Seattle just passed its budget, but officials still say the city wants new profits to fill investment gaps. Here are some ideas.
This post was originally published in KUOW’s Today So Far newsletter on October 30, 2022.
As the region faced snow, ice and rain yesterday, the Seattle City Council approved its biennial budget. For those who fall asleep, news about numbers and budgets arrives, this necessarily explains how the city will pay its expenses in 2023-24.
It’s a bit like when you’re looking for how to pay for your own expenses in Seattle each month: raise your income and then take into consideration your prices like rent, credit card expenses, food, gas, etc. about prioritizing based on what you’re paying. And just as the number of Seattleites these days think they’re going to pay rent first, and then maybe not pay anything like gas, food, credit cards (it’s funny because it’s extraordinarily sad), the town faces its own money deficits.
“We knew there was a possibility of slowdown, but specifically, there’s a $64 million minimum in the real estate excise tax,” council budget chair Teresa Moscada Mosqueda told KUOW’s Soundside. “This is an investment for projects that are critical to our city’s infrastructure, capital and transportation projects. “
Mosqueda says that means the council had to “realign” city cash so that certain projects already underway can continue, such as sidewalks, motorcycle lanes and traffic mitigation, as well as housing and food programs. He points out that the Council has also invested more budget in citizen security, for small businesses and for workers.
“I think it’s been a challenge, but overall, we’re going to see the preservation of the programs,” Moscada said. “. . . There are no austerity approaches to this, no layoffs. And we’re looking to do that in an effort to weather this storm, which got worse through Covid. Obviously, the economic scenario is not strong across the country, and in Seattle, our investments are to protect our vulnerable maximum, making an investment in small businesses and making investments in infrastructure. That will help us recover much faster. “
Another important takeaway from this all-around process: new taxes are coming. While talking to Soundside, Mosqueda reaffirmed everything he has advanced in recent weeks. New “progressive income” resources are being introduced to compensate for declining revenues elsewhere.
“This has to be on the books by 2025, and there’s a commitment from the council and the mayor to make sure it happens over the next year. “
The budget has its critics. Council member Kshama Sawant is them. Watch the full verbal exchange with Soundside here.
If you were to think about a new profit bureaucracy in Seattle, there are a few features the city might consider:
Over the past few months, I feel like I’ve said a lot, “We’re in a new phase of the pandemic. “Well. . . this is yet another sign that we are entering a new phase of the pandemic: Washington is removing its Covid resource website, coronavirus. wa. gov. This has been the state’s primary site for everything from trade data to vaccines. I don’t even link to it in this newsletter because today is the last day you’ll be online. It will be closed tomorrow.
However, the state Ministry of Health maintains its Covid websites, such as its Covid dashboard.
A snowplow activated when Seattle is ready for snow, Nov. 29, 2022. (Juan Chiquiza / KUOW)
You might know comedian Jo Koy from his Netflix specials (I think he’s up to 4 now), or you might know him because you went to school with him in West Washington at the time. Jo Koy was born Joseph Glenn Herbert and grew up in the area, attending Spanaway High School as well as Foss High School in Tacoma. His father in the Air Force, so given the proximity to McChord Air Force Base, it makes sense. Eventually, he moved to Las Vegas, and the rest is comedy history.
The Tacoma News Tribune reports the comedian visited Foss High School this week and donated $30,000 to the school’s scholarship program. His next exhibit will be at the Tacoma Dome on Dec. 10.
NPR to impose near-hiring freeze and layoffs as budget cuts loom
NPR will have to reduce by at least $10 million the existing fiscal year ending Sept. 30. a general freeze on hiring. The network will also particularly decrease optional discretionary finishing and non-essential travel. NPR’s desire to reduce up to $10 million stems from a sharp decline in projected sponsorship revenue: at least $20 million.
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