaining committed to it and finding solution moving forward.
We also got a 2025 Derby Day overview of how Derby Day is going to go.
Again, that's going to be the second weekend in July, Friday evening and all day on Saturday.
We also went over a special event permit improvements for 2025 and how we can streamline that, make
it a little bit easier to work with us.
And then we also got a teen services engagement update, please note that this was not specific
to the facility that we do have two separate conversations going, this was pre-dating anything that is going on now, and continuing to get teen services engagement and meeting with community and stakeholders through outreach and involvement, going over some survey responses as well as the reports that came out in May.
Thank you. Any other committee reports?
I will then do my committee report, which is that earlier today, I was able to join in my capacity as chair of the RIA 8 Sam and Recovery Council on a tour that the Sam and Recovery Funding Board, the State Board for funding Sam and came to check out one of the projects that we funded in RIA 8 on a tour that they were doing of different projects to really understand the impacts of those state funding.
and I was able to join with the project sponsors to speak to the impacts in our area and also be able to see a project which when we recommended funding for it in 2022 looked completely different than it does now and you now can see a really healthy thriving river where salmon are having a lot better passage so it's really exciting to be able to see.
and then also I attended the sound cities association board meeting since our last meeting and we'll just note with that we had quite a few discussions one was I think a hot topic amongst our neighboring cities is just the parks levy as well as the EMS levy and discussing how do we approach just getting city input into levies earlier was one of the topics and that'll be something that I think we'll continue to talk about.
to discuss and probably we'll discuss that at the public issues committee as well of
sound cities and then we they also shared that they're hoping to start a newsletter to
keep us all better updated so you all can look forward to learning more about SDA going
forward and that's all that I have and if there are no other items are there any other items
for committee reports all right if there are no other items for committee reports then there's
There's no unfinished business, there is no new business, and there's no executive session,
so unless there's anything for good of the order, this meeting is...