This Week in the Budget // City Council Meeting Update // Earthquake Safety // Seattle Home Fair // Before the Badge Community-Police Dialogue // Sound Transit October 25 planning meeting at Alki Masonic Center



Contents

This Week in the Budget

The Select Budget Committee met for three days this week for Issue Identification presentations on select departments. Council Central Staff presented an analysis of the Mayor’s Proposed Budget, and identified policy issues for the Council to consider. The presentations and memos are below.

Wednesday, October 11

Thursday, October 12

Friday, October 13

Next week the Select Budget Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday, October 16th at 10 a.m.; hold the first public hearing on the 2024 budget on Wednesday, October 18th at 5:00 p.m.; and meet on Friday, October 20th at 11 a.m. At the meeting on the 20th, it is anticipated that the Chair will present a balancing package.

For the public hearing, the sign-up sheet for in-person public comment in Council Chambers in City Hall will be available at least 30 minutes prior to the meeting starting time. For remote public comment, the sign-up sheet will be available at 3 p.m. on the Public Comment webpage. Additional information is available on the public hearing agenda.

The Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts will release the October revenue forecast on Tuesday, October 17th. The Mayor’s Proposed Budget is based on the August forecast.

The deadline for Councilmembers to propose amendments is noon on Tuesday, October 24th. Amendments must be self-balancing (any additional proposed spending must be balanced by an equal proposed reduction).

You can view meeting agendas at the City Council Committees and Agendas page.

City Council Meeting Update

On Tuesday the City Council approved a Council Bill funding two substance disorder facilities as well as voting to approve two resolutions I sponsored.  One resolution related to Seattle Police Management Association (SPM) bargaining, the other was about new Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Standards. The Council also voted to schedule a hearing to amend the Comp Plan to include Transportation impact fee related policies.

Two Substance Disorder Facilities Funded – Council Bill 120669 provided the Human Service Department (HSD) with the appropriation authority needed to expend $7 million on facilities for post-overdose and other substance abuse care.

One facility will be a post-overdose recovery center for individuals who have experienced an overdose, or any medical emergency related to substance use. This facility will provide medical stabilization for individuals in need of these services for up to 23 hours.

The second facility is an outpatient treatment center for individuals with opioid use disorder and/or other drug dependencies that will offer low-barrier access

HSD updated its 2023 Notice of Funding Availability last month to reflect the new funding and the process to select a provider is anticipated to begin later this month with a contract start date in 2024.

SPMA Bargaining – The Council adopted Resolution 32112 to affirm the City’s good faith intent to consider public recommendations and recommendations from the City’s three police oversight agencies in developing the bargaining objectives for the next Seattle Police Management Association contract negotiations. Background on the resolution is available in the September 26 Public Safety Committee summary.

Unreinforced Masonry Resolution – Council voted to adopt Resolution 32111to recognize the new URM Retrofit Technical Standard as an acceptable standard in future legislation to create a voluntary retrofit program.  This step will help to promote voluntary seismic retrofits before mandatory standards are legislated to go into effect.

Transportation Impact Fee hearing –The Council voted to amend the Introduction and Referral Calendar to schedule a public hearing on Council Bill 120635 at the City Council meeting on November 7th. A public hearing must take place before Council can vote on the bill; a vote could take place November 21st.

Council Bill 120635 would amend the transportation element of the Comprehensive Plan to allow for transportation impact fees if the Council created such a program in the future. The bill would not establish a transportation impact fee program. Any proposal to create an impact fee program would need to be a separate, future action.  As noted in a committee presentation in March, low-income housing and early learning facilities could be exempted; some jurisdictions exempt accessory dwelling units.

Earthquake Safety

This past Sunday, at 7:21 PM, many in Seattle felt a small earthquake originating just south of Port Townsend. ShakeAlert and other automated earthquake warning systems did not send notifications as this quake did not reach the minimum magnitude 4.5 threshold for their alert systems. This weekend’s earthquake registered at a magnitude of 4.3.

Though small and with no significant damage and no injuries reported, I know this earthquake has made many Seattle residents nervous. Though we cannot prevent earthquakes, we can prepare for them.

Last month, I wrote about available emergency management training resources from the Office of Emergency Management. That post includes online videos and opportunities to attend and even request in-person trainings to develop disaster management and response skills.

In preparation of disasters, Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management has worked with community members to develop 135 Community Emergency Hubs across the city. These hubs are places where people can gather to offer resources and support after a disaster emergency. You can find your nearest hub on this map, and make a note in your emergency preparedness kit.

It also just so happens that October is the WA Great ShakeOut Month. On October 19, at 10:19 AM, organizations and individuals across Washington will participate in the largest earthquake drill ever.  You can register your household, workplace, or yourself at the Great ShakeOut website. Participants will be practicing what disaster preparedness experts agree is the appropriate action to reduce injury and death during earthquakes – “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.”

  • DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees to protect yourself and reduce your chances of being knocked over or struck by falling or flying objects.
  • COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand. If you’re able to crawl under a sturdy shelter like a desk or table, do so. If not, crawl over to position yourself next to a wall. In either case, stay on your knees and bend over to protect vital organs.
  • HOLD ON to the shelter you’re under with your other hand and be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts. If no shelter is available, use both arms and hands to protect your neck and head.

Finally, once again, remember to sign up for emergency alerts via AlertSeattle.

Seattle Home Fair

On Saturday, October 21, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections will be hosting an in-person Seattle Home Fair at the Filipino Community Center (5470 Martin Luther King Jr Way S).  Homeowners, landlords, renters, and potential homeowners are all invited to attend to learn more about permitting processes, inspections, code requirements, and rental housing rules.

SDCI staff will be available to answer questions as well as hosting three presentations throughout the day:

  • Learn about ADUs and DADUs
  • An Overview of Seattle’s Tree Regulations
  • Renting in Seattle Q&A.

SDCI will also be offering virtual lectures tomorrow, October 14 via a virtual Home Fair. The schedule for those lectures is below:

9-11AM

  • New Tree Protection Code Information and Tree Regulations
  • Renting in Seattle

11AM-1PM

  • Building Codes, Electrical Codes, and Inspections
  • Earthquake Home Retrofits

1-3PM

  • Landslides
  • Tips and Tricks Regarding the Seattle Services Portal

You can sign up at Seattle Home Fair – SDCI | seattle.gov to participate in these virtual sessions. SDCI will also offer recordings of these lectures available at this website in following weeks.

Before the Badge Community-Police Dialogue

SPD’s next round of Before the Badge Community-Police Dialogue sessions begins next week on October 16th at 5:30 PM. The Before the Badge Program is SPD’s training program focusing on interpersonal relationships and wellness before law enforcement tactics. SPD’s new recruits complete this program before moving on to their mandatory Basic Law Enforcement Academy training.

Community members attending the dialogue will get to meet new recruits, officers, command staff, crime prevention coordinators, community service officers, and administrative professionals.  Recruits will get an opportunity to learn more about the communities they will be serving.

I sponsored the initial funding to build this program. Before the Badge immerses recruits in community-based experiences to develop a lens through which to receive their future law enforcement training and establishes a community-centered foundation for their careers with Seattle Police Department. These relationships are crucial to the shifts in police force culture that our city is developing.

The first of these conversations for the Southwest Precinct for this season will begin on Monday, October 16 at 5:30 PM via Zoom. The rest of the events in the series are below:

  • Monday October 30 – WEST
  • Monday November 6- EAST
  • Monday November 13 – NORTH
  • Monday November 27 – SOUTH
  • Monday December 4 – SOUTHWEST
  • Monday December 11 – WEST
  • Monday December 18 – EAST

You can sign up to participate in the dialogues, meet the new SPD recruits, and share your insights as a community member by going to this website.

Sound Transit October 25 planning meeting at Alki Masonic Center

Sound Transit is holding a planning forum on West Seattle Link light rail on October 25th at the Alki Masonic Center.  Sound Transit’s announcement notes the Final Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be published in late Spring or Summer of 2024. After the Final EIS is published, the Board will select the project to be built, and the Federal Transit Administration will issue a Record of Decision; the Record of Decision is the final step of the environmental review process.

Here’s the notice:

“Please join us on Wednesday, Oct. 25 to see updated designs for future light rail stations in West Seattle and SODO and share your ideas and feedback.

In the summer of 2022, the Sound Transit Board identified a preferred alternative for the West Seattle Link Extension (WSLE). The project team has worked to design the four proposed stations along the alignment, taking into account the community’s input since the start of the project in 2018. This fall, we will share our station design progress and gather community feedback on concepts for access, urban design, and transit-oriented development at the station. Your input will help us advance the design for station areas in collaboration with the City of Seattle and other agency partners.

In early 2024, we will report on our findings and share how your input influenced the design of the stations in West Seattle and SODO. Stay tuned! More information will be shared later in the fall.

Save-the-date:

  • Date: Wednesday, Oct. 25
  • Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
  • Location: Alki Masonic Center, 4736 40th Avenue SW

If you can’t join us in-person, we will be hosting an online survey on our online open house. We will provide notice through another project update email when the survey is live.

Additionally, we are continuing our ongoing environmental review process. The WSLE Final EIS is expected to be published in late spring or summer of 2024. Following the WSLE Final EIS publication, the Sound Transit Board will select the final project to be built, and the Federal Transit Administration will issue a Record of Decision. For more information about the next steps in project development please read our latest Platform blog post.

Stay current with the West Seattle Link and Ballard Link Extensions projects here.

按此了解有關West Seattle Link及Ballard Link擴展項目的最新資訊。

请在此处获取有关West Seattle Link和Ballard Link扩展项目的最新消息。

Tìm hiểu về các Dự án Mở Rộng Tuyến West Seattle Link và Ballard Link trên trang web dự án của chúng tôi.

Manténgase informado sobre los Proyectos de extensiones de Link a West Seattle y Ballard aquí.”

 

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Posted: October 13th, 2023 under Councilmember Herbold

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