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September 23, 2013January 6, 2023Councilmember Burgess, News Releases

Councilmember Burgess’ statement on Mayor Mike McGinn’s proposed budget

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/23/2013

Councilmember Tim Burgess

Councilmember Burgess' statement on Mayor Mike McGinn's proposed budget

SEATTLE - Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess, chair of the Council's Budget Committee, issued the following statement in response to Mayor McGinn's budget proposal released today:

"Mayor McGinn has proposed some significant increases in spending but has yet to provide evidence that those increases would be an effective use of taxpayer dollars. We want to fund what works, but we need solid evidence of results. We have tough decisions to make, and the Council takes its role as stewards of the public's money very seriously.

"The people of Seattle face serious challenges in public safety, transportation, education and affordability. The City Council will carefully review the Mayor's proposed budget and make any changes necessary to ensure these challenges are addressed."

Budget Public Hearings

Thursday, October 3
5:30 p.m.
City Council Chambers
600 4th Avenue, 2nd floor
Seattle  98104

Thursday, October 24
6 p.m.
Location TBD

[View in Council Newsroom]

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September 18, 2013January 6, 2023Councilmember Burgess, Councilmember Licata, News Releases

Preschool for All Seattle plan passes Council Committee

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/18/2013

Councilmember Tim Burgess
Councilmember Nick Licata

Preschool for All Seattle plan passes Council Committee
Resolution charts path to voluntary high-quality preschool available and affordable
for all 3 and 4 year old children

SEATTLE - A City Council committee approved legislation this morning establishing a work plan to make voluntary, high-quality preschool available and affordable to all 3 and 4 year old children in Seattle.

"Preschool for all of Seattle's children will not only enable them to flourish but also create a safer city, a smarter workforce, and a brighter future for everyone," said Councilmember Tim Burgess, chair of the Government Performance & Finance Committee, where this morning's vote occurred. "Extensive studies from experts across the country demonstrate that high-quality preschool leads not only to better academic achievement, but also to better health, higher-paying jobs, and safer neighborhoods. I believe Seattle is ready to take this bold step for our city's children."

The legislation enables the City Council, working with the City's Office for Education and local experts providing early learning opportunities, to accomplish the following over the next 6 to 9 months:

"By expanding high-quality preschool to all children, we will ensure that no families fall through the cracks," said Councilmember Nick Licata. "For families who choose to participate, high-quality preschool creates economic opportunity because the children are more likely to graduate from high school and start solid careers and the parents and guardians will have more time to build their own careers and earning power."

Proficiency in reading by 3rd grade is a key indicator of whether children will graduate from high school. The Seattle School District's most recent scorecard shows that approximately 22% of students are not proficient on the State's 3rd grade reading test and approximately 23% of students do not graduate from high school. These statistics are significantly worse for Seattle's African American, Hispanic, Native American, and immigrant youth.

High-quality preschool has proven to be a cost-effective means to address the achievement gap by preparing students to be ready to learn at kindergarten and for the academic and behavioral expectations of K-12 education.

"I am wholeheartedly in favor of universal preschool for 3 and 4 year olds in Seattle, and the City Council's bold leadership in moving forward with this ambitious plan is be applauded,"  said Kevin C. Washington, Tabor 100 Education Committee Chairman and Treasurer of the State's nonprofit education leader Thrive By Five WA. "Research in early learning has shown great leverage in the dollars invested in academic and socio-emotional growth during those preschool critical years. The School District will also benefit greatly from having children better prepared when they walk through those kindergarten doors."

Several other jurisdictions - including Boston, San Francisco, the State of Oklahoma, the State of West Virginia, and 31 local districts in New Jersey - are already implementing high-quality preschool open to all children and, according to independent studies, the participating children are achieving the intended positive outcomes.

Long-term evaluations such as the High Scope Perry study, Abecedarian project, and the Chicago Child-Parent Center program demonstrate that high-quality preschool leads not only to better academic achievement (such as higher reading scores and stronger high school graduation rates), but also to better health, higher-paying jobs, and lower rates of criminal behavior.

With the Committee's approval today, Resolution 31478 will be considered by the Full Council on Monday, September 23.  More information about the Preschool for All Plan is available online.

[View in Council Newsroom]

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June 24, 2013January 6, 2023Councilmember Bagshaw, Councilmember Burgess, Councilmember Godden, Councilmember Harrell, Councilmember Licata, Councilmember O'Brien, Councilmember Rasmussen, News Releases

Seattle City Council Votes on Bill to Restore Publicly Financed Elections in Seattle

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/24/2013

Council President Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Councilmember Tim Burgess
Councilmember Richard Conlin
Councilmember Jean Godden
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Councilmember Nick Licata
Councilmember Mike O'Brien
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
           

Seattle City Council Votes on Bill to Restore
Publicly Financed Elections in Seattle
Proposal to be sent to voters in November

Seattle - City Council voted on legislation today to restore public financing for local elections. Seattle was the first municipality in the country to introduce public financing, also called "voter-owned elections," in 1979, but has not had an operating program since 1992.  The proposal will now be sent to Seattle voters on the November ballot.

