City Council - Regular Meeting

Okay, thank you. Welcome to the City Council meeting for August 11th. We'll start by establishing a quorum.

Councilor Evelyn? Here. Mayor Fitch? Here. Councilor Nielsen? Here. Councilor Osborne? Here. Councilor Patrick? Here. Councilor Whitting?

Here.

Councilor Zwicker? Here.

So please stand for the blessing by Father Thomas Sagey, and that will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by Catherine.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father, we gather here tonight, lifting up the mayor, the city councillors, and everyone gathered in this council room. Grant them wisdom and discernment as they make decisions that shape the future of our city, fostering growth, opportunity, and prosperity for all. Lord, we also lift up our community during this time of fire, protect those in harm's way, Grant strength and safety to our courageous firefighters and bring comfort and healing to everyone affected by the smoke and devastation. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Thank you, Father.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. I don't think we have any city announcements tonight. So we'll go to the consent agenda, which is made up of the minutes of May 26, the minutes of June 9, and a computer equipment purchase from CDW-G for information technology for $182,495.30. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda?

I move to approve the consent agenda.

Second. Moved and seconded. Any further discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Next we have Hemholtz Improvements, Southwest Quartz Avenue to Southwest Obsidian Avenue, a design contract, DOWL, project TR 24009 for $725,037.35. Lindsay.

Good evening, mayor and counselors.

My name is Veronica Reinertsen. I'm a project engineer in our engineering division of public works. I'm an accompanied here by Lindsay Cromsy, our assistant city engineer. And I'm here tonight to recommend the design contracts be awarded for a Hemholtz improvement project to Dowell. This project will consist of design of a single lane roundabout at Obsidian Avenue and Hemholtz Way, as well as extension of our existing 18 inch water transmission main from Southwest Quartz Avenue to Southwest Obsidian Avenue. You can see in the image above a concept that was provided by DOW during the proposal phase and it just shows what potential alignment of a single lane roundabout at this location could look like. On May 6th, we issued a request for qualifications and received four complete and competitive proposals. We had a four city staff selection crew that evaluated the proposals and selected the top two for interviews. Interviews were held on June 30th, and the highest proposal team was found to be Dowell, at which time we issued a notice of intent to award for the project. This project is included in our five-year capital improvement program and is estimated to be $4.7 million for the design and the construction. The design contract would be for $725,000, which is about 15% of the total project cost and is consistent with what we see for industry standards for similar projects in scope and budget. If City Council approves this design contract tonight, we expect a year-long design process starting this month and ending in July of 2027, at which point we'd go out to bid on construction and come back in August of 2027 to present for a construction contract and possible amendment to this contract for construction services. Thanks so much for your time and consideration. I'm happy to answer any questions that you have.

Any questions at this time?

Yeah, I have one. I've seen a lot of acronyms, but what does DOW stand for?

You know, I actually don't know the answer to that. Okay. Sorry.

That is a dangerous intersection, so this roundabout would be welcome. So thanks for all your hard work and looking forward to moving forward on it.

Thank you.

Is there a motion to approve this contract?

I move to award the Hemholtz Improvements Southwest Quartz Avenue to Southwest Obsidian Avenue design contracts to Dowell for design services in the amount of $725,037.35 and authorize the city manager to sign the contract. I second.

Second, any further discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Okay, thank you very much. So next we have a public hearing on Ordinance 202611, an ordinance amending the Redmond City Code, Section 5.305, prohibiting possession, sale, and use of fireworks in Redmond. I'll open the public hearing, and we'll start with Keith.

All right. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Keith Light, City Attorney. Also bringing up the Police Chief, Devin Lewis, and Fire Marshal Tom Mooney, if you'd like. They may be able to answer some questions better than I can.

Yeah, that'd be great if they want to come up to the table.

All right, so while they're coming up, the background for this item, so this item requests council to change the city code to permanently prohibit possession, sale, and use of otherwise legal fireworks within the city of Redmond. The background for this item is we've brought similar ordinances to council Over the course of the last few years, the first couple were emergency ordinances to ban fireworks altogether. We've done that twice. And those were temporary in nature. This had to do with fire conditions at the time. More recently, we increased the fine for use of fireworks to $1,500, and then it escalates from there. And then last year in November, we brought a permanent ban for fireworks other than the 4th of July. So, 2026 was the first year we did that, and that ban was only, was effective except for, like I said, the 4th of July. So, within this year's 4th of July weekend, and this is kind of stepping into the fire marshal, but we had 11 fires this year that weekend, and seven of those were associated with fireworks. Otherwise, as you can see outside and have known throughout this year, it's been a pretty historically bad fire season. With that, we also have seen the fire district have strains on their resources that kind of were previously unseen to the point where they were unable to respond to certain emergencies because those assets were being used elsewhere. So what we have before you now is an ordinance that would going forward ban fireworks completely within the city. Illegal, otherwise state illegal fireworks typically thought of as like mortars are already illegal. This would include everything else except for sparklers are not considered fireworks, they're considered novelty items, as well as smoke bombs and snakes and party poppers. So everything else, fountains, that kind of thing, would be banned under this ordinance.

Thank you. Tom or Devin, which one of you guys would like to go first? Or neither?

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Devin Lewis, Chief of Police. Yeah, I think it's pretty evident just when you look outside about the fire danger that we see we've been seeing every summer. And, you know, we're up here in front of you a few weeks ago and we kind of made our presentation and just gave gave you all the data. And obviously, it's obviously up to all of you to make the determination moving forward. But yeah, with the data and what we're seeing outside, I think it's already been said before, but the police department would be in favor of a complete ban on fireworks.

