State of the City: Renton mayor touts public safety, budget priorities
Published 3:15 pm Monday, April 6, 2026
Renton is emphasizing strong financial health, strategic investments in public safety, and preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026, despite challenges from population growth and a shifting economy.
At the 2026 State of the City address, Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone updated residents on the city’s progress and upcoming projects, along with video presentations from various departments. The event was held March 25 at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington at Seattle’s Southport.
“During my time in office, we’ve seen significant growth and change. In many ways, it’s an entirely different landscape than when I first ran for council,” Pavone said. “Today, we’re addressing challenges that weren’t even on the horizon back then.”
The population of Renton has grown from 41,700 in 1990 to an estimated 109,700 in 2025. Pavone said Renton is one of the most diverse cities in the nation.
“We’re also seeing major shifts in how people live and work. The rise of online shopping has created challenges such as impact on local retail and issues like package theft. The change in consumer behavior has affected our local economy,” Pavone said. “Remote work has shifted demand for office space. Rising wages have created both opportunities and pressures, particularly for small businesses.”
Pavone said they have to plan with the future in mind, which involves making tough decisions. He cited the land acquisition for the expansion of Coulon Park in the 1960s and moving the car dealers out of downtown as good decisions the city has made. However, he said the city missed an opportunity by denying light rail “to preserve the small-town feel.”
“That decision continues to shape some of the challenges we’re working to overcome today,” Pavone said. “The decisions we make now will define our future. It’s up to us whether we impact it positively or negatively.”
Budget and business
The city has a general fund of $145 million a year and a citywide fund of $325 million a year, carrying a AAA bond rating. Pavone said this keeps the city prepared for unexpected cost and time-sensitive opportunities.
“In recent years across the state and country, many governments have faced tough budgets. They’ve laid off staff, delayed projects and cut costs. That hasn’t happened here,” Pavone said. “We’ve had extremely strong economic growth. We’ve been responsible and transparent about our spending and conservative in our estimates on projected income.”
The 2026 budget set three priority areas: increase funding for public safety and human services, maintain and improve city infrastructure and increase staffing. Pavone said Renton’s tax revenue has remained stable while other cities are experiencing a decrease.
Renton Finance Director Kristen Trivelas said nearly one-third of Renton’s general fund revenue comes from sales tax.
“While growth has leveled off these past few years, we haven’t experienced a decline,” Trivelas said. “That consistency reflects the great mix of retail businesses in our city and our focus on keeping that tax base strong.”
The city of Renton received $26,855,529 in grant funding in 2025. Pavone said this allows the city to do more without putting any additional tax burden on the community.
Renton is home to approximately 3,600 businesses employing more than 71,000 people.
“It’s a mix of global corporations like Boeing and small businesses across the city that make the backbone of our economy,” Pavone said. “Across the board, we’ve continued to see growth in our employment base.”
Pavone said the city provides one of the lowest service rates in the region with an average household cost of $115 a month. This includes water, sewer, storm and solid waste. He said this keeps overhead costs low for commercial customers.
The average city property tax on a home in Renton is about $642 a year. The city of Renton receives about 8.3 percent of the property taxes, while the Renton School District receives the largest portion at 32.5 percent. Pavone said they expect this to change in the coming years due to voter-approved levies, such as the Hospital Benefit Authority Levy for Valley Medical Center.
This city also conducted a community survey in 2025. Organizational Development Manager Ryan Spencer said Renton faces many of the same problems as other neighboring cities, such as concerns on affordable housing, crime, safety and transportation. The survey showed younger residents, ages 18 to 35, are the least connected and among the least satisfied with the city.
“One of the fun takeaways that we got, the data told us that those who have attended some of our wonderful community events in Renton have about twice as high of a rating in their sense of community,” Spencer said. “I think they see the authenticity that is behind our words and our actions.”
In 2026, Renton will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Renton River Days and the 125th birthday of the city, along with the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Pavone said city staff have been planning to welcome visitors, creating opportunities for residents and businesses and providing proactive safety measures for the international soccer event.
Public safety
For the Renton Police Department, the total number of calls for service was down in 2025 and into 2026. Pavone said this doesn’t necessarily mean crime is down, because it could mean fewer incidents are being reported. He said they have seen a decline in violent crime, robbery and auto theft, but an increase in DUIs and traffic-related infractions.
“While the numbers show movement, they don’t always tell a simple story,” Pavone said. “As demands shift, so does our response. With fewer calls related to serious violent crime, our officers have more capacity to focus on proactive enforcement in other areas, helping to improve safety across the city.”
At the last budget cycle, Renton’s police staff size was about 47% below the national average and 8% below the Washington state average for officers per resident.
“Closing that gap and implementing efficient, effective strategies are essential to meeting our public safety goals,” Pavone said.
“Policing today is much more complex. All of our officers every single year go through crisis intervention training. That’s a huge change from 20 years ago,” Deputy Chief Ryan Rutledge said. “With those problems that we are facing, our officers a lot of times aren’t responding to a crime. They need to problem solve and figure out how to best handle every single situation differently.”
To deal with homelessness in the city, Pavone said the city has acquired a site for its future resource center at the former Compton Lumber property, near 2960 East Valley Road, and is beginning the buildout of staffing, programming, and construction for the center. Pavone said the resource center “brings together shelter, wraparound services, and coordinated support in one place.”
“I’ve been watching the approach the City of Auburn has taken for several years. Their model emphasizes outreach built on relationships, empathy, and trust, often led by people with lived experience and they’re seeing results with higher rates of successful transition into housing than most other cities in King County,” Pavone said.
Other major milestones over the past year include the groundbreaking of the new Renton Transit Center, the final development of the Legacy Square, Renton Market and Piazza, and acquiring property to expand the Cedar River Park.
The 2026 State of the City address can be found on the city of Renton YouTube page and on the city’s website.