Public financing is a system in which qualifying campaigns are funded in part with public dollars in order to increase the number of candidates running for office and increase the role of small donors in the electoral process. The Council's public financing proposal would only apply to City Council races and would be instituted in the 2015 elections.

"I'm looking forward to the robust debate about the role of money in politics in the months ahead," said Councilmember Mike O'Brien.

To opt into the program, candidates must first qualify by collecting contributions of $10 or more from at least 600 Seattle residents. Once qualified, donations up to $50 would be matched six-to-one on the first $35,000 raised. Candidates who fully utilize the matching system would receive $210,000 in public funds throughout the entire campaign, split between the primary and general elections. Voters would be asked to approve a 6-year, $9 million property tax levy to finance the program, which would cost an estimated $2 million per year, or about $5.76 for a home valued at $350,000. Candidates would have the option to run for office without participating in the public financing program.

In December 2012, Councilmembers Sally J. Clark, Nick Licata, Mike O'Brien and Tom Rasmussen sent a letter to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) asking the body to recommend a public financing model that meets three goals: (1) increases electoral competitiveness, (2) reduces financial barriers to entry for candidates and (3) increases the role and emphasis of small donors in the electoral process. In March, the SEEC delivered its recommendations to Council for consideration, over which the City Council's Public Campaign Finance Committee has been deliberating since April.

Seattle had partial public financing of campaigns in 1979 and 1981, and from 1987-1991. In 1992, state Initiative 134 passed, prohibiting public financing. In 2008 the State legislature adopted legislation allowing local jurisdictions to establish programs to publicly finance campaigns, if approved by a public vote, and the funding is derived from local sources only.

[View in Council Newsroom]

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June 17, 2013January 6, 2023Councilmember Bagshaw, Councilmember Burgess, Councilmember Godden, Councilmember Harrell, Councilmember Licata, Councilmember O'Brien, Councilmember Rasmussen, News Releases

City Council Adopts Bold Climate Action Plan Plan provides pathway to carbon neutrality by 2050

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/17/2013

Council President Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Councilmember Tim Burgess
Councilmember Richard Conlin
Councilmember Jean Godden
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Councilmember Nick Licata
Councilmember Mike O'Brien
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen

City Council Adopts Bold Climate Action Plan
Plan provides pathway to carbon neutrality by 2050

Seattle - Seattle City Council voted unanimously to adopt Seattle's Climate Action Plan (Resolution 31447) today. The Climate Action Plan is composed of recommended actions to be taken to meet Seattle's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

The Seattle Climate Action Plan is the result of a three year collaborative effort between the City and community to produce a blueprint for a prosperous and climate-friendly city. "With this bold plan to reduce our carbon emissions now in place, we must now get to work on implementing the actions called for in the plan," said City Councilmember Mike O'Brien. "In the Energy & Environment Committee, we will begin exploring how to make energy use more visible to consumers and developing the tools we need to improve Seattle's home and building energy performance."

The Climate Action Plan includes specific short- and long-term actions the City needs to meet its ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. For example, the transportation sector accounts for 40% of Seattle's greenhouse gas emissions, but the biggest challenge Seattle faces to reducing emissions in this sector is funding. The plan calls for new funding sources like extending the Bridging the Gap levy and securing local authority for a motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) to help improve bus service and reliability, invest in improvements that make it easier and safer to walk or bike and take steps to build out the region's light rail system. The plan also calls for supporting the adoption of low carbon vehicles and fuels.

In the building energy section, the Plan calls for accelerating Seattle's already strong conservation work by enhancing the tracking of utility use, providing better energy performance information to building owners and users, and generally help to improve the public's understanding and manage their energy consumption. Additionally, the Plan calls for getting the right mix of policies and incentives to spur retrofitting in Seattle's housing stock and commercial buildings.

"Making Seattle carbon neutral is an audacious goal that takes time, hard work, creativity and the commitment of the City, business community and Seattle residents," said City Councilmember Richard Conlin. "We have laid out the path to meet this preeminent moral challenge of our time and we will lead the way to secure the future for generations to come."

"We must ready the city's infrastructure for climate change meanwhile leading in reducing carbon emissions," said City Councilmember Jean Godden. "Recycling and composting, as well as preparing for more intense rainstorm episodes with green stormwater infrastructure, are the first steps my committee will take."

"This policy document sets very ambitious environmental goals to stride towards, 62% and 91% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 and 2050 in the vehicle and building energy sectors. At each step, our strategies to reach these targets must go through the lens of the Race and Social Justice Initiative. In order to get residents and businesses to support climate action and include it as a part of their lives, we must be inclusive in our education and outreach with all communities," said City Councilmember Bruce Harrell.

"While I'm pleased that Council adopted the Plan today, we know the real work is just beginning," said Jill Simmons, Director of the Office of Sustainability & Environment.

The Plan focuses on three sectors where the City of Seattle can have the greatest influence in reducing carbon emissions: transportation and land use, building energy and solid waste. The Plan also includes a section outlining how the City should prepare for the impacts of climate disruption we expect to occur, as well a section on actions individuals can take to reduce emissions through purchasing decisions.
The Climate Action Plan can be viewed online at: http://www.seattle.gov/environment/climate_plan.htm

[View in Council Newsroom]