City Budget
2022 Budget
The budget process will begin Sept. 27 and run through Nov. 22. There's a video series "Budget School" that is an excellent overview of how the city budget is put together from Converge Media with Kevin Schofield. There is also a three-part analysis of the Mayor's proposed budget for 2022 from Kevin Schofield, and The Urbanist has started posting articles as well,
The schedule for the budget is as follows:
Sept 27 – Mayor delivers proposed budget to the Council
Sept 29 - Department presentations including Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) presentation video at 52:07 and Office of Economic Development (OED) presentation video at 4:04
Sept 30 - Department presentations including Office of Housing presentation video at 29:52
Oct. 1 – Department presentations including SDOT presentation video at 1:43:29 & Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) presentation video at 24:08
Oct. 12 – public hearing
Oct 13-15 – Issue identification
Oct 26-28 – Proposed amendments
Nov 10 – public hearing
Nov. 12 – Budget Chair Mosqueda presents the Balancing Budget. Noontime deadline for budget amendments
Nov. 18-19 – Balancing Package & Amendments & public hearing
Nov 22 – Council adopts 2022 Budget
An alliance of more than 200 community groups has proposed the Solidarity Budget.
Mayor's Proposed Budget
$14M Green New Deal: unallocated GND Oversight board ($6.5M), home heating oil conversions for 125 low and middle income homeowners out of 1000 estimated low income homes ($1.7M this year, future funding to come from tax on oil, 1300 oil decommissions in 2020), Environmental Justice Fund grant program ($550K from JumpStart), Clean Buildings Accelerator ($200K from JumpStart to leverage money from state Clean Buildings Act), clean energy career training scholarships for 75-100 people ($1M from general fund),
Adds $8M Duwamish Valley investment: youth workforce development ($500K of this is allocated from the JumpStart fund), clean electric heavy-duty vehicles to reduce diesel emissions as a step to a future zero emission zone in the Duwamish ($1M from JumpStart for heavy duty vehicle rebates: drayage trucks, school buses, and other fleets), green industrial lands (clean up), local business support and workforce development. $275K of JumpStart funding for Green Workforce Development. Also includes $300 allocated from general fund for urban tree canopy & stormwater improvements in the Duwamish Valley.
Continued funding for Equity & Environment Initiative, Environmental Justice Committee, Energy Benchmarking and Bu ilding Tune-Ups, citywide urban forestry.
Comprehensive Plan Major Update ($350K for outreach and EIS). They anticipate the first major update of the city's Urban Village strategy, and will be considering a wider range of alternatives. Need more money in order to compensate community for involvement.
Regional Growth Center Subarea Planning: Downtown, Uptown, South Lake Union, University, Northgate, First Hill/Capitol Hill. ($150K for planning) . Planning for this will run parallel to Comprehensive Plan Update. Will need additional money in future years. This work meets requirement of PSRC.
SDOT will fund (and has started on) an Integrated Master Plan ($2.5M), that combines transit, ped, bike (and presumably automobiles) plans, and help inform the next transportation levy.
SDOT will develop a Climate Implementation Plan and enhance the Climate & Congestion impact calculator ($484K). This includes funding for purchasing transportation data, which should help in calculating transportation emissions.
SDOT will fund a permanent Transportation Equity Board
Lewis proposal 1% increase in commercial parking tax to raise $3.2M per year for on going funding for Vision Zero projects. Zimbabwe: it is our intent that the $20 vehicle license plan be an ongoing source of revenue in exactly this way, we we could distribute other fund in the same way.
Pedersen is concerned about lack of funding for bridge maintenance, and is opposed to the Central Connector streetcar
2021 Budget
The 2021 budget approved two new positions in the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE). The climate policy advisor "oversees implementation of the Climate Action Plan and measures progress towards its goals. Additionally, this position is responsible for developing and implementing a Climate Impact Assessment Toolkit (Executive Order 2018-01), creating policies to support green jobs as part of the economic recovery, evaluating racial equity impacts of building decarbonization, and establishing Building Performance Standards." as described here.
OSE will also hire a Green New Deal advisor. As described here, "In addition to providing administrative support to the Board, this position is responsible for coordinating the City’s internal strategy to reduce climate pollutants, helping to achieve the goals identified in the Green New Deal for Seattle." Having this position filled should pave the way for the mayor the council to appoint the Green New Deal Oversight Board.
The budget also allocated $200,000 for building electrification, to go to low income households and to be administered by the Office of Housing Weatherization department.