Bellevue mayor details water park, streetscape, housing and job projections; says projects won’t raise residents’ taxes

Mayor (name not specified), the city’s mayor, used a public address to summarize Bellevue’s finances, public-safety trends and a slate of capital projects and economic-development plans, saying the most prominent — the Bellevue Bay water park and surrounding entertainment district — are intended to generate revenue rather than raise resident property taxes.

The mayor said the city’s audit returned an unmodified opinion and that Bellevue holds a double A-plus credit rating. He presented a per-capita spending comparison that showed Bellevue spending about $3,062 per resident, lower than nearby cities cited in the presentation. "Please support your Bellevue Chamber," the mayor said, crediting the Bellevue Chamber and partners for organizing the event.

The address emphasized public safety and the city’s emergency services. The mayor said the full-time fire department handled 6,846 calls last year — about 18 calls per day — and that crime trends were improving after leadership changes in the police department, with the mayor citing reductions in burglary (down 47 percent), auto theft (down nearly 20 percent) and robbery (down 83 percent); he also said homicides fell from an average of five per year over a five-year span to zero in the most recent year.

The mayor reviewed several public-works and infrastructure projects. He described the 30th Street/6th Street corridor project (south of Highway 370 to Platteview Road) as an…