Today, Councilmember Rob Saka (District 1), who also chairs the Council’s Transportation Committee, announced his slate of proposed amendments for the 2026 Budget. The proposals directly address key constituent concerns by prioritizing specific investments in enhanced transit safety and security, additional funding for widespread pothole repairs, and initiating the long-overdue repair process for SW Roxbury Street along the city’s border with unincorporated King County.

“Transportation and being able to move around reliably in Seattle isn’t just a priority for the people I represent—it’s consistently one of their top concerns,” said Councilmember Saka (District 1). “That’s why I’ve focused on tangible infrastructure fixes, like repairing vital arteries such as SW Roxbury Street and addressing the ongoing plague of potholes. I also feel strongly that in order to boost transit ridership and keep Seattleites moving, we must make safety a critical component of every single transit ride – for riders and operators.”

Amendment details include:

• Chief Transit Security and Safety Officer and program. Transit safety and security is a significant challenge in our community. The Council, during the last budget cycle, included funding and a statement of legislative intent to build out our region’s transit safety network and fund service providers. This proposal builds on that work by allocating $275,000 for a new chief transit safety officer position with the responsibility to track, coordinate, and implement transit-related safety measures.
• Additional pothole repair funding. The city’s ability to fill potholes is a fundamental public transportation service and needed to support our transportation infrastructure. This is especially true as we approach the FIFA World Cup and the likely increased traffic on our roads. Ensuring adequately repaired roads and streets is also consistent with our Vision Zero goals. This proposal would proviso a proposed $200,000 to provide additional support for our pothole repair program.  
• Roxbury Street improvement. This proviso funds 10% of design of SW Roxbury Street between 16th Ave SW to Olson Place SW along SW Roxbury Street. The goal is to jumpstart this overdue process. The arterial currently suffers from horrendous road conditions.

“I want to thank Transportation Chair Saka for his leadership and advocacy on transit safety and security. Initiatives that support a safe experience on our transit services and at transit stops are a necessity that our passengers and operators both expect and deserve,” said Greg Woodfill, President of ATU 587. “I believe funding a position and program within the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is an important next step to supporting regional collaboration and solutions. This investment demonstrates Seattle’s commitment to helping our region implement the King County Regional Transit Safety Implementation Plan recommendations. Thank you again Chair Saka for your support for those that use and operate our regional transportation system.”

Next steps

The Council will hold three discussion sessions this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to discuss the current list of 170 draft amendments to the proposed 2026 city budget. Following these discussions, Budget Committee Chair Dan Strauss is scheduled to release a proposed balancing package at a meeting on Nov. 5.

You can learn more by about the full budget process by reviewing the Select Budget Committee calendar and the City Council’s Budget Basics Web page.

# # #