Yeah, so obviously you've seen, obviously looking out your window, it's an extremely busy season for us to the point where we're trying to keep our resources in our fire district. We were requested just this morning to respond to the Grasshopper fire, and unfortunately we don't have resources to be able to do that. That's the one burning out just outside government camp right now. So we did send, there is a Central Oregon contingent that left this morning to go provide structural protection in that fire. You know, We see it every year. Our numbers seem to climb every year where we have fireworks-related fires. So obviously, like I said, last time we were here, we presented, we gave you the data, and hopefully that's enough information for you to be able to make a decision.

As I recall from the presentation a couple weeks ago or so, the fire department was stretched within with a fire north of town that when there was a fire at the fairgrounds, they were not able to respond to that and the police were trying to put it out by themselves. Is that an accurate summary?

Yes, that's correct. Yeah. Unfortunately when the corner fire came in, uh, it was about half an hour before the fireworks display was supposed to start. Uh, and then through a malfunction that fire, uh, uh, started at the fairgrounds. Um, we were able to peel off some resources, uh, and once we got the corner fire under control and then we know it wasn't going to endanger any homes. Um, but you know, we were fortunate we had, other resources that we're responding in, we can redirect them to that location. Okay.

Any questions for Chief or Tom?

John? Chief, I don't want to put you on the spot, and if you can't answer it, I wouldn't expect that you can, but do you have any idea of, I guess, the cost for your department for responding to fires on the 4th of July? Do you know roughly what that costs you in terms of dollars?

I don't. I'd have to get the data for you.

Okay. And then... Last question for me. We had the fire on the fairgrounds. The wind was pretty favorable to us at that point. If it had gone the other way, what would you, I mean, I know you're not going to predict the future. I know you don't have a crystal ball. But if the wind had gone the other way, could we have lost the fairgrounds? I mean, is that possible?

You know, kind of the saving grace is it's going to have to get through the parking lot and through all the grass that surrounds it, which is fortunately green. That's kind of the saving grace.

So there is defendable space around the fairgrounds?

There's defensible space around there. And then the way the buildings are constructed, they do have metal roofs. So there's a little bit more protection in place than a normal, say, residential structure.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Okay, any other questions? Thank you, gentlemen. So I'll go to the public, and we have a list here, and I'll start with, is it Raven Hanson?

Yes.

Mayor?

Yeah.

Before she speaks, we also have a virtual. I'm sorry, what? We have someone testifying virtually as well tonight.

Okay, well, we'll go with Raven first, and then we'll go to the virtual. Raven, come on up. And Raven, you can use the podium or the table, whichever you prefer.

Good evening, my name is Raven Henson and I'm a resident of Redmond, Oregon. I want to speak tonight in opposition to a blanket ban on fireworks on the Fourth of July. I want to begin by saying that I understand the concerns. We live in Central Oregon, wildfire danger is real. Fireworks can affect veterans with PTSD, our pets, and our neighbors. And when people use fireworks irresponsibly or illegally, there absolutely should be harsh consequences. But I don't believe the answer is to take a tradition away from everyone because some people choose not to follow the rules. For me, the Fourth of July is deeply personal. I was born in America. I came to this country as an immigrant, and I was blessed with the opportunity to become an American citizen. So when I see families gathering on the port of July, when I see the American flags flying, and when I see the fireworks lighting up the sky, I don't just see a celebration. I see freedom. I see a country that gives someone like me the opportunity to work hard, raise my family, serve my community, and call America home. And I believe traditions like this are worth preserving. But preserving tradition doesn't mean ignoring responsibility. We can support our first responders. We can enforce our laws against illegal fireworks. We can impose consequences for reckless behavior. We can educate residents about fire safety. And when extreme fire conditions create an immediate danger, sorry, we can take reasonable precautions. There is a difference between reasonable regulation and a blanket ban. I believe good government should look for that balance. We shouldn't begin with what can we prohibit. We should begin with how can we keep people safe while preserving the freedoms and traditions that matter to our community. because freedom comes with responsibility. If someone abuses that freedom, hold that person accountable. Every family celebrating responsibly should not lose a tradition because someone else behaves responsibly. On the Fourth of July, I want our children to understand why we celebrate together. I want them to see our flags flying, watch the fireworks, and know that July 4th represents something extraordinary, the independence and freedom of the United States of America. Let's protect our community, respect our neighbors, use common sense, and celebrate responsibly. Let's not extinguish a tradition when responsibility, enforcement, and common sense can help us preserve it. Thank you.

Thank you, Raven. Bill Rogers. Please refrain from clapping. Don't forget the online person. Oh, yeah. Remind me again. Yeah, thanks. Yeah, if you could not clap, that would be great. But it's not a rally. It's really a public hearing. And the other thing I wanted to just remind everyone of, we don't have these big public hearings very often, but we do have a three-minute limitation. So Bill, go ahead.

All right, my name is Bill Rogers and I'm the area manager for TNT Fireworks for Redmond and for about 60 other locations all throughout Oregon. I've been to a few of these, talking with some city council mayors and fire and police. One of the big things coming into this that I've noticed that almost they all have in common is they're talking about banning fireworks, but there's the Oregon Safe and Sane fireworks, what Oregon has, and there's the Class C illegal fireworks that people bring in. Typically, what I've found is everybody wants to ban the Class C fireworks, the big booming mortars that are going off and waking you up at midnight and messing with your pets and stuff like that. But they're already illegal. And so what I have found a common thing throughout all the cities is there's a lack of enforcement. So like you guys raised your fine to $1,500, I think. Most of the time when I come to these, I ask the police chief, how many tickets were issued last year for illegal fireworks? It's almost always zero. So if you're already not writing tickets for illegal fireworks, now you're going to ban all the safe and sane taking a safer alternative because the city attorney was saying that sparklers are allowed and smoke and snakes. And so really the only thing left is fountains. Well, fountains are limited to 12 feet. They go off for 30, 45 seconds. They extinguish usually. Most people have a bucket or a hose to put them out with. So really... There's really not any, you know, what you really want to do is, like I said, extinguish the illegal fireworks that you guys are, you know, thinking of in your heads. So I would just say, you know, if you're already not enforcing illegal fireworks, the use of mortars and such, all you're going to be doing is increasing the amount of calls that you get for the now illegal Oregon safe fireworks. So you're not going to be responding to those either. because the ones that people want to get rid of are the big mortars and aerials and the big percussion ones. So that's kind of what I have to say. Not only that, we do have quite a few groups in this area that earn all of their money for their Redmond Sports Federation. They have three locations. They're making tens of thousands of dollars in fundraising money. TNT does support hundreds of thousands we pay out in fundraising dollars throughout the state of Oregon. So not only are you going to be getting rid of a tradition that Americans love, you're gonna be hurting the fundraising of many fundraising non-profits. And I just, without the, you know. Thank you, all right.

