Details: Mayor goes public with more Seattle city budget cuts

Announced this morning: $13 million in planned cuts to the general fund, plus $5 million to be pulled from the so-called “rainy day fund” (a sixth of its total), to help make up for that $40 million-plus shortfall in last week’s revised city revenue forecast. Here’s the city news release; there’s also a doc online with all the details, line by line (the very last page includes planned Seattle Public Library cuts, such as a weeklong closure saving $655,000).

4 Replies to "Details: Mayor goes public with more Seattle city budget cuts"

  • Greg Nickels April 17, 2009 (12:37 pm)

    Thanks for posting this information so quickly.

    My budget priorities are simple: protecting public safety and meeting basic human needs (food and shelter). The decisions I announced today preserve these priorities.

    I have worked hard these last several years to manage the City’s finances prudently, to avoid the kind of situation I faced when I became Mayor in 2002. During that recession, I had to eliminate over 500 jobs and cut over $120 million. This time we are much better prepared and that’s why we are not facing the draconian choices the State and County are. These actions will allow us to balance in 2009 and position us well going into 2010. No one knows what the future will bring. Making timely, prudent decisions will allow us to get through these tough times with basic services intact and ready to move forward when the economy strengthens.

  • brandon April 17, 2009 (3:03 pm)

    So Mr. Mayor, then how can you justify a Communications Director making $160K per year, a raise from $104K for the previous employee? Doesn’t Mr Mak draw a larger salary than yourself?
    A “much better prepared” city would have forecasted the fat times, and preserved them better for the lean times. Mission: Failed.

  • poorerthandirt April 17, 2009 (5:49 pm)

    The library employees’ union has not agreed to any library closure at this point. I think the Mayor has jumped the gun on that… With so many part-time workers, the loss of a week’s pay could have some serious impact on those who live paycheck to paycheck (barely).

  • sarel rowe April 17, 2009 (8:55 pm)

    There is a fundamental disconnect when a service our voters voted to buildout with overwhelming majority continues to take the impact of budget reductions. Seattle Public Library took hits in the last recession that they’ve never fully recovered from. Do any readers remember when the library was open more hours than it is now? Remember when the Bookmobile came twice a month not just once a month? That’s the legacy of setbacks in the last recesssion and, before the system is fully recovered and just eight months after it has nearly doubled in size, at direction of the public through Libraries For All, elected officials are cutting Capital funds and asking the library to close for a week again. Library usage is through the roof. Have you tried to get on a computer lately? Libraries have quietly become neccesities for a majority of Seattle citizens but the old thinking that libraries are dispensable is alive and well.

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