An independent Hearing Examiner conducts hearings to apply general policies and regulations adopted by the City Council to specific proposals or situations. Hearings are conducted about land use applications and appeals from decisions of City departments.
 
Public hearings are conducted by the Hearing Examiner to determine facts and hear arguments as to how existing laws, ordinances, and the RCDG apply to the land use application or other matters being considered. Participants use the hearing to provide relevant information and express points of view. Submissions may be presented orally or in writing.
 
A Hearing Examiner's recommendation or decision must be consistent with the pertinent law. The most useful testimony at hearings, therefore, focuses on whether the matter complies with the particular statutes, ordinances, and policies that govern the type of action proposed.
Testimony and argument are most useful if they show how a specific statute, ordinance, or section of the RCDG applies to the proposal or situation.
 
Depending on the type of application or appeal being considered, the Hearing Examiner's report will either be a recommendation to the Redmond City Council, or a final decision that can be appealed to the Redmond City Council or Superior Court.  

• The Hearing Examiner makes decisions on appeals of Type I and Type II administrative decisions, Type III permits including Preliminary Plats, Reasonable Use Exceptions, Shoreline Conditional Use permits, Shoreline Variances, and Variances

• The Hearing Examiner makes  recommendations to City Council  on Type IV permits, including Planned and Master Planned Residential Developments (PRD/MPRD), Planned and Master Planned Commercial Developments  (PCD/MPCD), Conditional Use Permits, Zoning Map Amendments that do not require a change to the Comprehensive Plan, and Essential Public Facilities permit