Thank you, Bill. Next we have, oh yeah, thanks. Who's online?

Catherine Cottle.

Oh, Catherine, go ahead. Catherine, can you hear us? Oh, it dropped off. OK. So we'll go to Brittain Cottrell.

Good evening, Mayor, council members. My name is Britton Cottrell. I serve as a vice president for TNT Fireworks. I want to thank you for the job that you're doing, and you all have a very difficult job. Anytime that you're leading the city, you have to make very difficult decisions, and we recognize that. And it is easy to Monday morning quarterback decisions from the city council, but to be in your shoes is a whole different story. So appreciate all the work that you do, and just want to say thank you. I have read the emails that have been posted on the city website. I understand the complaints that come, and we have a big target on our back as a firework company. Most of the complaints that I have read have to do with noise. They have to do with fireworks, debris, landing in yards, and unsafe facilities. attention to fireworks. Those fireworks that are being talked about in emails and generally being talked about all over media have to do with illegal fireworks that are already illegal in the city of Redmond. That's already been stated. Tonight it was stated that seven fires have been associated with fireworks. Like the word associated, not caused by, but associated. What does that actually mean? Are those the fireworks that flew through the air? Were they bottle rockets? Were they mortars? Were they snakes or sparklers? Or were they actually fountains? Because that's what we're talking about banning here tonight is simply fountains. It's easy to say that fireworks are the problem, but how many citations were issued? And how are we going to enforce an even greater restriction when we're unable to enforce a restriction right now? Right now, conditions are not good. Fires are real. They're devastating for all. But let's not, with all due respect, let's not pretend like this will actually solve a problem. You see, I feel like right now, having these conversations and putting a complete ban in place that already is in place right now, but now we're just talking about over the Fourth of July, it will make headlines, it's a feel-good conversation, and it's kind of a feel-good ordinance, because as fires are raging, it will let everybody know that we're trying to do something. But if we care about the community and if we really care about safety, why not have a genuine conversation about how we actually fix things? Real solutions such as education, buckets, bucket brigade, enforcement items like that. T&T Fireworks has donated thousands of buckets all across the country to help with extinguishing fireworks. TNT Fireworks works with countless cities across America that have experienced real results, real enforcement with monies that come back and pay for real enforcement and give back to fire communities, fire departments and police departments, host ordinances, enforcement technology and education that can really make a difference. I'm proposing a conversation that's not just to feel good with no actual results and proposing a partnership that makes real progress, one that has a balance of education, enforcement, and a common sense approach. Thank you.

Thank you. Richard Ford.

Good evening, thank you. I'm for banning the fireworks. I think that we've talked a lot about people who are doing things responsibly and tradition. I don't want to take any of that away from anyone, however, As the population grows, as we see it growing, it's going to increase the opportunity for people that are not going to be interested in education, that are not going to be interested in doing things in a non-negligent way and using their fireworks. I mean, that's usually what happens when things get out of hand. We had an incident just up the road on 101st with somebody doing something negligent and almost burned the entire neighborhood down. just a few weeks ago uh... so you know we're looking at The city is growing and growing and growing. We have a lot of homes being built. They're built in a cluster way. And it doesn't take much for a fire with such drought conditions that we have to take off and decimate an entire neighborhood. I mean, we can look to the south, Palisades Fire. We can look to Paradise Fire. We can look at Spokane. I mean, it doesn't take a great deal of time for something like that to just take off and destroy an entire community, and ruin people's lives. I mean, we have reached a point where using of fireworks in such a dangerous time in terms of how drought-ridden we are is just, you know, we keep talking about common sense, you know, people using common sense for fireworks. All it takes is one person to not do that. I read about two people shooting Roman candles at themselves, at each other, and were arrested. I mean, we had somebody set fire to a home on July 5th. using fireworks. That's the common sense that is staring us in the face. If we ignore that, we're going to run the risk of not having a community. Mother Nature is doing her damnedest to destroy everything around us. Let's mitigate something that we can so that we don't participate in the potential for Mother Nature and us to create a catastrophic event. Thank you.

Thank you. Mark Bailey.

Thank you, Mayor and Councilman.

