(Image: City of Seattle)
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and King County Executive Dow Constantine will release details of their proposed 2023 budgets Tuesday with many watching to see how planned funding for the King County Regional Homelessness Authority will measure out.
The new authority charged with organizing the city and county’s response to the ongoing homelessness crisis has asked for a budget of $209 million in 2023. The nearly 75% jump would increase the number of available shelter resources and help cover increased costs from service providers amid rising wages.
The 2023 budget proposal will be the first of the Harrell administration and will put the mayor’s plan for funding the Seattle Police Department on the table. Last year, the city’s budget process netted out with a final package including $355 million for SPD, a $7 million cut from 2021 and $10 million less than outgoing Mayor Jenny Durkan’s plan called for.
The 2022 budget approved by the Seattle City Council last year built a $7.1 billion spending plan marked by increased spending on the city’s three major crises: affordable housing, homelessness and addiction, and COVID-19 recovery. Now annual debates included a major tangle over ultimately minor changes to Seattle Police, and another year without unanimous approval as District 3 representative Kshama Sawant continued her long-running practice of voting against the final spending package.
The city’s fall budget cycle kicks off Tuesday with the mayor delivering his proposed budget. The city council will then begin its deliberation and debate with the first meeting of the Select Budget Committee when the public will have the first opportunity to comment on the proposals.
Learn more about the budget and public engagement at seattle.gov.
PLEASE HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE!
Subscribe to CHS to help us pay writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.
I’m trying to keep an open mind but wondering if the RGA is just another hand in the cookie jar and needs more money with no plan to really deal with homelessness. I would love to see the RGA focus on addiction recovery programs (some mandatory). Sawant won’t vote for a budget unless it dismantles our democracy and all the money goes to her organization so don’t bother with her. She is Seattle’s Trump.