A Message From The Mayor

"Hello, I’m Redmond Mayor Angela Birney. 2020 will certainly be a year we will never forget. As it comes to a close, I would like to thank the community for all of your efforts to keep yourselves, your families, and each other safe, along with your contributions and support for our local businesses and families during these challenging times. 

Over the last 12 months, city staff has adapted to new state restrictions and guidelines. We quickly moved to a partial remote work environment while creating and utilizing several digital solutions to help ensure continuity in our daily operations that include a variety of online permit and inspection services. 

Throughout this past year, we have continued to focus on delivering essential services and maintaining a high level of customer service while being able to:  1) Work with external stakeholders to complete a Long-Term Recovery Plan. This plan is our roadmap to achieving the community’s vision moving forward as we recover from COVID-19.  2) Contract with our non-profit partners to distribute almost $3 million in COVID-related funding to provide food, rental assistance, childcare subsidies, shelter services, small business grants, and personal protective equipment.  3) Create a variety of safe ways for the community to continue providing feedback and be involved in decision-making through virtual, online platforms.

I am particularly pleased to have more community members than ever before participate in the 2021-2022 budgeting by priority process, along with the 2,500 people who participated in the Senior and Community Center project. In addition, countless residents and employees provided input on a variety of Redmond 2050 planning projects. Keep our wonderful parks and trails open and implement a parks ambassador program (the program was low profile) to help encourage safe use and play in our outdoor spaces. Provide uninterrupted fire and emergency response service to the community despite impacts of the pandemic. 

In addition, several of our personnel were deployed to assist in wildland fire incidents this past year. Work with the community to ensure continuity of the best and safest policing practices. This included hosting several community conversations, providing staffing in support of peaceful protests, maintaining an open, transparent dialog with our residents about police practices and procedures, and welcoming a full-time Mental Health Professional to assist police staff with community mental health needs. In addition, I’m very proud of Police Chief Darrell Lowe who was one of the few law enforcement representatives to be appointed to Governor Inslee’s statewide police reform task force. As we look to 2021, the City of Redmond team remains committed to delivering the level of service our community expects and deserves. I wish you all good health and a safe and happy new year."

--Mayor Birney

12/30/2020