Council Roundup: Utility bill assistance expanded to help more households

Published June 5 2026

Plus, council votes to lower speed limits by 5-10 mph on 84% of city streets

On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously directed Utilities to include an expanded billing assistance program in the city's proposed 2027-28 budget. The Environmental Services Commission recommended the expansion to help thousands more Bellevue Utilities customers afford their bills while still maintaining long-term financial stability for utility services.

If adopted, starting in 2027, the expanded program will offer a 35% utility bill discount for all households earning up to 80% of the area median income ($121,150 for a family of four). The program would continue the current 70% utility bill discount for seniors and permanently disabled households earning at or below 50% AMI ($78,550 for a family of four), while creating a new assistance tier for other qualifying low-income households.

The council's action follows several months of the Environmental Services Commission reviewing multiple expansion options. The decision also reflects the city's commitment to balancing affordability with continued investment in safe, reliable utility infrastructure (agenda materials).

Safe Speeds Bellevue

The council also unanimously directed Transportation to amend City Code 11.32 to adjust speed limits in accordance with the Safe Speeds Bellevue recommendations, presented at the Jan. 27 council meeting. If adopted later this month, the speed limit reductions would be implemented in 2027.

The Safe Speeds Bellevue recommendation includes reducing the speed limit on streets with a 30 mph or higher speed limit. Streets with a posted speed of 30 mph or higher represent 25% of citywide street mileage but account for 88% of fatal and serious injury crashes. Evaluation corridor results from 2025 indicate that reducing posted speeds from 35 mph to 25-30 mph resulted in a 19-42% reduction in high-end speeding (vehicles traveling above 40 mph).

The proposal results in no change on 16% of streets, a 5-mph reduction on 64% and a 10-mph reduction on 20%. Most of downtown is proposed at 25 mph due to higher levels of activity, and a 20-mph zone is proposed in Old Bellevue and around Downtown Park to reflect its more pedestrian-oriented character.

Vision Zero Progress

The council received an update on road safety trends in Bellevue and Safe System activities implemented in 2025 and underway in 2026 to support the council's Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious-injury collisions on Bellevue streets by 2030.

2025 Vision Zero activities include:

• Secured over $1.8 million in grant funding to advance citywide safety projects.
• Upgraded traffic safety infrastructure citywide, including 17 signal improvements, 48 new road safety countermeasures, two Road Safety Assessments and two Safe Streets Corridor Studies.
• Advanced the Safe Routes to School program, completing the strategic plan and engaging 22 schools in SchoolPool campaigns in the spring and fall.
• Modernized micromobility regulations, in preparation for a summer launch of a shared bike and scooter program.
• Launched Safe Speeds Bellevue, lowered speed limits on evaluation corridors and conducted public outreach.

The 2026 Action Plan includes:

• Expand deployment of speed safety cameras at high-risk locations on the High-Injury Network to address excessive speeding and reduce severe crash risk.
• Evaluate and implement speed limit reductions on local and arterial streets where appropriate, consistent with Safe System principles and observed operating speeds.
• Conduct targeted Road Safety Assessments and Safe Streets corridor studies on High Injury Network segments to identify engineering countermeasures.
• Implement signal operation enhancements using real-time detection technology at intersections to reduce conflict exposure.

General contractor joins Grand Connection Crossing

The council also approved the selection of Kraemer North America as the general contractor/construction manager for the Grand Connection Crossing. Kraemer will provide preconstruction services that will help refine the project's design, cost, schedule and construction approach. Funding for this phase was previously included in the 2025-2030 General Capital Improvement Program. More information is available at Grand Connection Crossing.

Proclamations for LGBTQIA2S+ Pride Month and National Gun Violence Awareness Day

Prior to presenting proclamations, the council acknowledged the murder of transgender woman Juniper Blessing in Seattle this May and the resulting fear being felt within the LGBTQIA2S+ community and amongst their loved ones. The council presented proclamations acknowledging LGBTQIA2S+ Pride Month and National Gun Violence Awareness Day.