City Council Meeting - July 13, 2026

The City Council of Renton held a meeting on July 13, 2026, which included a proclamation for Disability Pride Month and extensive public commentary focused primarily on the use and concerns surrounding Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology, specifically the Flock Safety cameras. Numerous residents expressed privacy, constitutional, and data security concerns, urging the council to terminate or keep the ALPR cameras turned off due to lack of transparency, potential misuse of data by federal agencies such as ICE, and questionable effectiveness in crime prevention. The council approved several procurement-related items including a $669,830.64 change order for the Renton Market and Plaza Park project, a lease addendum with Evergreen Refreshments, and ratification of increased incentives for lateral police officer recruitment. Additionally, the council authorized the Washington State Auditor to perform the annual audit for fiscal year 2025 at an estimated cost of $122,000 and adopted a 2026 second quarter budget amendment ordinance reflecting salary and classification changes. The meeting also included committee reports and scheduled upcoming committee meetings. Overall, the session balanced community concerns about surveillance technology with routine municipal procurement and budgetary approvals.