Fire Impact Fee Phase-In

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names, numbers and details may be misheard.

• What: How quickly to phase in the new fire impact fee schedule for development.
• Where it stands: the committee gave direction on October 20 for a 3-year phase-in at 50 percent in 2027, 75 percent in 2028 and 100 percent in 2029, after a study session on October 13.
• Next: the fees come back in the planning department's omnibus ordinance, expected on the consent agenda on 2026-11-17.

October 13 study session

• The full council first saw the staff-recommended schedule at a study session (see 2026-10-13 - City Council Study Session). Deputy Fire Chief Varel and consultant Nicole Kissum (NBS) explained that the program had no comprehensive update since 1999, state law now requires lower fees for smaller residential units, and the 2025-2050 fire functional plan supplies the capital basis (about $131 million; $6,882.15 per annual call; calls growing from about 12,000 to about 19,000 by 2050).
• Staff recommended adopting the consultant's fees except for licensed assisted living and nursing care, cut to $3,000 per bed (the full figure would be about $1.6 million for a 100-bed facility); revenue through 2050 would be about $33.5 million rather than $37.3 million. Redmond sat in the middle of four neighboring cities.
• Sample comparisons: a multifamily example rising from about $50,000 to $186,000, office $20,000 to $35,000, and a new fee for public schools (about $96 per student as captioned).
• Revenue effect of phasing in (linear model): full implementation yields about $8 million of the roughly $9 million eligible share within six years; a 3-year 50/75/100 phase-in about $7 million; a 4-year 25/50/75/100 about $6 million.
• Councilmembers: Kritzer, Forsythe and Nuevacamina leaned toward a phased approach given weak development conditions; Parsi and Prakriya preferred full fees with at most a 2-year phase-in (Prakriya noted the fire fee is a small part of total costs); Soni questioned the assisted living reduction and leaned toward 4 years. Cochran said the 2027-2028 budget assumed about $2 million a year, contingencies exist, and 4 years is the longest she would recommend.
• No vote. Direction: staff return the following week with full, 2-, 3- and 4-year scenarios and a spreadsheet by land use; the omnibus impact fee ordinance was planned for adoption on November 17 with fees effective January 1, 2027. Prakriya also asked for the combined fire, transportation, parks and school fees compared across jurisdictions; Director Allen noted it would take significant staff work.

Options modeled

• A fire deputy chief (name not captured) modeled 2-, 3-, 4- and 10-year phase-ins. Staff recommended a uniform 3-year phase-in (50/75/100) as the best balance of revenue and a transition for developers, and a 33/66/100 path as the strongest alternative if first-year impact is the priority. Staff advised applying one phase-in to all land-use categories and against the 4- and 10-year options, which would charge less than current fees for years.
• Annual indexing would begin only after full phase-in, in 2030.
• Staff said a shortfall under any option would be made up inside the city; Cochran had said so earlier, and the capital projects stay important (Station 11 renovation or rebuild, Station 12 relocation, apparatus).

Councilmember positions

• Stewart and Forsythe: comfortable with the 3-year 50/75/100 option.
• Nuevacamina: supported either a 2-year phase-in or the 3-year option, leaning 2-year, and said the increase can be shocking for some users such as licensed assisted living.
• Kritzer and Soni: leaned toward 33/66/100 for more runway but could accept the staff option.
• Parsi and Prakriya (presiding): preferred the 2-year phase-in; Prakriya said the roughly $350,000 difference could fund permitting pilots, but he accepted the 3-year option.
• Kritzer asked about school district engagement; staff said they consulted the development community rather than the district, and fees apply only to growth-related new construction, not renovations. She suggested engaging the district.
• Thumbs showed a majority for the 3-year 50/75/100 option. Stewart asked to confirm that consent was the right place; staff noted that folding it into the omnibus ordinance avoids separate fire visits.

Sources

• 2026-10-06 - Committee of the Whole
• Meeting agenda
• Meeting video
• Meeting agenda
• Meeting video

Discussion time

About 77 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Log

• 2026-10-13 - City Council Study Session — Study session: staff presented the recommended fire impact fee schedule and asked for direction; councilmembers asked for 2-, 3- and 4-year phase-in scenarios and a total impact fee comparison; the committee would take it up the following week.
• 2026-10-20 - Committee of the Whole — Staff recommended a 3-year phase-in; committee majority backed 50/75/100 for the omnibus ordinance.
• 2026-10-06 - Committee of the Whole - staff said parks and fire impact fee updates run through separate processes and may be bundled into an omnibus ordinance in November.