The City Council is close to making final decisions on the city budget. Some of the changes proposed in recent weeks have been scrapped, and some new ones have been added. Tomorrow morning at 9:30 am, the council will go through the newest list of changes still on the table. See the current full list here; ones of potential interest in our area include:

(WSB file photo by Christopher Boffoli)
WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE CORRIDOR STUDIES: Our area’s Councilmember Lisa Herbold proposes spending $100,000 on two studies:
This proposal would provide one-time funding for two traffic management studies: (1) evaluate the feasibility of traffic management modifications to improve the eastbound Spokane St Viaduct connection to I-5; and (2) initiate an SDOT/WSDOT Peer Review Team to review traffic operational and safety improvement opportunities on upper and lower roadways and make recommendations.
These were originally proposed in last year’s West Seattle Bridge Corridor “whitepaper.”
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE’S 13TH-YEAR PROMISE PROGRAM: This proposal from Councilmember Bruce Harrell would allot a quarter-million city dollars to support the SSC program that provides a year of free tuition to any interested graduating senior from designated high schools:
The 13th Year Promise Scholarship program provides all graduating seniors from Cleveland, Chief Sealth International, Rainier Beach, and soon West Seattle high schools with one year of free in-state tuition at South Seattle College. Additionally, the program offers students a variety of workshops during their senior year to prepare for college enrollment and to improve math and English skills if necessary.
The funding provided in this green sheet is intended to assist South Seattle College in expanding the reach of the 13th Year Promise Scholarship program by funding non-tuition components of the program, freeing up existing resources to be used for the tuition expenses. This funding may be used for the Readiness Academy, COMPASS Improvement Workshops, and the 13th Year Bridge Program
TERMINAL 5 QUIET ZONE: Also from Councilmember Herbold:
The Port of Seattle is considering improvements to Terminal 5 to modernize the facility. As part of this project, the Port is considering implementation of shore power, a Terminal 5 quiet zone, and broadband back-up alarms to reduce the noise emitted from Terminal 5.
This Statement of Legislative Intent (SLI) requests that SDOT work with the Port of Seattle, the Federal Railway Administration, and the railway companies doing business at Terminal 5, to extend the quiet zone from Terminal 5 to the Delridge Way/W Marginal Way intersection.
The SLI requests that SDOT provide quarterly reports on this work to the Planning, Land Use, and Zoning Committee.
SOUTH PARK PUBLIC-SAFETY TASK FORCE: Proposed by at-large (and WS-residing) Councilmember Lorena González:
The Council requests that the Executive convene a Special Task Force of South Park residents to formulate and report to Council recommendations regarding the public safety and vitality of that neighborhood. It is the Council’s understanding that the written report of the Special Task Force would, as a general matter, accomplish the following:
1. Identify strategies for a new model of neighborhood policing, which will build on the micropolicing plans and community policing plans initiated by Chief Katherine O’Toole. The strategies should be replicable in other neighborhoods throughout the City, while flexible enough to reflect the unique situations or dynamics of other diverse neighborhoods; and
2. Identify strategies for a culturally and linguistically responsive data-driven approach to improving the City’s relations to and effectiveness with the South Park neighborhood, which will also inform the City’s engagement with all other neighborhoods.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT COMMISSION: The final step toward creating the mayor’s proposed Community Involvement Commission – to be a liaison group instead of maintaining ties to neighborhood district councils in that role – is spelled out in this item (PDF), which also redefines the Department of Neighborhoods’ role. It strikes out the word “neighborhood” in many cases, although one amendment is proposed: ” Subsection G would add support for neighborhood-based community-building to the list of functions of the Director of the Department of Neighborhoods.” Each City Council district will have one representative on the group; 7 other members would be appointed by the mayor.
The list of proposed changes will itself change before tomorrow’s meeting – while we were writing this story, it grew to 143 items – but you can review the titles and brief descriptions and look at others that might interest you by going here. If you have strong feelings, pro or con, about any of them, contact councilmembers ASAP – the info is all here (our area’s rep is at lisa.herbold@seattle.gov, and she’s been providing budget-process explainers on her website).
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