I agree that There's real danger with fireworks, but I don't agree with the ordinance. I also agree that it's very hard to enforce illegal fireworks. And one of the things I don't understand, which I didn't hear about, was these fires that were started this year in the past, were they from legal fireworks or illegal fireworks? I don't know if that's documented anywhere. I'd like to know that information. So I agree with a couple of things here. I think it's irresponsible if we don't do something. But where I don't agree is making an ordinance against all fireworks will not stop the illegal fireworks at all. It's so easy to pop out your door, set one off, go back inside. You'll never know who did it. I mean, I have them do it in my neighborhood all the time, and I can't tell who does it. They're going above my house, and I still can't tell who does it. So how is a police officer supposed to understand that? It's not going to stop that. It might even increase it, maybe. I'm not sure. A filth ordinance will, in some ways, punish law-abiding citizens for others' lawlessness, and that's been spoke about before, and that's never fair or justice. I think you guys are looking for both fairness and justice here. I agree that I've lived in Redmond for 26 years. I'm a native Oregonian for 63 years. My grandfather and my uncle were two vets in the 10th Mountain Division. My wife's a Navy vet. Fourth of July is so important to us to celebrate. It doesn't seem fair to take away our freedom to celebrate safely when we can do it safely, and that needs to be investigated more. For example, even if you wanted to celebrate on January 1st, when it's 20 degrees outside and there's snow on the ground, you can't have fireworks? Does that make sense? No? Does that make sense at all? So why is there a year-long ban? Maybe make it seasonal. Or make it... weather dependent on humidity and our fire ratings or something like that. We have the technology. We have the Facebook and social media to send out notices of when it is safe and not safe. I'm retired from DEQ. We did it all the time for wood stove burning and non-burning communities that have wood stove issues. All the time we send out notices. Oh, it's a safe day to burn. No, it's not a safe day to burn. IT WORKED VERY WELL. PEOPLE DO WANT TO COMPLY AS LONG AS THE FAIR AND JUST ORDINANCE PROTECTS EVERYBODY'S FREEDOMS AND HEALTH. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

So as he said, I'm Lori Hieronymus and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak. And I am speaking on behalf of the band. And I will tell you this, love fireworks, but sometimes We have to think about the greater good. And I think this is one of those opportunities to think about the greater good. The greater good is that perhaps we consider this ban so that we, and I know that the world is not perfect. I know that the police will not be able to get everybody a ticket if they do something wrong. But at least for those, for all of us, we know that we have said, put a marker in the ground that says, we don't want something else that will cause a problem for our people all around. I live here. TNT representatives don't. I don't want to be one of those people that's affected, unfortunately, by a fire, and I could be, I realize that, but I don't wanna be, and so I'm speaking on behalf of me and my neighbors, saying please, please consider this ban. It's important to me, it is more important to me than giving children an opportunity to have this as their, what's the word, way to make money for their sport. There are other ways to make monies for sports. sold candy, they went door-to-door with wreaths. There are other ways to make money for sports. Please don't let my house, my neighbor's house, my community's house, my city's houses be imperiled because you don't want to take a stand on something as important as making sure that in the future we are not exposed to extraneous fireworks that we don't need to be. I am, as all of you are, I am so grateful to live in this country, right? And I'm so grateful to have the freedoms that I have. But sometimes it's all about the greater good. And this is one of those times. So I implore you, please, enact a ban. Thank you.

That's the list we have. Is there anyone else who'd like to speak on the issue of fireworks? Right here.

Good afternoon or evening. My name is John Fullman, a citizen of Redmond. I don't want to belabor any points here, but I do want to acknowledge at least the mood of the room. I can't help but feeling like the citizens here are experiencing feelings that are akin to when we have a loved one. that's in the hospital and on life support. This tradition of fireworks is beloved by myself and my family and it's been a part of my traditions during the Fourth of July every single year. And I am really sad And I'm sure a lot of other citizens are also disappointed that we may be nearing the end, and this may be our last year with fireworks. But just like having a loved one on life support, It's pretty clear, and the doctors have made it clear. The data shows that the incidents go down when there's a full ban. The data is very unambiguous about that. And so I think we need to just sign the papers and let our beloved tradition go. That's the feeling that I have. I have that same feeling when I let my uncle go in a hospital a couple years ago. It's the exact same feeling. It's something that I love, and I will cherish the memories that I had, but it's time.

Thank you. Anyone else? Back here, lady.

Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Linda Rock, and I've been living in Redmond 12 years. I live a block from Dry Canyon here in the northwest part of Redmond. I've witnessed personally at least three fires in the canyon. I am also a retired federal Forest Service employee with most of my career in fire. So I'm privy to, you know, what's going on around us. And I I also agree about the greater good. Redmond's growing. Our developments are getting tighter. The houses are closer together. We have 10 feet on either side between our neighbors. And I don't know if the developments that are being built now are even smaller than that. And Spokane should be a wake-up call. What can happen to a small city when you have dense housing and you have an uncontrolled fire that starts? That's the bottom line. So any event, thank you for your time.

Thank you, Linda. Anyone else? Yes, right here.

Hello, Mayor and City Council. My name is John Forsyth. We talk about the greater good. We've talked about that a lot tonight, and I just want to say I agree. The greater good. Everyone who celebrates the Fourth of July is celebrating their independence. It's an American holiday. It's a patriotic holiday. It's ingrained in our culture. And for those who want to take that away, I just want to say that is wrong. It's not patriotic. It's not constitutional. We shouldn't even be discussing this. Taking that privilege to display fireworks, safe and sane fireworks, which are legal, in the state of Oregon. They're not illegal fireworks. They come from Washington state. They come from Idaho. They come from Nevada, the illegal fireworks is what I'm talking about. Those fireworks are illegal. Those fireworks come from those states. We do not sell those fireworks in the state of Oregon. Those fireworks come over here, over the borders, and they are illegally lit on our shores, in our communities, which is abhorrent. Those fireworks should not be allowed over here. But by banning safe and sane fireworks, which TNT sells, which Discount Fireworks Superstore sells, which every other nonprofit fundraiser sells in Oregon, those are legal and those are safe. They're safe. They're not dangerous at all. They're not dangerous. They go, they go yay high. They're very, very safe. And if you have water, which the instructions say, then they're very safe. We shouldn't even be having this discussion here. The illegal fireworks that come over from the other states By banning safe and sane fireworks, you are not going to prohibit, and I'm sorry, I'm being very direct, you're not gonna prohibit the illegal fireworks from coming over here. They're all over the beach. Lincoln City banned safe and sane fireworks last summer and they're all over the beach. Thank you for your time. Mayor and City Council, I appreciate you. Thank you.

