Renton Mayor Publishes Weekly Newsletter

Press release from the City of Renton:

February 9, 2021

My weekly newsletter covers all that is happening in Renton. If you have an idea, would like to share news, or want to comment, I’d like to hear from you.

Housing Action Plan pinpoints regional needs

We know many Renton families face challenges in meeting their housing needs at a reasonable cost. Most extremely low-income households pay over half their income on housing costs, putting them at risk of homelessness. Projections say that most new units built in Renton in the next 20 years need to be affordable to those making less than the Area Median Income.

Housing development in South King County is not keeping pace with our growing housing needs. The city is working on a plan—the Housing Action Plan (HAP)—that is action-oriented and focuses on near-term solutions to increase housing availability and affordability. An update of the plan was presented to city council at last Monday's Committee of the Whole.

Housing Action Plan presentation to Committee of the Whole

Recommendations on affordable and accessible housing options will continue to be developed for the HAP. Final recommendations must be reviewed by Renton Planning Commission and adopted by Renton City Council.

I invite you to email your input on the plan to Hannah Bahnmiller, our Housing Program Manager. Later this spring, we will hold a public hearing. In the meantime, learn more about the project by watching the introduction or needs assessment presentations online.

Chief Steve Heitman takes helm at RRFA

Renton Regional Fire Authority (RRFA) has welcomed new chief Steve Heitman.

Chief Heitman joins RRFA after serving as chief of the Mercer Island Fire Department since 2014. His entire 20-year career has been with the Mercer Island department.

As chief of a neighboring department, he’s very familiar with RRFA’s commitment to professionalism, integrity, leadership, accountability, and respect.

“I am both honored and humbled to be the fire chief of Renton RFA,” he said during his pinning ceremony this week. “This is a fantastic department that holds itself to the highest level of professionalism. I want to thank the governance board for giving me the opportunity and providing that trust in me to be the fire chief.”

I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Chief Heitman to Renton and the fire authority.

Councilmember Pérez first woman Renton RFA chair

Renton Regional Fire Authority’s Governance Board made history as they elected Councilmember Ruth Pérez as chair for 2021. Councilmember Pérez is the first woman governance board chair.

Councilmember Pérez has a long history of dedicated public service to the Renton community, including serving as vice-chair of the governance board in 2020. Our entire community will benefit from her experience and passion for our residents. She will definitely strengthen and enhance Renton RFA.

“I am proud to serve as Chair of the Renton RFA Governance Board. I would like to thank our residents and business community for entrusting us with the opportunity to serve each one of you. With your support, the City of Renton, and King County Fire Districts 25 and 40, we continue to execute our plans for improving our service and setting the path forward into the next decade. Our primary goal is to provide the best possible service to the community we are proud to serve and to ensure the Renton Regional Fire Authority continues to foster an engaged and involved workforce to make our community safer, healthier, and stronger.” - Councilmember Ruth Pérez

This Week in Renton launches this week

I am pleased to announce that starting this week we are launching a new weekly newsletter by combining Our Renton Weekly and my weekly newsletter.

The new This Week in Renton will keep you up to date with breaking city news, bring you feature stories and look at regional issues that affect Renton and the surrounding area. It will be emailed and posted to our website on Thursdays.

We will also bring you photographs and videos, get you up to speed on all the exciting events happening in our city and focus on human-interest stories that really make a difference.

If you haven’t already, please subscribe to get your up-to-date news and information from City Hall.

This press release was produced by the City of Renton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.