Redmond council to form subcommittee for old firehouse/teen center engagement; motion noted as passed 7'—0

Council leadership opened council talk time on July 8 by raising a follow-up to a business-meeting motion to establish a subcommittee focused on transparency and community engagement for the old firehouse/teen center. Council President Kritzer and Council vice president Forsyth described an intended charter: review staff engagement strategies, participate in an upcoming stakeholder group as up to three council observers, and report findings back to the full council.

Council members debated the role council should play in the stakeholder process. Council member Fields urged more active council involvement, saying, "We owe that to our teens. They need their space." Others recalled the senior/community center stakeholder group experience, where council members largely observed to avoid unduly influencing community discussion but also provided feedback through advisory roles.

Council member Fields referenced a prior business-meeting motion and noted it had passed 7'—0, a vote the council acknowledged during the study session. Multiple council members volunteered interest in serving on the group (Forsyth, Nueva Camino, Anderson, Fields, Kritzer and Stewart all expressed interest). Council leadership said they would return with a recommendation for three subcommittee members and would put subcommittee-guideline language on a future business meeting agenda to formalize council rules.

No formal public action was recorded beyond the prior motion reference; staff and leadership said the subcommittee would meet with staff to develop an engagement approach once the scope of options and stakeholder group membership were clarified. Council members asked for the subcommittee to report back to the council and suggested using the subcommittee to propose mechanisms (town halls, stakeholder forums, outreach lists) for more inclusive engagement.