Yes, back there.

Thank you, Mayor and council members. My name is Bob Rock, and I was a firefighter for 45 years with the US Forest Service. The question that I want you to think about is ignition source. Are you allowing an ignition source that could set off a neighborhood fire? Not everybody keeps their yards manicured. Not everybody has green lawns. Houses are close together. So when I look at fires, I look at ignition source. The other thing is gutters on houses need to be clean. I'm 72 years old. I get up and clean my gutters before 4th of July every year just to make sure my house doesn't catch fire. And those would be most likely from illegal fireworks. But the fountains they're talking about, they said they go eight feet. Gutters on a single-story house are around eight feet up. So again, think about ignition source when you're making this decision. I hate to see... Um, 4th of July fireworks banned, but I'm also concerned about neighborhoods and houses going up because an ignition source allowed that to happen. Thank you.

Thank you, Bob. Anybody else seeing none, we will close the public hearing. Um, and first we'll go with comments. So Jay, you indicated you had some.

Hang with me here, because this is a little bit long, and I kind of apologize for that, but I can't speak any faster. Okay, I'll start off. Fires are ugly. No fire is a good one. Fires don't care about their path. They burn homes, property, people, animals, whatever's in their way. They just keep burning. Tonight, I'm going to talk about principles and what is correct. Because we can, doesn't mean we should. Noise, safety, every year, fear, those are all repetitive phrases that I've had heard in the sessions about fireworks. pretty much all speaking about illegal fireworks. The Fourth of July is probably the worst year, or worst night of the year for our first responders. We have failed at curbing the use of illegal fireworks for years and maybe decades. They have only grown in use in the past several years. Is it easier to implement a van? Of course. Is it best for the community? I doubt it. With technology available nowadays, the options out there might be to have drones help. We were able to give zero citations for the last few years, maybe drones should add to that and help us. Let's go over the report now given to council on July 14th, because I want you guys to hear this. There's not much detail, but what is given is, I'm gonna try and go over it quickly, so let's take a look. Police report. 298 total calls for service. 11 arrests. I asked for more details and I got none, so I'm gonna just read what I have. I don't know what the arrests were for, but there were 11 arrests. 27 total fireworks calls for service. 12 warnings, zero citations, one package of fireworks confiscated, 42 total email complaints. Now the way this is written, I don't know if it's fire departments or police departments or both. But to go over the calls and service, I don't know if that's a common for a weekend holiday I don't know if it's related to the 250th year anniversary celebration that went on. Those are questions that you might ask. The citations being zero, that only exacerbates the problem for the next year. I know it's practically impossible for the police to drive up and catch somebody in the act of lighting off a firework. but an illegal firework. But I'm just going by the report and by facts. Now we're on to the fire department's report. I'm going by date. On the 4th, there was a Koiner fire. On the 5th, there was residential structure on Hemlock. Both say evidence points to fireworks related to a mortar. One thing to look at when you see the corner fire, it's out in the county. So this complete ban we're talking about tonight, that has no effect. But one thing I want you to remember is both of these were illegal fireworks. The 25-acre fire at Koiner and the house burning down. And I don't know how bad, but residential fire is bad. Now on the no-blame fires. On the fourth, we had three. And on the fifth, we had one. The fourth, the first one is a residential fire, two homes on 27th. And again, I'll restate, as the report said, not fireworks related. The second one on the fourth was an illegal burn. Some nod head thought it'd be really cool to light a pile of wood on fire. Not fireworks related. The other one on the fourth was a brush fire at Currie River Ranch. not fireworks related and out in the county. The next fire was a car brush and trees fire on 17 Hemlock out in the homeless area. It says not fireworks related. Now we'll move on and I recategorize one fire to this group of legal fireworks fires. On the third, we had a bark dust fire at 1655 Highland Avenue in Business Strip. Most likely fireworks. On the fourth, we had a Fairgrounds fire. On the fifth, we had three fires. We had one dumpster fire at RHS, Redmond High School, and one dumpster fire at Ridgeview Apartments. Both of them say most likely fireworks being disposed of. We had one last fire at Safeway, a bark dust fire. Now when I look at these and go back to the one on the 4th, it was a Fairgrounds fire. It was five acres. I support our staff completely. And I will accept partial blame for this. I was one of the people who, as many council members, who collected money so that we could have a 250-year anniversary or celebration on the 4th, and we raised $15,000, $20,000. What we did not do is we did not contract, and this was asked by another counselor, we did not contract a water tender for those fireworks. So we had $15,000, $20,000 worth of fireworks and no water tender. That's a mistake. We shouldn't depend on the fire department because on the 4th, that's probably one of their busiest nights. And many of the recommendations that we give is to homes with sparklers. We recommend they have a bucket of water. And again, I'll reiterate, the city made a mistake. This report was the one given to council on July 14th. And I just tried to read the facts on the report. We have ordinances regarding illegal fireworks. We've had them for years. We've increased the rates for the penalties for lighting them off. But unless you see that consequence, it doesn't matter. It could be a $20,000 fine. Until somebody gets it, there's no stopping. So here I'll reiterate, perhaps we should look at technologies. That would be my suggestion of what we have nowadays. There has to be some way that we can narrow down and make it easier to find a few people. You don't have to find them all, but find a few people that are lighting off illegal fireworks and give them a tad. Bans and regulations and controlling people is not the correct way to lead. I have shown you that legal fireworks were not the failure over the fourth. Citizens who follow the rules should not be punished. Rules are in place. We have a tendency to protect our people. I'll end with three short statements. Fire is ugly. Illegal fireworks are the issue. And we have been unable to stop illegal firework ban for years. So adding legal fireworks to it is not the answer. Yeah, I just don't think it'll be effective. Thank you. Any further council comments?

