(Image: City of Seattle)

You can track changes with the Seattle Budget Dashboard

Seattle’s efforts to shape the city’s 2024 spending plan are beginning with a proposal from Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office that he says “doubles downs” on his administration’s priorities with a more than 30% increase in planned affordable housing funding, maintaining the city’s more than $100 million in annual funding for the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, and $26.5 million to boost the newly formed Community Assisted Response and Engagement departments. But the proposal’s largest components including spending for the city’s existing first responders at Seattle Police and the Seattle Fire Department would be maintained at status quo levels.

“Seattle is a different city than when I took office nearly two years ago – we are continuing to see real progress, even while acknowledging the complex challenges still before us. Many of our toughest issues can’t be solved overnight but with a plan and solid investment strategy, we can show meaningful progress towards building the One Seattle we want to see,” Harrell said in the announcement of his 2024 budget proposal. “This budget doubles down on the priorities that matter for the city, focusing on critical needs like public safety and homelessness, supporting downtown and a healthy climate, and embracing a back-to-basics philosophy needed to advance Seattle’s economy, quality of life, and the essential city services residents deserve.”

The budget planning comes in a city facing challenged revenue forecasts in coming years. A workgroup convened to brainstorm possible “alternative revenue” sources has proposed options including capital gains, vacancy, and congestion pricing taxes. For now, the city is working with what it has including its more than $200 million a year JumpStart tax on its largest employers like Amazon and Starbucks.

(Image: The Rise)

Harrell made his budget speech Tuesday from First Hill at a newly opened affordable high-rise housing development on surplus Sound Transit land at Madison and Boylston, “these buildings represent the kind of outcomes we’re trying to achieve,” the mayor said. CHS reported here in May at the opening of the joint project from Plymouth Housing and Bellwether Housing where Plymouth operates Blake House on floors two through five with a total of 112 studio apartments focused on serving seniors and veterans who have experienced chronic homelessness while Bellwether operates The Rise on Madison on floors six through 17 with “250 homes affordable to families making 60% or less of area median income.”

“These projects provide affordable housing for our neighbors and bring people who have experienced chronic homelessness indoors with the support they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives,” Harrell said.

The proposed budget now moves to the Seattle City Council for weeks of public comment, debate, additions, and subtractions.

Seattle’s operating budget reached $5.92 billion in 2023 with just over 40% of that earmarked for transportation infrastructure, utilities, and environment spending, and nearly 24% for administration at City Hall. The single biggest category beyond that base remains Public Safety at nearly 14% or $805.4 million. Its capital budget climbed to $1.51 billion in one-time spending and improvement projects.

In total, the mayor’s proposal calls for $7.386 billion in spending — down slightly from 2023’s approved $7.433 billion budget.

Seattle’s 2023 operating budget shows how the city allocates its spending…

And how that spending has changed over time

Source: openbudget.seattle.gov

The 2024 plans begins with Harrell’s proposal for more than $330 million in affordable housing spending in the city, up 32%. The line items include $850,000 to boost the city’s newly created Social Housing Public Development Authority.

The spending is contingent on voter approval of the $970 million affordable housing levy on the ballot in November.

Harrell’s plan also includes keeping the city’s funding of its strategies to address the homelessness crisis steady with a line item to fund a $106 million portion of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s spending.

The proposed 2024 spending plan also adds nearly $50 million to improve wages for permanent supportive housing and human services workers.

To support public safety initiatives, Harrell is proposing $26.5 million in funding for the new Community Assisted Response and Engagement department that will combine the city’s Community Safety and Communications Center 911 resources with its new “dual dispatch” pilot pairing mental health social workers with police on certain low priority crisis and “welfare check” calls.

“Along with diversion and treatment services, CARE represents another option to ensure the right help is delivered in the right situation, a response that may be different from traditional police or fire alone,” Harrell said Tuesday in his prepared remarks on the budget proposal.

Harrell is also proposing to boost funding of the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion with $17 million earmarked for diversion programs as part of the city’s crackdown on public drug use.

In his speech, Harrell vowed to provide stable funding for his police department and give it the funding it needs to recruit new officers to fill staffing gaps. He also acknowledged recent controversies that have further damaged the department and police union’s reputations.

“Yes, we need the right number of police officers, but we also need police officers who uphold their oath and our shared values, who represent the city’s diversity, who complete investigations quickly and effectively and in a culturally competent manner,” Harrell said Tuesday. “And, who above all, treat everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve.”

Meanwhile, a few Harrell pet line items made the cut including an effort he has pushed since his time on the city council to introduce gunshot tracking technology in the city. Harrell is proposing $1.8 million “in piloting a new suite of advanced safety technologies to protect neighborhoods impacted by recurring gun violence, collect new evidence to solve crimes, and address the increase we see in stolen vehicles.” CHS reported here last year on the push for funding for Shotspotter made at a meeting of the SPD-backed African American Advisory Council before the spending was ultimately cut by the city council. Meanwhile, this recent incident over Capitol Hill is an example of how technology used to track stolen cars can result in resource-intensive searches.

The administration’s budget highlights include

• $334 million investment in affordable housing, representing a 32% increase from the 2023 adopted budget.
• $106 million investment in the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) to support outreach, shelter, and other critical programs.

• $26.5 million to support the new Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, an increase of 30% over 2023.
• $26 million for the Housing for Workforce Stabilization Fund to support permanent supportive housing providers wages.
• $23 million investment in human service provider wages and wage equity, representing a 9.5% increase in pay over 2023, along with childcare worker retention bonuses.
• $17 million toward diversion programs like LEAD, supporting the recently passed law regarding public consumption by prioritizing diversion for drug users.
• $15 million to support the Downtown Activation Plan (DAP) and Future of Seattle Economy agenda ($3.9 million DAP, $6.6 million Future of Seattle Economy, and $4.7 million overlapping).

• $2 million to expand the Seattle Fire Department’s Health 99 Post Overdose Response Team and other health services, building on $7 million toward capital improvements in treatment centers to address addiction with a health-forward approach.
• $1.9 million for an additional year of funding to We Deliver Care providing outreach as part of the Third Avenue Project.
• $1.8 million investment in piloting a new suite of advanced safety technologies to protect neighborhoods impacted by recurring gun violence, collect new evidence to solve crimes, and address the increase we see in stolen vehicles.
• $850,000 in start-up costs to new Social Housing Public Development Authority.
• $350,000 to expand Trees for Neighborhoods program to 1,300 trees planted in 2024 and evaluate siting a One Seattle Tree Nursery to grow trees locally, building on recent $12.9 million grant from the Biden-Harris administration to expand access to tree canopy.

• $150,000 to Immigrant and Safety Access Network to continue increased support and resources for immigrant and refugee communities.

The proposed budget now moves to the Seattle City Council for debate and adjustments along with a few public hearings. The council has rolled out a new Seattle Budget Dashboard to help you keep track of changes.

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