$6 Billion Seattle Budget Passes Council

SEATTLE, WA - The Seattle City Council on Monday adopted a $5.9 billion 2019-2020 budget, a document that was created with an eye toward a local economy that might experience some slowing in future years.

The budget Mayor Jenny Durkan sent to Council earlier this fall was only slightly larger than the approximately $5.5 billion current city budget, which was largely formed under former mayor Ed Murray. The 2019-2020 budget increased by about 3-1/2 percent, about the same rate as inflation - meaning the city didn't expand services without offsetting cuts or finding new revenue.

The budget passed the Council in a 8-1 vote, with only Councilwoman Kshama Sawant voting "no." Sawant disagreed with how the budget funded affordable housing and the homelessness crisis. She has, generally, opposed each city budget since she took office in 2014.

During the budget process, Sawant sought to revive the head tax (or Amazon tax if you prefer). The Council passed that tax last spring, and then repealed it less than a month later. The tax would have provided about $47 million in new revenue each year to build affordable housing. Durkan's 2019-2020 budget held spending on homelessness essentially flat.

Durkan, however, was definitely happy with the largely untouched version of her budget Council passed.

“When I ran for mayor and when I took office, I made a promise to Seattle: That I would act urgently to make sure we use our resources wisely and build a city that centers community, looks to the future, and continues to lead on creating opportunity. The goals of inclusion and economic opportunity have guided us for these past 12 months, and this approved budget invests in these promises and commitments and shows we can live within our means," Durkan said in a statement Monday afternoon.

In this budget, individual City Council members changed Durkan's original budget by about $16 million through cuts and new expenditures. The Council held budget hearings for about two months.

You can read more about changes City Council made to the budget here.

File photo courtesy Seattle Channel