After a new 0.1% sales tax for county roads was approved in June, County Executive Girmay Zahilay has proposed to fold the independent transportation benefit district fully into county government. But questions remain about whether the county council would be trading away oversight.
Last week, Mayor Katie Wilson introduced a multi-faceted plan to reduce gun violence in Seattle based on City auditor findings, including a larger role for the CARE Department. Councilmembers Maritza Rivera and Debora Juarez sharply criticized the plan.
Faced with a $175 million deficit, Mayor Katie Wilson chose to balance her 2027 budget primarily through cuts and streamlining City operations, but no new revenue. Police and homelessness response spending continued to grow amid other cuts.
The housing funds, proposed in King County Executive Girmay Zahilay's budget update, include nearly $15 million for affordable housing projects that were already in development, and another $5 million for a new tiny home village on county-owned land in the Central District.
In a recent interview, Mayor Katie Wilson told The Urbanist her administration has launched behind-the-scenes work to make city government run better and avoid perennial budget gap crises, including a new executive order.
Developers and tradespeople alike voiced support for a proposed temporary reduction in Mandatory Housing Affordability fees at a committee meeting Friday. The proposal seems to have broad support from Seattle councilmembers.
Former Governors Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire have sought to cut progressive policymakers off at the knees with criticisms about Democrats lacking budget discipline. But their own records show the cost of austerity cuts.
Park access is generally high in Seattle, but as the City plans for significant population growth under the Comprehensive Plan, we should ask a harder question: Is park space equitable, accessible, or equipped to serve kids and families who rely on it?
A contentious change giving SDOT more authority to change streets within Seattle's historic districts was approved Thursday on a 3-2 committee vote. Traffic safety advocates had been pushing for a way to elevate safety-related changes outside the normal approval process.
As Seattle seeks to reduce waste and spur a local circular economy, a big opportunity for impact is found when buildings come down.