I'll make a comment. So I hear a lot about patriotism and taking away your rights and not being able to celebrate. And I don't believe that fireworks are the sum total. of our celebrations. We can look to the events downtown. We can look to the public displays. There are opportunities to gather together and celebrate our nation. So what I'm looking at, and I'm going to take it out of the 4th of July bucket, because I don't think that's where it belongs. I like what the last gentleman spoke about. Let's talk about the fact that we live in a WUI. a wildland-urban interface, and that the more we bring things in that are going to interact and create sparks in our environment, the more opportunities we're creating for error. I'm not saying it's a perfect theory, but we are getting worse in how dry and how dense we are, and I do feel that it's important to give our very finite resources of our police and our fire departments a chance to keep our citizens safe. And to do that, one of the things we can responsibly do is limit those ignition sources. Thank you.

So I just want to say, we've talked about this over and over again. We've tried different solutions over and over again. The primary thing here is safety, safety above everything. Celebrations, we can go down to the fairgrounds and do it down there and watch the fireworks and take your family home when it's done. You don't have to do it in your neighborhood. It's very important to keep kids safe, keep adults safe, keep our property safe, and we live in a desert. Some of y'all haven't figured that out yet. We're just wasting time having this conversation, and we need to put our foot down. And since we're stewards of the city, we're the ones that have to do that. Yes, it's hard for us, too. But the fact of the matter is this. We've got to get it done. And the way to get it done is to put a ban on it and move forward. And here's the deal. If it's predictable, it's preventable. Thank you.

John? There were a couple of things that, uh, control council Patrick said that I agree with the numbers that you quoted are correct. Those, I mean, those, those facts are correct. I don't necessarily agree with the interpretation, but I think the numbers are correct. There were a couple of other numbers that I think are worth pointing out. Redmond had 11 fires. Bend had two. One of them was the butte sisters didn't have any, they have fireworks bands. We do not so that the idea that somehow. that the ban isn't going to reduce fires is demonstrably provable. I mean, it's known. One of the citizens, Mr. Fullman made comments about this feels like losing a loved one. And as much as he loves the tradition, it's that same where he's ready to let it go. And I'm gonna disagree with that because I think Saying goodbye to a loved one, that loved one is irreplaceable. A tradition can be reinvented. It can be re-engineered. People who live in Florida decorate palm trees. They don't decorate Christmas trees. Does that make them somehow less Christian? Do they celebrate Christmas with any less fervor, with any less celebration, with any less love for their families? I grew up in Wisconsin. I don't do near as much ice fishing here as I did when I lived there. We don't have it here. I don't feel that someone's impinging on my freedom because our lakes don't freeze over. It is just a consequence of having to live in one of the most beautiful places in the country. We get to ski. I can be on my motorcycle in February. There's no other place that we get to do that. The fact that we have to suffer and kind of live through smoke and fire season, yeah, it stinks, but it is a price worth paying. The last point that I want to make, is we keep hearing this fireworks are how we celebrate our freedom. And the 4th of July is about our freedom. And what I would question is what about the veteran who has PTSD, who spends the night cowering in his bedroom with his head under his pillow, where's his freedom to celebrate because these people want to set off fireworks. And yes, it is primarily the illegal fireworks that are causing the problems. But if our police officers and our fire departments are telling us that they cannot enforce the ban because legal fireworks are getting in the way of that, and legal fireworks also do provide a danger, and I know that they provide a danger because it says danger right on the side of the fireworks. We have a responsibility to try to protect our citizens, to try to protect as many people as we can. And we've had this conversation for at least the last three years that I've been on this council and the numbers have not gotten better. They have gotten worse. And so for that reason, I'm going to support the ban, even though I hate that we have to do it.

Shannon, do you have any comments?

Yep, I'm here. I do. I look at it from an enforcement and a resource perspective, right? Enforcement, everybody keeps talking about how we're not enforcing illegal fireworks. We're using resources to try to track down the people that are using illegal fireworks. If there is a ban in place, it's a lot easier, and I totally back our law enforcement on trying to enforce any kind of fireworks that are being used. I agree people think we're taking away their freedom, right? But that's not our intent. Resources. We had the fire, the Akawa fire breakout 30 minutes before our fireworks show, and they had to pull resources to go handle that. And our law enforcement is helping, and they were amazing, with trying to mitigate the situation at the fairgrounds. Now, what if there's an accident on 97 and our resources are pulled other places because we don't have the amount of resources for the size of city that we have? And that's just me, the practical engineer minded me. I look at the resources, the enforcement. If we have a total ban, it's much more enforceable. They're not tracking down somebody that shot off a mortar that they didn't see that somebody called in. That's, I mean, I am for a ban of fireworks.

My fellow councillors hit most of my points. However, I will point to the fact that growing up, Smokey Bear told me not to play with matches. And in honor of his 82nd birthday and the wildfire prevention campaign launched in 1944, I think we need to take whatever steps we can to prevent wildfire from destroying our community.

