Live right now at www.seattlechannel.org: The City Council Budget Committee is talking about changes to the mayor’s proposed cuts in the Department of Neighborhoods. Assistants are presenting the proposed changes: First, they re-added a coordinator who was to be cut from the Historic Preservation program; next, came restoration of more than $300,000 that was to be cut from the Neighborhood Matching Fund program. None of this is final until the council votes on its official plan in about two and a half weeks. Still to come: A discussion of possibly canceling the plan to close the Neighborhood Service Center in The Junction and cut the job of its Neighborhood District Coordinator; we’ll continue to add updates here. The full agenda, with supporting documents, is here.

2:16 PM: They are now discussing the Southwest NSC’s fate. The council’s assistant is noting that the location in The Junction is on a month-by-month basis (because of the proposed Conner Homes development, which, she added, may be delayed further – “That hasn’t been moving too quickly,” observed West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen). “And if the development takes place, we’ll have the extra property taxes to fund the new location,” added Council President Richard Conlin cheerily. Now on to the proposed cut of Neighborhood District Coordinators’ jobs (including Stan Lock, who works out of the Southwest NSC in The Junction) – they’re talking about keeping those jobs, but at 80% time, and they want the mayor to explain how neighborhood engagement would play out without these jobs. “This allows us to make a rational policy choice, instead of just sweeping them away,” observed Councilmember Tim Burgess.

2:35 PM UPDATE: They’ve moved on to SDOT – and the first item is about the proposed street-parking changes. Councilmember Jean Godden has suggested she’d like to see the top parking rate be $4 instead of $5.

3:10 PM: Though no official votes are being taken, there seems to be more sentiment about NOT starting paid Sunday parking – studying it as a possible addition later. Councilmember Nick Licata says the public should be “cut a little slack” given they’ll already be asked to start paying for parking all the way till 8 pm on other nights.

4:22 PM: They’re still talking transportation – right now, the proposed increase in the commercial parking tax.

4:45 PM: Today’s meeting is over. Next week, it’s “Round 2,” which means final decisions on changes – so NOTHING is final till then, even items that were well-received in meetings like today.