This Week’s Budget Update
This week the Budget Committee met to consider specific budget proposals to amend the proposed budget, on October 30, October 31, and November 1.
Next week, Councilmember Bagshaw, as Chair of the Budget Committee, will present a proposed budget balancing package on November 7th. That balancing package will be considered for votes the following week.
Below are links to highlights of budget items I’ve introduced.
New Legislation to Create Enhanced Oversight of Capital Projects City Capital projects such as the Seawall, NCIS utility customer service system, and the Center City Streetcar have had cost overruns. Too often the Council finds out about this at the end of the process, when it’s too late to scale back a project, decide not to proceed, or reprioritize funding for other projects if necessary. This will be a new financial policy giving the Council more oversight of how the taxpayers’ dollars are spent on these large projects. Here’s coverage from KING 5 and KIRO-7.
District 1 Budget Priorities
Adding three inspectors to the Vacant Building Monitoring Program Since 2013 complaints related to vacant buildings have increased by 64 percent. The proposal would provide resources in SDCI for the Code Compliance division to enhance the existing Vacant Building Monitoring Program. The enhanced program would add a. buildings in the development pipeline, b. buildings that SFD and/or SPD are monitoring, and c. buildings that have had three or more violations within a 36 day period to the monitoring list and those buildings will be monitored monthly by the three new inspectors.
Funding for Community Learning Center at Concord International Elementary School This is to provide bridge funding for a before & after-school program for at risk students; to replace funding when the YMCA decided to end the program.
South Park Public Safety Coordinator This is to continue the community-driven work begun during the 2016 budget, when Council created the South Park Task Force, which recommended a bilingual, community resident for position. Last year’s budget funded the position, which was not maintained in the Mayor’s proposed 2019/2020 budget.
Funding to allow Colman Pool stay open for an additional 4 weekends a year. The price has been reduced to $40,000 which will be offset by the revenue generated from fees paid to attend to pool.
Trail Access on SW Brandon Street The Parks Department has indicated they can do this work next year and will incorporate it into their current budget allocation. This will allow the Parks Department to begin the community planning and outreach process for trail access on SW Brandon Street.
Highland Park Way SW/SW Holden Street Roundabout project and CIP entry This would establish the project in the SDOT’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). In coming months WSDOT is expected to announce awards for a grant SDOT has applied for.
35th Avenue SW and CIP addition This would add road paving for 35th Avenue SW between Morgan and Roxbury to the SDOT CIP.
South Park Playfield, this will add a new CIP project to reserve already committed $1.8 million in funding in the Parks and Recreation CIP.
District 1 Planning report for Westwood/Highland Park, Avalon/Admiral, and Delridge neighborhoods in 2019 and 2020.
Adding and funding an additional Animal Control Officer, to be funded with pet licensing fees.
Move Levy spending plan SDOT is presenting a revised spending plan because of the inability to move forward on the current plan because of too rosy estimates of costs to deliver proects and increased labor and construction costs. This action would require Council’s to approve SDOT’s revised spending plan scheduled for presentation to the Council by December 1. This approval will be necessary before SDOT can implement the new plan.
Citywide Budget Proposals
Center City Streetcar This report will insure that any proposal for operations include performance measures and identify funding sources for construction to close the $60 million funding gap, a funding gap that could increase based on ongoing engineering analysis. This report is in line with a similar requirement Council included in the 2017 budget, when cost estimates were lower, that led to Mayor Durkan putting the project on hold.
Additional proposals, you can find more details at the link:
Transgender Economic Empowerment Program
SPU position reduction in order to add funds to RV remediation program this increase in funding for the RV Remediation Pilot will allow SPU and SPD to conduct one additional (seven total) cleanup a month.
Confirmation of meetings and agenda items can be found at the Budget Committee meeting schedule. You can also sign up to receive the agendas in advance by e-mail here. Here’s a link to the Budget calendar and background on the budget process.
Re-Entry Lunch and Learn Thursday December 6, 2018
Please join the Re-Entry workgroup and the Seattle City Council for a special meeting of the Civil Rights, Utilities and Economic Development (CRUEDA) committee. On Thursday December 6, 2018 the CRUEDA committee will host a lunch and learn to hear Seattle’s Reentry Work Group’s final recommendations and update on their work to examine and address the barriers individuals face when living with a criminal history.
The Seattle Reentry Work Group was created by City Council Resolution 31637 and passed unanimously by City Council in 2015 to coordinate and strengthen the City’s efforts to assist reentry. The Work Group is comprised of community and institutional stakeholders working on reentry issues. Everyone is welcome to bring a bag lunch to Seattle City Hall Council Chambers and learn from this important work.
October Constituent Email Report
Constituent correspondence is a very important task in my office. My staff and I spend time every day helping you improve our community, whether that’s through getting you help from a city department with our constituent case management services or giving you information about legislation that the Council is considering. The unshaded categories and numbers are problem-solving emails answered in October, what I refer to above as “case management services.” The shaded categories and numbers are emails answered in October related to policy or legislation the Council is considering.