THE READER
From the Office of Mayor Mike McGinn
News, Updates, and Information
Click here to receive this via email.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

A budget that reflects Seattle’s values
Mayor McGinn delivered his 2013-2014 proposed budget in Council Chambers Monday.

Below are some highlights. You can find the full budget book and executive summary and a visual guide to the budget called Budget by the Numbers at the City Budget Office’s website.

We invite you to look at the following links for issue-specific pages that describe our new investments.

Public safety: The Proposed Budget funds the hiring of 10 new police officers and the purchase of a gunshot locator system. The budget also includes funding to invest in new in-car police video equipment and in data analysis. It also includes a reserve to implement the 20/20 plan and the Settlement Agreements with the Department of Justice.

Human services: The Proposed Budget funds new investments in child care and family homelessness services, including an expansion of a City program providing child care to low- and moderate-income families and increased assistance to homeless families with children. The proposed budget also includes an increase in funding for human services providers to cover the costs of inflation.

Basic road maintenance: To help address the road maintenance backlog, the proposed transportation budget would add over $5 million in funding for arterial maintenance, non-arterial maintenance and crack sealing, and also restore SDOT’s chip seal program. It makes investments in bridge maintenance, bridge seismic work, sidewalk repair, traffic signal maintenance and signage maintenance.

Rail and other high-capacity transit: The mayor’s proposed budget dedicates $5 million in new funding for the expansion of more efficient transit choices on high-priority corridors identified in the Seattle Transit Master Plan adopted by the City Council earlier this year. New funding will support planning to determine the best alignment and mode for each corridor. Some of this funding will build on work funded in part by the Federal Transit Agency to study a downtown connector that could link up the South Lake Union and First Hill Streetcars, as well as a partnership with Sound Transit to study potential connections between downtown and Fremont and Ballard.

Community Centers and Youth Violence Prevention: The Proposed Budget will allow 450 more youth to participate in the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative and add after school and late night hours at seven different community centers, selected due to their ability to improve public safety by providing at-risk youth with additional safe outlets outside of school hours.

Center City Initiative: Our investments in Center City quality of life and public safety include funding for a new Outreach and Engagement Team in the Seattle Police Department that will offer access to services and interventions for people in mental health crisis and other at-risk populations in downtown neighborhoods, as well as $1 million in important capital upgrades to Third Avenue.

Magnuson Building 18: Our 2013-2014 Proposed Budget allocates $1 million to stabilize Building 18, the former base fire station at Magnuson Park, until funding is identified for full renovation of the building.

Urban sustainability & environment: Our new investments in sustainability include $1 million in funding for the Green Seattle Partnership, $18 million toward the cleanup of the Lower Duwamish Waterway, East Waterway, and Gas Works Park, $462,813 in efficiency improvements for streetlights, and $300,000 that will allow us to move forward as quickly as possible with the long-awaited completion of the Burke-Gilman Trail.

Education: Our new investments in education include $2.5 million for early learning, preschool, and K-Transition programs, over $1.2 million in Seattle’s Safe Routes to School and Neighborhood Greenways programs to help kids get to school safely, and $516,877 in support for immigrant and refugee families.

---

City Council budget process
The City Council has until November 19 to adopt a budget. They can make changes to the mayor’s proposal, but by state law, the budget must remain balanced.

The Council has scheduled two evening public hearings:

October 4, 5:30 p.m. (5 p.m. sign up), Council Chamber, Seattle City Hall
October 25, 5:30 p.m. (5 p.m. sign up), Council Chamber, Seattle City Hall

For more details of these hearings and other ways to contact the Council, visit http://www.seattle.gov/council/budget/.

---

Upcoming Events (for more see http://seattle.gov/mayor/Engage/access.htm):

Sept 21-Oct 21: Compassion Games, citywide

Sept 26, 7:00 p.m. – Ask the Mayor on Seattle Channel 21 – Call-in number is 684-8821

Sept 27, 7:00 p.m. – Safe Communities public meeting: Southwest Precinct, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW)

Sept 29, 11:00 a.m. – Neighborhood town hall with Mayor McGinn, Park Shore Retirement Center (1630 43rd Ave E)

---

What we’re reading:
Studies more firmly tie sugary drinks to obesity

Seattle Weekly says it will drop escort ads

Seattle City Council gives arena big assist

Gael Tarleton Will Direct Port Staff to Cooperate With Mayor McGinn on Coal Train Study

---

To subscribe to The Reader via email, click here.

Posted by: Nathaniel Merrill