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Staff previews 2026 legislative agenda; council asks to prioritize capital asks and clarify technology and safety funding
Summary
City staff previewed a draft 2026 legislative agenda and two funding requests — $300,000 for Hartman Park playground replacement (capital) and $650,000 for drone docking stations (operating) — and counseled council that capital asks are more viable in the short, non‑budget legislative year.
Chief Policy Adviser Amy Tsai and city lobbyist Brianna Murray presented a draft Redmond legislative agenda for the 2026 Washington session during the Sept. 9 Committee of the Whole. They described the 2026 session as a short, 60‑day non‑budget year in the second year of the two‑year biennium and advised that operating‑budget asks will be difficult to advance; capital requests have greater chance in the short session because of available bond capacity.
The draft agenda’s two financial asks presented at the meeting were a $300,000 capital request for replacement and accessibility improvements at Hartman Park Playground and a $650,000 operating request to support up to five docking stations for the city’s drone‑as‑first‑responder program (the ask is scalable by number of stations). Tsai said the playground is in the city’s park plan and that the docking‑station request came from the police department. Brianna Murray cautioned that Climate Commitment Act and other grant pools are constrained and suggested that council consider capital requests that are ready for the capital budget and, if possible, ensure a second capital ask is located in the alternate legislative district that represents parts of Redmond.
Council members asked for more justification and data on the docking‑station ask, noting the program is a pilot and that community questions about data governance and scope remain. Several council members favored prioritizing a capital ask (or an ask that supports community services) over an operating ask in a short, non‑budget year. Council members also asked staff to highlight federal‑state interactions (e.g., federal actions that change state obligations) and to better call out data‑governance and technology‑cost consequences (for example, grid costs related to electrification and energy implications of AI).
Staff proposed a second study‑session review in mid‑October and follow‑up one‑on‑one meetings with council members to refine the agenda; council leadership also suggested staff work with the mayor and leadership to incorporate the committee’s feedback before returning. The item was a discussion; staff did not request immediate council action.
