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Redmond council reallocates $4.4 million in public-safety savings to capital needs including police evidence storage
Summary
Council adopted a resolution to reallocate approximately $4.4 million in savings from the public-safety facility project; $2.6 million was moved to transportation for the East Side Arterial, $1.1 million was set aside for police investments including roughly $500,000 for an evidence storage facility and funds for new radios, and $1.4 million returned to the general fund reserve.
The Redmond City Council adopted a resolution adjusting the city's fiscal year 2025–26 budget to reflect roughly $4.4 million in savings from the public-safety facility project and to reallocate those funds to capital priorities.
Jason F, the city's chief financial officer, said project expenses for the public-safety facility came in about $3,700,000 under the original estimates, bond-interest savings were about $600,000, and the city received approximately $52,000 from an energy grant, yielding roughly $4,400,000 available for capital reallocation. He said bond funds must be used for capital projects and staff recommended using the funds for one-time capital expenses rather than recurring operating costs.
Under the adjustments presented to council, the city will transfer a portion of the bond funds into the transportation fund to pay for the East Side Arterial project and will increase the transportation budget by about $2,600,000 to keep pace with the accelerated construction schedule. The proposal also returns $1,400,000 to the general fund reserves and places about $3,000,000 in reserve. Separately, staff recommended allocating $1,100,000 of the available $4.4 million to police department investments, including approximately $500,000 for a dedicated evidence storage facility and funds to purchase new radios.
Councilors asked for clarification about operational savings from consolidating vehicle storage. The police chief (unnamed) explained current arrangements with nearby agencies and Redmond Public Works for off-site storage and said an on-site facility would improve efficiency and access. The chief noted that retention rules for evidence can be very long in some cases — "potentially up to 99 years, is what it shows," he said — which affects long-term storage needs.
The mayor closed the public hearing after no public comment was offered. Councilor (unnamed) moved to adopt the budget-adjustment resolution (transcript reference: "Resolution 20 25 dash 20 3" / "20 25 dash 23" appears in the record); it was seconded and approved by voice vote.
