On the Monday the Council approved the 2016 City of Seattle budget. As Chair of the Council’s Budget Committee, I was responsible for assembling a balancing package for consideration by the City Council.
The budget passed by the Council focuses on urgent, immediate needs. I believe that when more people have a chance to reach their full potential and enough economic security to make investments in their future, the benefits ripple throughout communities. The budget approved by the Council invests in those basic needs such as safety, stability and health.
A summary of the changes the Council made to the Mayor’s proposed budget can be seen here. I’d like to first highlight three key areas:
Homeless funding
I sponsored an addition of $2.3 million in homeless funding, to expand shelter beds to get people off the street, fund new beds, extend day center services and outreach services to vulnerable homeless adults, support authorized encampments, and childcare for homeless children. This is in addition to the $5 million in one-time funds approved by the Council earlier this month, in conjunction with the Mayor’s declaration of a civil emergency regarding homelessness.
The Council’s action comes as federal funding has diminished significantly. From 1999, the first budget I voted on, to 2016:
- Federal human services grants to Seattle have decreased from $46.5 million to $37.9 million, a decrease of 43%, adjusted for inflation
- Federal grants have shrunk from 62% to 26% of the City’s Human Services budget, a 58% decrease
- The City’s General Fund contribution to the Human Services budget has more than doubled, from 25% to 55%
- The percent of the City’s General Fund dedicated to human services has doubled, from 3.5% to 7%.
This increasing reliance on the city’s general fund for human services is a direct result of federal neglect.
These figures place in stark relief the impact of years of the federal government’s retreat. The needs have not gone away–they have simply been shifted onto cities. Mayor Murray’s declaration of a homeless emergency, and the emergency declared in Portland, have been building for years. Cities cannot solve this emergency alone: federal assistance is needed.
Homelessness in Seattle is at a crisis level. The Council’s addition of $2.3 million in one-time funding, not only to expand shelter beds to get people off the street, but to fund new beds, extend day center services and outreach services to vulnerable homeless adults, support authorized encampments, and childcare for homeless children.
Youth Participatory Budgeting
I also want to highlight the innovative new Youth Participatory Budgeting program, which will allow young people to not only directly decide how to spend $700,000 in city funds; it will also help train young people in working with city departments to develop proposals, helping to give them the skills and knowledge they need to become effective community leaders.
Renters
The Council passed funding for a position to support the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance program, which follows from Council passage of Council Bill 118516 which I co-sponsored along with Councilmember O’Brien.
In addition, the Council passed funding for a senior housing inspector to develop and lead an auditing program for the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance program, and a separate request to find permanent funding for this position.
Other Council priorities:
The Council also added funding in other key areas:
Social Justice
- $600,000 for Zero Detention projects, and alternatives services to youth detention; this follows from Resolution 31614, passed by the Council in September, which endorse a vision of becoming a city with zero detention for youth, and seeking to eliminate racial inequities in arrest rates, detention, sentencing and prison population.
- $254,000 for family intervention and restorative services center.
- $136,000 for criminal justice equity work in the Office of City Rights
- $50,000 for employment bias testing
- additional support for a Citywide Gender Pay Equity Initiative.
The Council also requested an equitable development strategy for Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan that includes anti-displacement strategies for areas with high-risk of displacement; this follows from Resolution 31577, adopted earlier this year.
Human Services/Health/Food
In addition to the $2.3 million, the Council dedicated additional resources toward homelessness: $255,000 for a homeless shelter and $154,000 for homeless hygiene services.
The Council also passed $250,000 for social support services at senior centers, and $75,000 for LGBTQ elders, training for professionals working with LGBTQ older adults, families, and caregivers, and peer support. In addition, the Council passed three food-related items: $40,000 for fruit gleaning services in Seattle, to provide fresh fruit for food banks; $50,000 for additional support for the Fresh Bucks food assistance program, to provide a match for food stamp purchases at Farmer’s Markets, and $40,000 to support food banks serving American Indian/Alaskan Native community.
The Council also dedicated funds toward an updated assistive listening system in the Bertha Knight Landes meeting room on the main floor of City Hall.
Transportation
- $600,000 for SDOT for West Seattle Bridge Corridor congestion management investments; $500,000 is for installation of Intelligent Transportation Systems, and $100,000 for corridor feasibility studies; a separate request is included for an update from SDOT on implementation of initiatives described in the West Seattle Bridge Corridor Whitepaper and Priority Investment List.
- $1 million for transit passes for income-qualified youth in Seattle Public Schools.
I also proposed a change in the Municipal Code to direct 10% of red light camera revenue toward pedestrian improvements; previously, it went to the city’s General Fund. This moves City policy toward best practices recommended by the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances and strictly constrain the use of a portion of red light camera revenue for improvements to pedestrian infrastructure.
Economic Opportunity
- $1.9 million toward development of a Southeast Seattle Economic Opportunity Center; $100,000 to manage business vacancies in Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon;
- $400,000 for Career Bridge;
- $100,000 to provide assistance and advocacy for Women and Minority Owned businesses; and $50,000 for business and assistance services to small local manufacturers and producers
Neighborhoods
- $300,000 for construction of a restroom in Hing Hay Park in the Chinatown-International District;
- $348,000 for the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands project, and space for youth, $106,500 for the Rainier Beach: A Beautiful Safe Place for Youth project
- a budget action to allow additional time for the community to purchase surplus City Light properties.
Arts
The Office of Arts & Culture (OAC) now receives 75% of admission tax revenues. The Mayor proposed 80% in 2016 and 100% in the future, but provided no timetable for reaching 100%. After gaining Council approval for next year’s 80% level, I was able to secure a stepped increase to 100% by 2018. The Council and Mayor will assess if economic conditions allow for each year’s increase.
I created a special “Capital Arts” account for OAC reserved just for capital funds the office awards. It would centralize all of the City’s arts and culture capital project awards and transfer into it the Mayor’s 2016 funding for the Seattle Opera, the Burke Museum, Seattle Town Hall, and the Nordic Heritage Museum.
Seattle’s Percent for Art program is lauded world-wide, but hasn’t seen an increase since its start in 1973. As Seattle’s built environment continues to grow exponentially, the Percent for Art Program lags behind. I’ve asked the Executive to report next year on the feasibility of removing some of the current exemptions to the program as a way to increase the number of art projects without increasing the percentage.
In order to encourage more small-venue nightlife, I simplified music venue exemptions to the City’s Admission Tax collections. Some small music venues were unsure if they should pay admission tax and sometimes they’d pay when they were actually exempt. Other small venues reduce the number of performances in order to avoid the tax. Large music venues, with capacities over 500, would not be affected by this proposal.
I also provided amnesty for non-profits assessed penalties for withholding admission tax payments, in spite of being qualified for exemptions to such payments. These non-profits were not even aware of their need to apply for admission tax exemptions.