On Monday, December 19, the Council unanimously approved an ordinance that bans plastic bags at retail checkout stands and requires retail establishments to collect a pass-through charge from customers requesting paper carryout bags. The legislation is modeled after ordinances successfully adopted by the Cities of Edmonds and Bellingham, and was sponsored and championed by Councilmember [...]
Press Releases
The latest press releases from Seattle City Councilmembers.
Seattle joins global movement to protect marine wildlife
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.
Seattle City Councilmember Burgess’ statement in response to Interim Superintendent Enfield’s announcement
News Release
Councilmember Tim Burgess, Chair of the Council's Public Safety and Education Committee, released the following statement in response to the announcement by Interim Superintendant Susan Enfield that she would not seek the permanent position of superintendent:
Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell’s statement on Department of Justice findings
News Release
Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Chair of the Council's Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) announcement of investigative findings on the Seattle Police Department:
Seattle City Councilmember Burgess’ statement in response to Department of Justice findings
News Release
Councilmember Tim Burgess, Chair of the Council's Public Safety and Education Committee, released the following statement in response to the announcement by Interim Superintendant Susan Enfield that she would not seek the permanent position of superintendent:
Seattle’s Red Barn Ranch
Did you know that the City of Seattle owns a 40 acre farm southeast of Auburn? I didn’t until a few weeks ago – and last month I toured the property and discovered what an imaginative asset this can be for Seattle. My Local Food Action Initiative (LFAI) is designed to encourage Seattle to increase [...]
Sleep in a bit – COBE starts at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday
Usually the Council’s Committee on the Built Environment (COBE) meetings begin at 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. Tomorrow’s meeting, one of the more anticipated of the year, will begin instead at 10:30 a.m. due to cascading series of errors with the agenda release. We usually post the agenda several days in advance (and far in [...]
Seattle City Council to discuss Roosevelt neighborhood rezone
News Release
The Seattle City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment will take up the Roosevelt neighborhood rezone during its meeting on Wednesday, December 14 at 10:30 a.m. The committee will hear testimony from the public about the proposal before discussing and possibly voting on the legislation.
Carbon Neutral Blog Post 15: It’s Technically Possible
In my last post, I noted that the Council had adopted the Carbon Neutral Goal with some confidence that it is attainable, and that part of the basis for that conclusion was the findings in the report we commissioned from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). SEI was tasked with creating a scenario for achieving Carbon [...]
Seattle City Council creates Economic Development Commission
News Release
Today Seattle City Council unanimously approved Council Bill 117362 creating an Economic Development Commission that will advise and provide recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on the development of plans, policies, and regulations to promote sustainable and equitable economic development and job creation in Seattle.
Seattle City Council passes legislation to improve safety and oversight of limousine industry in Seattle
News Release
Today the Seattle City Council, by a vote of 8-0, passed C.B. 117358 giving the City authority to enforce state laws governing limousines. Oversight of limousines is the responsibility of state agencies but due to funding issues they have not been able to enforce rules.
Saving the Pike-Pine Neighborhood Culture: Seattle City Council approves program to save character structures
News Release
The Seattle City Council passed C.B. 117235 today creating an additional financial incentive for owners of older, character buildings in the Pike-Pine District of Capitol Hill to preserve the buildings.