News Release
In preparation for 2012, the Seattle City Council has drafted likely committee assignments to be established by Resolution at Full Council meeting, January 9, at 2 p.m. The next Council President will also be confirmed at this time. Committee terms are two years.
News Release
Today the Seattle City Council unanimously voted to pass Council Bill 117345, a bill to protect Puget Sound and protect marine wildlife by banning plastic carry-out bags. The bill encourages the use of reusable shopping bags by requiring grocers and retailers to charge a nickel for paper bags.
As I mentioned in UP 317, as of Monday night (and this morning) the agenda for tomorrow’s COBE meeting, was not yet available for public review. Our Council rules state that: "All reasonable effort will be made to provide the preliminary agenda online and in hard copy at least two business days prior to the meeting." Further, the Open Public Meetings Act requires notice of a Council meeting 24 hours in advance. The concerns I raised this morning about proper notice identified this legal requirement and now has necessitated a last minute change in the meeting start time.
In response to columnist’s Danny Westneat’s Seattle Times article ( Nov 29, 2011) about excessive towing fees ($800 in the example he writes about) charged to tow cars off private property, my office contacted the City Attorney’s Office to determine how the City could stop this practice. While it is reasonable to charge people who park on private property when they aren’t authorized to, they shouldn’t have to pay whatever charge the towing company decides, no matter how high the rate.
News Release
The Seattle City Council will pursue regulating towing companies in response to the egregious towing fines that have recently come to light.
News Release
The Seattle City Council issued the following statement on the announcement of a tentative agreement between The Boeing Company and the Machinists to produce the 737 MAX in the northwest:
On November 14th, the Seattle City Council passed Resolution 31337 which recognized the national grassroots citizen effort being made through the Occupy Movement in seeking solutions for economically distressed Americans at the federal and local levels. I introduced this resolution because the growing imbalance in our nation’s wealth demands the attention of the nation’s elected representatives.
News Release
Today Seattle City Council introduced Council Bill 117345, intended to help clean up Puget Sound and protect marine wildlife by banning single-use plastic bags. This legislation gives Seattle an opportunity to join Bellingham and Edmonds in Washington, as well as cities up and down the West Coast and more than 20 nations worldwide in efforts to curb the impact of single-use plastic bags on the environment.
News Release
The City Council unanimously approved Resolution 31337 committing to a number of actions in response to the Occupy movement. These steps primarily fall into the categories of fair lending and taxation.
News Release
Seattle City Councilmembers will be available tomorrow morning, at 11:30 a.m., to discuss the likely 2012 budget balancing package. This media availability will take place immediately following the 9:30 a.m. Budget Committee meeting at which time final votes on green sheets and statements of legislative intent will be taken.