July 4th is obviously very special to all of us. And no one appreciated July 4th this particular year than me. I started the process of having a celebration on July 3rd in Centennial Park. The council did a great job of helping with that. The staff was extraordinary. We had an amazing event celebrating freedom in Centennial Park on July 3rd. And when people talk about traditions changing to something that's more safe but still celebratory of our freedoms as individuals, as a country, maybe I think that's correct. I think that's what we need to do. I would like to see that tradition of having celebration on July 3rd, because the next day's a holiday, so most people will have the time to celebrate that. I think with the parade we have, And we hope to raise more money to have an enhanced fireworks display at the fairgrounds, which will be safe and will have appropriate water capabilities in case there is a fire. It's hard to have this ban. I have fireworks in my garage that I'm going to have to dispose of. But it is also, from my perspective, necessary. The climate conditions we have are getting worse and worse every year. We've talked about this for three years now, and I think last year I strongly advocated allowing fireworks on July 4th, but this year did not go well. So I do think that a ban is helpful, not because it's the right thing to do in terms of tradition, But we do need to support our fire. We need to support our police. Give them the tools. Just hold on. We're done with the public hearing. And I will support this ban. What we're going to do is have a motion for a first and second reading by title only. I don't think that's going to pass unanimously. So what will happen is we'll have a first reading by title only tonight. And we'll have the next one on August 25th, I think. And if we're going to adopt the ordinance, it won't be tonight. It will be then. So unless there's any other comment, I'll ask if there's a motion to proceed with this ordinance.

I move to have a first and second reading of ordinance number 2026-09 by title only. Second.

Moved and seconded, any further discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed? Aye. Okay, so I think, was it two nays? No, aye nay.

Shannon, what was your vote?

I voted aye.

Okay, Jade? No. Okay, that's what I thought, all right. So we will have just a first reading by title only, Keith.

City of Redmond, ordinance number 2026-11, an ordinance amending the Redmond City Code section 5.305, prohibiting possession, sale, and use of fireworks in Redmond.

Thank you all for coming. We're going to take about a five-minute break, but I really appreciate all the testimony, those for, those against. No one here is absolutely correct, but it's a tough decision that we just need to make. So thank you for your participation.

We need the roll call vote first, Mayor.

Do we have a roll call on the first reading by title? Yeah, we still have to do and then do the roll call when we adopt the ordinance.

Kelly can correct me. I thought we did it both.

No, not on the first. But we only did the first.

OK, as I was.

OK. All right. So thank you all for coming. We'll take about a five minute break.

Give your key.

Now we're going to go to psilocybin. So the next item is an ordinance, ordinance 2026-10, an ordinance declaring a temporary ban on psilocybin in service centers. Keith.

All right, good evening, mayor and council, Keith Light, city attorney. So now we're back with our next ordinance. So this is the third time we brought this ordinance to council. It's based on... A STATE LAW THAT ALLOWS FOR SILICIDE AND SERVICE CENTERS TO BE PERMITTED WITHIN CITIES AND COUNTIES, BUT THEY ALSO ALLOW AN OPT OUT IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS. ONE IS A PERMANENT BAN AND THE OTHER IS A TWO-YEAR MORATORIUM. SO THIS STARTED IN 2022. WE BROUGHT AN ORDINANCE FOR A TWO-YEAR MORATORIUM ON SERVICE CENTERS, SILICIDE AND SERVICE CENTERS. Council approved the two-year ban, which was referred to the voters. That passed 53-47, so the psilocybin service centers were banned within the city for two years. We then brought that back two years later in 2024. Again, the moratorium was extended another two years, again went back to the voters. That extension was approved 55-45. And so that current extension ends December 31st, 2026. So we're back now again requesting another two year extension of the moratorium to ban service centers which would again go back to voters to approve the two year extension banning through the end of 28. We brought this back, we brought this to council I think two weeks ago, a week or two ago. And so this is the second reading tonight and that's all I have for you on this.

Okay, so I'm looking at the cheat sheet here, but we do need to have a motion for a second reading by title only. Okay. Yes. Do we have such a motion?

I move to have a first and second.

Oh, we did the first, we just need a second. Second, sorry.

Go ahead. I move to have a second reading of ordinance 2026-10. By title only. By title only, please.

By title only, yes.

Second. Second.

Moved and seconded. Any further discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.

City of Redmond, ordinance number 2026-10, an ordinance declaring a temporary ban on psilocybin service centers.

Is there a motion to approve?

I move to approve ordinance 2026-10 by roll call vote.

Second. Moved and seconded. We'll have a roll call vote.

Councillor Evelyn?

Yes.

Mayor Fitch? Yes. Councillor Nielsen?

Yes.

Councillor Osborne? Yes. Councillor Patrick?

Yes.

Councillor Wedding?

Excuse, she had to go to do some business.

Oh, okay. Councillor Zwicker? Yes.

Okay, that takes care of that one. So we'll go on to action items, and this is the 21st Street Intersection Aon Agreement. One we've talked about for about two or three weeks now. Do we have a motion?

So one brief thing for you on this. There is one decision point for council. As submitted, the agreement has an option for either 10 or 20 year expiration date. So that would be one thing for council to consider is how long you would like the agreement to last. And at the end of it, it would just expire if nothing, none of the triggers are met.

Any preference? I would prefer 10 years. 10?

Jay? I have a question. If we went, I probably prefer 10 years, but if we went 20 years, at 15 years, we decide it wasn't working, do we rescind that? Or would it be good to...

There is termination provision within the, did I say 20? It's 10 or 15. Oh, okay. But in any event, if say 12 years, there is a termination provision within it, but the automatic would not be triggered until 15 years if that's what you went with.

So what's the preference of the council?

I would prefer a shorter cycle just so that we're not limiting councils moving forward.

All right. I say, I don't really, it really doesn't matter. Is 10 okay with you? Yeah, 10.

All right, so we'll go with 10. So with that, is there a motion to approve the agreement?

I move to approve the development agreement between the city of Redmond and Aon doing business as Basex and authorize the city manager to sign the agreement.

Second. Moved and seconded.

Any further discussion? All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. Okay, next and last, we have comments from the citizens. Do we have any comments at this time? Seeing none, we'll go with city manager report. Steve?

Oh, good. Don't have anything tonight for you.

Darn.

I should have come up with something, but...

