Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6), Chair of the Select Budget Committee, will officially release his Chair’s Balancing Package this morning. The balancing package is the initial budget proposal from the City Council, it updates the mayor’s proposal and reflects deep engagement between Chair Strauss and his Council colleagues.

“Our city is at its best when we’re focused on people helping people. That’s what this budget proposal is all about. Whether it’s investments in strengthening public safety, ensuring people are have access to affordable housing, or combatting food insecurity, this budget is all about making sure our city is a place where people can thrive,” said Councilmember Strauss.

“This was a tough budget year—we faced a deficit of more than $250 million and we received an economic forecast last week that showed an additional near $50 million reduction to the city’s General Fund. It’s also true that the same inflationary pressures that helped cause our budget deficit are being felt by families across Seattle right now. We won’t leave them behind,” said Councilmember Strauss.  

“This budget takes a big step towards fiscal sustainability, and the job isn’t done. After a decade of high growth and low inflation, we are taking focused steps to reform our budget. That’s what we did this year, and it is what we will continue to do next year. We are taking a step-by-step approach so we don’t unnecessarily cut the basic services Seattleites depend on,” Councilmember Strauss continued.

“I am incredibly thankful to my fellow councilmembers and Mayor Bruce Harrell for all the work they’ve done and ideas they put forward. It’s because of their partnership that we have this consensus package that will serve our city,” Councilmember Strauss concluded.

Highlights from the Chair’s Balancing Package:

The full balancing package, including the 2025-2026 funding allocations and sponsors of the individual budget actions, can be found here. In addition to the investments already detailed in the Mayor’s budget proposal, the balancing package would focus on:

• Strengthening Public Safety: Expanding successful community safety programs like We Deliver Care, addressing commercial sexual exploitation, speeding up firefighter hiring, answering 911 calls faster, addressing gender-based violence, and continuing to fully fund Seattle Police Department staffing.
• Making housing more affordable: Building new affordable housing projects, increasing funding for homeownership programs, and increasing rental assistance.  
• Addressing homelessness: Funding the creation of two new non-congregate shelters, supporting transitional housing, and helping people living in RVs move into housing.
• Combatting food insecurity: Investing in food banks and meal programs and conducting research aimed at addressing food deserts in the city.
• Expanding affordable childcare: Getting kids from poor and working-class families off the waitlist and into the Seattle’s popular Child Care Assistance Program.
• Building back our local economy: Restoring funding for the city’s storefront repair program, additional outreach to local businesses and workers, and workforce development and opportunity programs.  
• Improving our parks: Helping complete the Garfield Super Block, improving baseball and softball fields, investing in afterschool programming for teens, and working toward the creation of a new park in Belltown.
• Reducing Layoffs: Reducing the number of proposed layoffs and delaying layoffs for the remaining positions by six months to create a stronger transition.
• Saving the Seattle Channel: Restoring full funding for the Seattle Channel and creating a workgroup to secure the channel’s future.
• And much, much more.

What’s next:

Councilmember Strauss will formally release the Chair’s Balancing Package during this morning’s meeting of the Select Budget Committee at 9:30 AM. Councilmembers will submit amendments to the balancing package over the next few days. The Select Budget Committee will also hold a public hearing on the balancing package and amendments on November 12 at 5 PM. Votes on the amendments will take place November 13-15.

More detailed information on the Council’s budget process and timeline can be found on this webpage.

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