This Week in Council Budget Deliberations

Last week the Council’s Budget Committee considered Council Budget Actions proposed by individual Councilmembers.

The next step in the Council’s budget deliberations will be for Budget Committee Chair Sally Bagshaw to propose an initial Council Budget Proposal, adjusted from the Mayor’s proposed budget to include Councilmember priorities, at the Budget Committee meeting on November 6^th. Councilmembers can then propose amendments to the initial Council Budget Proposal by November 8^th.  Those potential new amendments are scheduled to be discussed on November 13^th.

Here’s a link to the Budget Committee schedule.  Budget Committee meeting agendas and materials are available here. A description of the Council’s budget process is linked here.

Here’s information about some of my priority proposals that were discussed in the Budget Committee last week:

District 1 Specific Proposals:

• Establish a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project in SDOT for West Marginal Way Safe Street and Accessibility Improvements at the Duwamish Longhouse and add funding for planning and design
• Continue funding for a South Park Public Safety Coordinator
• Add a community-led place-based violence prevention initiative in South Delridge and Westwood
• Proviso spending on the Delridge Way SW – RapidRide H Line CIP project
• Add funding for an access ramp at Concord International Elementary School
• Request that SDOT provide a status report on the schedule for design (already funded) and construction for the Georgetown to South Park Trail CIP project
• Add funding for a natural capital valuation study
• Two different Statements of Legislative Intent that request the Police Department to report on scrap metal recycler compliance regarding copper wire theft, and another to report on city-wide asset loss and tracking

Citywide Proposals:

Public Safety and Public Health

• Add funds for a third Firefighter recruit class to address long-term staffing issues.
• Added funding to expand the Encampment Trash Program.
• Funds to develop and staff five Mobile Pit Stops to increase access to bathrooms and hygiene centers.
• Adding new positions in Parks to staff seven additional restrooms and hygiene services during the fall and winter.

Homelessness and Housing

• Add funding for rental assistance for those at-risk of becoming homeless.
• Add funding for a diaper distribution pilot program for families in need to provide diapers for children in enhanced shelters, basic shelters, and tiny home villages.
• Add funding to the Department of Construction and Inspection for two new positions to support tenant and property owner outreach and education.

Civil Rights

• Direct existing funds to community-based organizations to respond to hate violence
• Request that the Office for Civil Rights spend a portion of its 2020 Proposed Budget on community-based organizations to create restorative justice approaches to individuals committing hate crimes
• Add two new positions at the Office for Civil Rights for a dispute resolution mediator and another to help with anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training.

Transportation and Utilities

• Request a report from HSD on subsidizing transit passes for employees of HSD contracted service providers
• Proviso spending on SDOT’s Center City Streetcar Connector CIP project to require development of an operations funding plan, and construction funding plan if federal funds are unavailable
• A Statement of Legislative Intent requesting that Seattle Public Utilities report to Council on the feasibility of installing a municipally owned internet (fiber optic cables) inside of the City-owned water pipes as a method to reduce costs of developing a network.
• A Statement of Legislative Intent requesting that Seattle Public Utilities begin negotiations with solid waste contractors to implement every-other-week garbage collection which will reduce emissions around the city.
• Adds funding to Seattle Public Utilities to improve shut-off notification to tenants in multifamily buildings.

Economic Development and Arts/Culture

• Add funding the Office of Economic Development (OED) to support small local manufacturers and producers
• Re-direct admissions tax to OED for Special Events Program Lead to help film industry
• Impose a proviso on funding for the new Creative Industry Policy Advisor position in OED in order to involve film and music industry stakeholder in developing position
• Request that OED provide recommendations regarding the creation of a film commission
• Direct DON funding to support the Seattle Rep’s Public Works Seattle Program
• Add funds and three new positions to Finance and Administrative Services to lower the Priority Hire project threshold to $2.5 million down from $5 million to ensure city residents are hired for public works projects and increase apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities on more projects.

Delridge Grocery Co-op Groundbreaking

Congratulations to the Delridge Grocery Co-op for their groundbreaking event on Saturday. This project began in 2009 and now it’s becoming a reality.  Special thanks to the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), which has made this space available for several years in anticipation of this exciting new development.

Delridge has long been considered a food desert, with low income residents living more than a mile from the nearest supermarket, as shown in the 2017 USDA map below.

The Delridge Grocery Coop has over 500 owners. You can sign up to become one here.

Posted: November 4th, 2019 under Councilmember Herbold, Education, Homelessness, Human Services, Parks and Recreation, Public Health, Seattle Public Utliities, Transportation
Tags: Capital Improvement Program, CIP, Delridge, delridge co-op, Delridge food desert, DESC, Downtown Emergency Service Center, Duwamish Longhouse, Encampment Trash Program, H Line, HSD, Mobile Pit Stops, OED, Office for Civil Rights, Office of Economic Development, SDOT, Seattle Department of Transportation