Okay, Jay? Yeah, I... Obviously, a little bit disappointed we passed the fireworks thing, but it's probably not the first time I've ever been disappointed.

Believe me, I've lost six to one, so I know how you feel.

But we talked about the fire department being short on staff this last week. I'd love to say this. I said it yesterday. I read on Facebook that from the fire department that they had a fire out in the homeless area and it took a bunch of staff out there in the engines and then we had a medical emergency in the city that they didn't have the staff they would like to have had to go there.

Maybe we need to grow the fire department.

It's just something I read, and it's important enough that it got put on Facebook. Well, that's not the first one.

There were two different incidents the fire department stated where they couldn't respond to another call on Facebook. And so, yeah, I can see a bond in their future for a little more staffing. What I would really like to do before we forget is say what a fabulous time I had at National Night Out. last Tuesday, that was really good. And it's always fun to see our men and women in our community and service out there with all the people. So thank you for putting on a fabulous event. I did not stay to watch the dogs, which I normally do. But it was all good. And thank you for that. And I'm sorry, Jay.

I just want to say, you know, the city is growing. You know, everybody knows that. And as cities grow, things happen. Fire departments become bigger. Police department becomes bigger. And population grows. So these expectations and these challenges are nothing new. You know, cities have popped up over the United States forever. And we're just in that phase. bubble right now where we're starting to grow you know and we got to think differently you know we can't be thinking like it's the old days it ain't the old days you know we're in 2000 and whatever I'm getting old so I can't remember half the time but anyway the fact of the matter you know I'm 75 years old so I've been here for a bit you know I don't know how much longer but I'll be here but anyway just kind of work with us we're just trying to make things better for everyone that's what I want to say thank you

John? Oh, yeah. Shan's gone.

All right. I have two items. The first one, on behalf of Republic Services and Cascade Disposal, with the passing of the fireworks ban, if you have fireworks in your garage, please do not throw them into your garbage cans. Dispose of them properly. There are a few things in life that are going to spoil a mood more than a flaming garbage truck in your driveway. So dispose of them properly. All right, the next one, I'm just going to read this so I can get through it. So it's my full three minutes. Before we adjourn tonight, I want to take a moment to share something with all of you. Serving the people of Redmond has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Every moment here has been a gift. This city, our families, our neighbors, our shared belief that community still matters. has shaped me in ways that I never expected when I first stepped into public service. Redmond is part of who I am. After a great deal of reflection and a lot of back and forth, I have decided that I will not seek re-election to Redmond City Council this cycle. It was not an easy decision. Public service is in my bones and stepping back is difficult, but it is the right choice for my family and the responsibilities that I need to focus on right now. I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished together. When I ran, I ran on the promise of results for Redmond, and I meant it. And together we delivered. We fought for affordable housing because every working family deserves the chance to build a life here. We worked to bring living wage jobs to town, and we kept a tight and responsible budget. We also made real progress on reducing homelessness, helping people find stability, dignity, and hope. These are not just policy achievements, they are human victories. They represent lives changed, futures reclaimed, and a community that is no longer willing to look away. Very plainly, I want to say that our city staff punches so far above their weight class. They do extraordinary work with limited resources, and they do it because they care deeply about Redmond, and they are so good at what they do. Their dedication is one of the greatest strengths that this city has, and I am grateful to have been able to support them in their work these last few years. One single belief has guided me through my time on this council. Local government works best when it stays nonpartisan. When we choose collaboration over division, when we choose people over politics, we make room for real progress. And Redmond deserves nothing less. Redmond has become an example to all of Central Oregon and to the state as a whole as how good government can function. Counselors Wedding, Evelyn, Osborne, Zwicker, and Patrick, we have not always agreed, but I hold the deepest respect for each of you. I know that you are all here to serve the community that you love because it is your home, and I am honored to know you. Mayor Fitch, I have learned so much by watching you, and not just from the trivia. You have led the charge on so many issues that we needed to get ahead of. Your vision has looked beyond the next election to the next generation, and I am grateful, not just as a counselor, not just as a voter, but as a father. I hope that we can continue to count on you in the years ahead. Redmond needs to look to the future and stop pining for the past. Because of your leadership and the work that this team has accomplished, we are better positioned than any city in the state to move into the future. Now, it is my default position to lean into self-deprecating humor or bad dad jokes. And I tried. I tried to put more jokes in this, but I can't. I have loved every moment of this gig, and I don't want to let it go. This hurts. But right now, I need to be a son, I need to be a husband, and I need to be a dad more than I need to be a counselor. I have never been afraid to do hard things, and so as I step back, I hope that I was able to make a positive difference in people's lives here. I hope that my work from this chair, or that one, sorry, dad joke, shows that I have sought the good, I have fought for the good, and I voted for the good whenever I had the chance. And although I will not be on the ballot this year, I'm not stepping away from public service. I will continue to support causes and groups working on issues that I care about, to work to expand Redmond's voice in the region, and to bring more people into shaping what that voice sounds like. Stepping back is not the same thing as stepping away. And if the opportunity and the calling presents itself, I may be back. In the meantime, I will continue to serve the remainder of my term with the same dedication that you have come to expect, with the same dad jokes that you have grown to loathe. I want to thank you all for your trust, your partnership, your friendship, and for your shared belief in what Redmond can be. It has been a real proliferate privilege to work with each of you, to serve you, and it will remain one of the greatest honors of my life. Thank you.

Okay, I'm supposed to follow that? So in the last 30 days, Kat's given a great speech and now John has. And speaking for myself, these two were rock stars on the council. They fought so hard, worked so hard for issues that were important to them and important to the community. So they will be missed deeply. And Steve, Tia, Joe, thank you for your silence. Well, no, mostly thanks for your patience. And thank everyone for coming tonight, and have a nice evening.