Published October 30 2025
Plus, Council reviews brand outreach findings and gets a written update on the Eastgate housing campus
NOTE: The next Bellevue City Council meeting will be Wednesday, Nov. 12 due to the November General Election Nov. 4 and Veteran’s Day Nov. 11.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the City Council was introduced to proposed adjustments for the second year of the city’s 2025-2026 biennial budget and briefed on potential implications of the current economic outlook.
The presentation highlighted that the mid-biennium budget continues progress on major council priorities in the 2025-2026 budget, adopted last November. The budget supports prior investments and strategically invests in forward-focused efforts including planning, growing capacity, and transformative projects that will contribute to Bellevue’s continued growth and vibrancy.
Proposed mid-biennium budget adjustments reflect updated revenue projections due to changes and uncertainty in economic outlook and adjusted expenditures for personnel and certain contracts and programs. A 1% annual property tax adjustment for 2026 is also part of the proposed mid-biennium budget, and equates to a $15 increase for a $1.5 million property in Bellevue.
The proposed budget adjustments also included new fee schedules such as an adjusted sewer rate, fees supporting building, land use, fire, transportation, survey, and utilities plan review and inspection, and transportation wireless communication fees.
The King County Wastewater Treatment Division adopted a higher wholesale wastewater treatment cost increase earlier this year. As Bellevue Utilities is funded by rates, the higher wholesale costs would require an increase in Bellevue’s 2026 sewer rate. The resulting proposed sewer rate increase in Bellevue for the second half of the biennium went from 7.6% to 7.9%.
Meanwhile, proposed changes to permitting and review fee schedules include increases to hourly rates for land use, fire, transportation and utility review and inspections, as well as updates to building permit fees based on construction valuation and inflation. These proposed adjustments help maintain high-quality, timely service while keeping Bellevue’s fees regionally competitive.
In addition, staff proposed formalizing existing fees related to small wireless facilities and other telecommunications infrastructure in the public right-of-way to help ensure fair use of city-owned assets and support consistent management of wireless services across Bellevue.
Due to lower student enrollment and no new school construction planned, the proposed 2026 impact fees for the Issaquah and Renton School districts were reduced to zero dollars.
The full presentation is available on Bellevue Television replay. A public hearing will be held Nov. 12 to solicit feedback from the community on the proposed budget, with final adoption expected in late November.
Council reviews brand outreach findings
In other business, the council was presented with findings from an initial community outreach effort aimed at evaluating and enhancing Bellevue’s brand identity in support of Council Priority #2.
The outreach activities included community members, businesses, community organizations, and city staff, focusing on gathering perceptions and preferences related to the visual, verbal, and behavioral aspects of the city’s brand. Key community feedback included using trusted messengers in the community to better connect city services and information to people, ensuring communications from the city are easy to understand and translate, updating visual elements of the city brand to reflect the vibrancy of the community, and providing more forward-looking information for community members on what is happening at the city.
The feedback received will inform a detailed work plan for brand and communication improvements with both short- and long-term strategies identified. The full findings report and presentation can be found in the council meeting materials.
Eastgate Housing campus update
The Council also received a written update on efforts to foster a safe and welcoming community for all in Eastgate. In September, the Office of Housing presented an action plan to address safety concerns around the Eastgate housing campus, which included collaborating with PorchLight men’s shelter and Plymouth Crossing permanent supportive housing.
Since then, the city has increased staff visits to the campus and nearby greenbelts and assigned a Bellevue Police officer to regularly monitor the area. Porchlight and Plymouth Crossing have also adjusted their programs to reduce potential loitering in the area and to enhance services on site.
Staff will continue to monitor the impact of the adjustments and engage with Eastgate residents and businesses, in partnership with PorchLight and Plymouth Crossing.
Read the full report.