By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What you might call the second-to-last version of the next city-budget plan is out this morning – the “balancing package” presented by the City Council’s budget chair, West Seattle-residing citywide Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (video above). This incorporates both the recent projection of reduced city revenues and her decisions on amendments proposed by her colleagues; here’s her overview.
Last week we spotlighted two West Seattle-specific amendments sponsored by West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold. Reviewing the newly released “balancing package,” we note that one made it through, one did not. The one that didn’t was the re-allocation of money for the Fauntleroy Boulevard project. The one that did is funding for keeping expanded Seattle Fire Department resources in the area beyond the end of the year; after the bridge closed in 2020, Ladder 13 was added at Station 37 in Sunrise Heights and Medic 26 was added at Station 26 in South Park, both doubling the number of those specific types of SFD resources available in this area. (A recent Herbold post/newsletter explained how that affects emergency-response times.) Searching the “balancing package” by keyword, we noted a few other West Seattle-specific items:
-The Seattle Public Utilities budget proposal includes $1+ million needed as part of the Fauntleroy Creek Culvert Replacement funding.
-SDOT is asked to “work in coordination with the City Archivist to identify the historic street names for those Seattle neighborhoods that were once separately incorporated municipalities, which were subsequently annexed to the City of Seattle. Those former municipalities include old Ballard, Georgetown, Leschi, West Seattle, and Bryant. The report should include a cost estimate, by formerly incorporated municipality, for replacing current street signs with street signs that include historic street names using the green and brown street sign design.” The proposal does not mandate that, but requests only that the council get a report by 2023.
There’s of course much of non-neighborhood-specific interest in the budget proposal too – while grazing it, for example, we notice that proposed cuts to the mayor’s proposals include reducing his requested funding to clean up more graffiti vandalism and a reduction in the amount of money proposed for play-area renovations (specific projects are not listed, so we don’t know whether this would affect the ones awaiting renovation in West Seattle).
WHAT’S NEXT/HOW TO COMMENT: This proposal is still subject to change, and the council is asking for feedback. You can see the full “balancing package” here. The council starts reviewing it at 1 pm today; you can watch via Seattle Channel. Tomorrow (Tuesday, November 15th) at 5 pm, you can comment online or in person at the council’s final public hearing on the budget – the agenda explains how. Before/after that, you can comment via email at council@seattle.gov. The final vote on this two-year plan is planned the week after Thanksgiving.
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