2022 Budget Meeting Schedule/Process
Consideration of the 2022 budget will begin in a few weeks. The City Council will meet as the Select Budget Committee from September 27 through November 22 to consider and adopt a 2022 budget for the City of Seattle. Other Council committee meetings will be suspended during this time.
“Select” signifies that it is not a regular committee, and that all nine Councilmembers are members.
Here’s the schedule for meetings, and a quick description of what occurs during each of the different stages of budget deliberations:
September 27: Mayor delivers proposed 2022 budget to the Council
September 29-October 1; Department Presentations: the City Budget Office and Executive departments present the Mayor’s proposals to the Select Budget Committee, in particular any significant program or staffing additions, changes or reductions compared to the 2021 budget
October 12: public hearing at 5:30 p.m.
October 13-15; Issue Identification: Council Central Staff will identify potential budget issues and policy options about the proposed budget; Councilmembers can share potential amendment ideas as well
October 26-28; Proposed Budget Amendments: Councilmembers will discuss their proposed amendments to the Proposed Budget; Councilmembers may indicate support for proposed amendments.
Amendments require three sponsors (the member proposing the amendment, and two additional Councilmembers). The deadline for Councilmembers to propose amendments is October 18 at noon.
November 10: public hearing at 5:30 p.m.
November 12: Balancing package: Chair Mosqueda will present her proposed balancing package to the committee
November 18-19 Balancing Package & Amendments: Councilmember amendments to the proposed balancing package will be considered. They must be self-balancing. Self-balancing means that a budget add will likely require a cut of another appropriation.
The deadline for amendments is November 12 at noon.
The meeting on November 18 will also include a public hearing from 9:30 to 11 a.m. I appreciate that Chair Mosqueda has scheduled a public hearing to occur after she proposes a balancing package.
November 22; Budget Committee and Full Council adoption of 2022 budget
The Council Committee and Agendas webpage lists agendas for upcoming and recent meetings, with links to relevant materials. Select Budget Committee agendas will be available at the Select Budget Committee agenda page.You can click on the “year” field to access agendas from previous years.
Meetings are also shown on the Council meeting calendar
You can sign up to receive meeting agendas by e-mail.
Standing with the Duwamish to Restore Federal Acknowledgement
The Duwamish Tribe is seeking to restore federal acknowledgement. You may recall that they received acknowledgement in 2001 by the Clinton administration, but that decision was reversed in 2002 by the Bush administration.
I have endorsed the campaign, along with other elected officials, organizations, religious groups, labor unions and companies, and tens of thousands of individuals. You can sign the petition in support of federal recognition for the Duwamish Tribe here.
As the website notes,
Chief Si’ahl (Seattle) of the Duwamish and Suquamish Tribes was the first signer of the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855. The largest city in Washington state is named for him. Chief Si’ahl honored the treaty. The United States has not. The Duwamish Tribe no longer has federally recognized status.
Despite this, the Duwamish Tribe has for many decades been an important political and cultural influence in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, the Duwamish have contributed to the environmental health and welfare of the citizens of Seattle, Puget Sound and the Salish Sea with an emphasis on underserved, marginalized populations, to the benefit of all people.
In 2001, the Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Clinton Administration found evidence sufficient to recognize the Duwamish Tribe, only to have it revoked by the Bush Administration for ministerial reasons. With your support and advocacy, federal recognition of the Duwamish Tribe can be reinstated legislatively, administratively, or judicially in 2021, ending over 165 years of injustice.
You can promote justice and help restore the Treaty rights for the Duwamish Tribe by signing this petition. The Duwamish deserve the dignity of being recognized and access to the Treaty rights that go with that recognition.
More information is available at the Stand With the Duwamish website.
West Seattle Bridge Priority Hire
The US Department of Transportation has approved SDOT’s request to use requiring the contractor repairing the West Seattle Bridge hire from local economically distressed communities. The USDOT reinstated and expanded a pilot program to allow local hiring provisions for federally-funded projects. As the project has attained $37 million in federal funds, federal approval is needed.
Priority Hire began in late 2013, resulting in an estimated $45 million in construction wages going back into low-income communities through 2020, $20 million more than would have been earned without the program. Nine of the 31 economically distressed areas prioritized by the West Seattle Bridge program are in locations impacted by the closure. An estimated 5,800 construction workers live in the impacted areas and could be among those prioritized for employment on the project.
Apply for Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund Grants of up to $100,000
Do you have a great idea to support the local economy and promote racial equity in your neighborhood? Apply to the Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund! Projects can be community-based solutions to address the negative impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our neighborhoods and local economy.
Information Session 3 – September 21, 10:00-11:00 am – register here.
The Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund can support a variety of activities and projects that directly help businesses, communities and local economies recover from those impacts. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Public and commercial space activations, such as, outdoor seating, retail/vendor markets, public art and music, community events and commercial space popups
- Digital equity projects, such as neighborhood digital marketplaces
- Communications infrastructure, such as websites, social media, and contact databases to promote community news and resources, and share stories of local businesses and events
- Physical Improvements, such as lighting, sidewalk cleaning, murals, façade
- Community safety projects, such as business block watches, community organizing
- Outreach to support businesses and residents build partnerships and shared vision, and
- Other economic recovery projects specific to neighborhood needs
Find more about the grants, timeline, eligibility requirements, answers to frequently asked questions, and application materials at Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund – Office of Economic Development | seattle.gov.
Share your Vision for Seattle’s Parks
Help shape the future of Seattle’s outdoor and community spaces in the coming years! Seattle Parks & Recreation is holding an online open house and survey to seek community input about their plans for pandemic and economic recovery, responding to climate change, and supporting racial equity.
Share what you want to see at our parks, open spaces, and community centers in the coming years by visiting SPR Strategic Plan Implementation – Online Open House (infocommunity.org).
Virtual Office Hours
On Friday September 24, I will be hosting virtual office hours between 2pm and 6pm, with the last meeting of the day beginning at 5:30pm.
Due to the nature of virtual office hours, please contact my scheduler Alex Clardy (alex.clardy@seattle.gov) in order to receive the call-in information and schedule a time.
Additionally, here is a list of my tentatively scheduled office hours which will continue as virtual office hours until indicated otherwise. These are subject to change.
- Friday, October 29, 2021
- Friday, December 17, 2021