2027-2028 Department Budget Presentations: City Attorney, Renton Police, Courts, Parks and Rec

Renton City Council received department presentations from the City Attorney, Renton Police Department, Renton Municipal Courts, and Parks and Recreation Department related to the 2027-2028 Biennial Budget.

The City Attorney’s Office outlined budget needs for the upcoming biennium, including several staffing requests in both the prosecution and civil divisions. Increased staffing is necessary to meet growing legal demands. Additionally, recent Washington Supreme Court changes have reduced caseload caps for public defenders, resulting in higher case volume and greater complexity for prosecutors.

The Renton Police Department (RPD) followed with a presentation of budget needs, which include support for expanding the traffic enforcement camera program, adding two limited term, non‑commissioned staff to manage citation processing, addressing increased SCORE jail service costs, expanding training, software, and equipment budgets, and providing additional security support for the municipal court.

With new state authority allowing cities to place and oversee traffic enforcement cameras on state highways within their jurisdiction, RPD emphasized the need for staffing to support this expanded role. The deputy chief reiterated the purpose of this program is to improve safety and change driver behavior, not to generate revenue. He confirmed that any revenue collected must be reinvested into pedestrian and traffic safety projects.

The increase in SCORE jail cost is driven by rising medical and behavioral health needs among inmates, as well as higher insurance, labor, and infrastructure expenses. Renton is one of several partner cities that contribute a flat amount to SCORE’s operating budget, and staff noted that Renton’s overall costs have decreased in recent years because the proportion paid by other partner cities has increased.

The Renton Municipal Court then outlined budget requests, which include five limited term positions to manage the significant workload increase expected from the expanded traffic camera program. The court also requested funding to support internal promotions to Judicial Specialist II as part of its employee retention strategy. Additionally, the court introduced new interpreter scheduling software, noting that the system will be used strictly for scheduling interpreters and not for providing interpretation services itself.

Finally, the Parks and Recreation Department presented the first portion of its biennial budget proposal, with additional discussion scheduled for the next Committee of the Whole meeting. The department’s budget priorities center on maintaining and improving existing assets, reflecting strong community support for investment in park upkeep. In alignment with those priorities, the department is requesting to bring certain contracted maintenance work in-house, add five park maintenance positions, and add three human services outreach positions to support operations at Renton’s Stabilization Center.

During the Monday, October 26 Committee of the Whole, the remaining departments will present their budget items. Department presentations include the second part of the Parks and Recreation Department, Community and Economic Development Department, Finance Department, Human Resources and Risk Management Department, and Legislative.

After COW, the third and final public hearing will take place during the Renton City Council meeting.