Today Councilmember Bob Kettle (District 7), chair of the Public Safety Committee, announced a number of critical public safety priorities included as part of Seattle’s 2026 budget, adopted by the City Council.

“Our work on this budget cycle has wrapped up, but my strategic priorities remain steadfast: advancing public safety, port and maritime investment, and advocating for constituents,” said Councilmember Kettle. “I want to thank Chair Strauss and his team for their diligent work during this year’s process, in addition to our Council Central Staff, City Clerks, Communications Team, and everyone who participated. I’ve enjoyed the process, and engaging with my colleagues on these important topics. This is what city government is all about.”

Key amendments incorporated into the modified 2026 budget include:

• $700,000 for Homelessness Initiative: Launching a pilot initiative to address homelessness in Pioneer Square.
• $500,000 for Sexual Assault Survivor Services: Providing supplemental funding to ensure continuity of services while awaiting delayed federal funds.
• $200,000 for Public Safety System Upgrades: Necessary upgrades to the CARE (Community Assisted Response & Engagement) systems to enable broader data tracking and reporting capabilities.
• Public Safety Provisions: important statements of intent (SLIs) and provisos, such as money set aside for SPD civilian outreach positions.
• Neighborhood Engagement and Mitigation: Funding dedicated to convening providers to create guidelines and best practices for project-specific Neighborhood Engagement and Mitigation Plans. This will foster better communication and collective problem-solving between service providers and surrounding communities.
• Freight Route Design: Setting aside funding for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to engage in design work for critical freight routes. This effort will connect the Port of Seattle to major corridors (I-5, SR-99) and the Greater Duwamish Manufacturing/Industrial Center
• $800,000 for Capital Improvements: Essential maintenance and upgrades at South Lake Union Park.
• $450,000 for Community Park Development: Funding studies and community outreach necessary to develop the new Portal Park in Belltown.

“Now on to the hard work of the 2027 budget. We’ve gotten a glimpse this year of what may lie ahead — an existing deficit and tremendous uncertainty at the federal level — so we will need to work together as a council and collaborate with the new mayoral administration to make the hard decisions that set the City up for financial success long-term,” said Councilmember Kettle.

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