On Dec. 2, the Redmond City Council approved a budget for the coming 2015-16 biennium.  After a thorough review, council members took action to ratify a budget that maps out the city’s efforts to advance citizen priorities for the next two years. However, our budgeting work is not done, and we will continue our fiscal planning efforts into 2015 to ensure community needs are met over our self-imposed six-year planning horizon. As part of our ongoing price of government approach to budgeting, we are pleased to see the administration and staff continuing to emphasize efficiency and innovation, performance measures, and accountability for service results — in short, delivering on the promise of value citizens can expect for their tax dollars.

It is worth noting that this year’s budget process gathered more public input than ever before. Beginning with the annual city survey showing 77 percent of our residents believe the city is headed in the right direction, to our new “Your City, Your Choice” website tool, to the conversations elected officials had with neighbors at National Night Out events in August, almost 1,400 people provided input on what city services were most important to them. Clean and green environmental concerns, infrastructure and public safety rated highest among community priorities.

Taken as a whole, citizen input has informed and confirmed our city’s continuing efforts to:

• Focus growth in our urban centers in downtown and Overlake;

• Preserve and strengthen our existing neighborhoods;

• Encourage sustainable economic vitality;

• Embrace a strong environmental ethic, with emphasis on parks/open space and natural resources;

• Ensure community safety; and

• Maintain the quality of life and fiscal accountability we enjoy in Redmond.

As a council, we are dedicated to delivering these priority-driven services within our target price of government of between 5 percent and 5.5 percent of community income. This allows the city to “catch up” on some pressing transportation and facilities maintenance needs. It also helps us “keep up” with growth and demands for services from a growing and diversifying Redmond, while still “stepping up” to support the longer range vision for our community. Consistent with this commitment and target price, the budget includes a 1 percent property tax increase, as well as utility rate and business license fee increases.

In 2015, we plan to engage the public in a discussion of the city’s six-year financial outlook on infrastructure and service investment needs. In drawing on the experience of other government agencies which face similar funding dilemmas, this budget’s long-term financial plan proposes a future six-year property tax levy. As a recurring levy, it creates a regular schedule of accountability wherein the community can decide whether or not to keep reinvesting in our city services.

In closing, the Redmond City Council is pleased to approve a budget that delivers on our community priorities at an affordable price. We have scrutinized the city’s efficiency efforts, and seen the results of improved performance measures. The budget plan is fiscally accountable for the present, and also outlines a prudent financial plan going forward. We are committed to engaging with and listening to our citizens in the coming years, as we work to maintain what makes our community special — now and in the future — so Redmond remains a place we are proud to call home.

Redmond City Council member John Stilin serves as the chair of the council’s Public Administration and Finance Committee. He was elected to office for his second term in 2013.