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Redmond police budget holds staffing steady, highlights new public safety facility and vehicle needs
Summary
Deputy city and police leaders told the budget committee the police fund is flat on headcount but faces higher personnel costs, a major new public safety facility nearing completion, a planned vehicle purchase, drone program growth and an expanded officer wellness program.
Deputy City Manager Jason Neff and Redmond Police Chief Devin Lewis told the Budget Committee the police operating budget for FY 2025–26 holds total sworn and civilian positions flat at about 70 while personnel costs rise due to PERS and health-care assumptions.
Chief Devin Lewis said the department’s long-term staffing goal is an average of 1.67 officers per 1,000 residents; he said Redmond is currently below that level and will keep headcount steady in the coming year. Lewis stressed the department is “moving forward, we're going to remain flat and we're good to go with that,” citing plans to expand staffing capacity as the new public safety facility comes online.
Lewis said the new public safety facility, funded primarily through a voter-approved General Obligation (GEO) bond plus ARPA and state lottery grants, is about 80 percent complete and “we are anticipating, opening or, you know, construction completion by the end of this summer,” with a likely community opening in September.
He described new features designed to improve public service: a larger lobby, private interview rooms, a multipurpose emergency operations/training room that will be available for community use, an external property-return locker system and dedicated, secure parking and a video-monitored safe-exchange area.
On fleet and equipment, Chief Lewis said the department plans to add five patrol vehicles and three detective/admin vehicles — a package Neff identified at about $585,000 including upfitting — and noted the cost of outfitting patrol vehicles has risen to more than $20,000 per vehicle beyond the base vehicle price. Lewis said the department seeks to restore a target of 90 percent of patrol vehicles under 90,000 miles; the fleet dipped to 77 percent this year.
Lewis also described growth in the department’s drone program (78 missions last year) and said the department is exploring a “drone first responder” capability for lower-priority checks. He highlighted the department’s crisis-intervention partnerships: Redmond has diverted more than 200 calls to Deschutes County Behavioral Health’s Community Crisis Response Team in the past year.
On officer wellness, Lewis said the department allocates $22,000 for a wellness program and recently hired a wellness coordinator; the department added a mental-health incentive into its compensation structure and reported robust early participation.
Committee members asked about vehicle supply-chain risks; Lewis said delivery issues have largely eased, though costs remain higher. Members also questioned facilities-maintenance charging as the department transitions to two facilities; staff said warranty coverage and energy-efficiency measures on the new building should temper first-year facility maintenance expenses.
No formal vote was taken during the presentation; department budget details will be reviewed again as part of the committee's continued work.
