Recently I returned to Stevens Elementary - where I attended kindergarten - to talk with the Seattle Channel's Josephine Cheng about preschool, the search for a new police chief, the minimum wage and more. Here's the latest installment of "Council...
Category: Councilmember Burgess
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Vote on Taxis, Caps for App-Based Transportation Network Companies
Update: the Full Council vote has been rescheduled for Monday, March 17. This evening the City Council voted in committee to expand the number of licensed drivers who can drive for app-based transportation network companies (TNCs) like UberX and Lyft....
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Local Tax Burden Comparisons from DC Report
Every year the District of Columbia government issues a report comparing tax rates and tax burdens in the most populous city of every state. These reports provide a good opportunity to see how Seattle ranks with other major cities across...
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Income Inequality in American Cities
The Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program—the same team that has raised awareness about the suburbanization of poverty—released another interesting research paper today exploring income inequality in the top 50 most populous U.S. cities. The paper examines the ratio between the...
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Thoughts on Taxis, Flat-Rate For-Hires and App-Based Car Services
The intensity of the debate about regulations for taxis, flat-rate for-hire vehicles and app-based services like UberX and Lyft has been rivalled only by its complexity. With a meeting this morning on this issue, and a final vote coming soon,...
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Workforce Housing Forum
This afternoon I will join several of my Council colleagues at a Workforce Housing Forum here in City Hall. Affordable housing will continue to be one of the City's major challenges in the coming years and this forum gives us...
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Governor Issues Capital Punishment Moratorium
Governor Inslee today issued a moratorium on executions in Washington State while he serves as governor. He explained the reasons behind his decision in a statement to the media. As I’ve written before on this blog, many of these same...
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Annexation of Duwamish Area Takes Step Forward
The Council approved a resolution this afternoon, with the Mayor concurring, to allow the residents in unincorporated area along the Duwamish Waterway to vote to join the City of Seattle. The City’s proposal will now go before the Boundary Review...
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Council takes step toward annexation of “Sliver by the River,” “Duwamish Triangle”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2/10/2014
Council President Tim Burgess
Council takes step toward annexation of "Sliver by the River," "Duwamish Triangle"
Resolution expresses intent to petition for a vote of the residents
SEATTLE - City Council approved a resolution this afternoon, with the Mayor concurring, to allow the residents in unincorporated area along the Duwamish Waterway to vote to join the City of Seattle. The City's proposal will now go before the Boundary Review Board for King County, which must consider whether to advance it to the approximately 103 registered voters in this area, commonly referred to as the South Park Sliver by the River and the Duwamish Industrial Triangle.
"When you look at the map and the cultural boundaries of the South Park neighborhood, it just makes sense to give these residents a chance to be a part of the City of Seattle and to receive City services," said Council President Tim Burgess. "A 'yes' vote would solve a longstanding anomaly in our City limits."
"I believe it makes sense for this area to join the City," said Mayor Ed Murray. "I also believe it makes sense to give these residents the chance to decide the issue."
The State Growth Management Act and County planning policies both encourage the transition of unincorporated urbanized areas to cities. According to an analysis by the City Budget Office, revenues from the area are expected to be sufficient to fund the area's annual service needs. The City will continue discussions with King County officials and local service providers regarding the future of the adjacent unincorporated North Highline neighborhood.
"South Park is a cohesive neighborhood that has long had an artificial barrier between its incorporated and unincorporated parts," said Dagmar Cronn, President of the South Park Neighborhood Association. "We are so grateful to the City Councilmembers and the Mayor for setting this annexation process in motion. Soon, all of us will receive the same fast police, fire and medical help when it is needed."
The last annexation by the City of Seattle occurred in 1986, when City limits expanded to include a nearby area known as Central Heights along Myers Way South.
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Civic Cocktail: A Family-Friendly Downtown
Earlier this week I sat on a panel for the Seattle Channel's program Civic Cocktail to discuss strategies that make for a family-friendly downtown. The first half of the video below is a one-on-one discussion between host Joni Balter and...