It’s the last week before the City Council takes its winter recess for the last two weeks of December. The week is bookended with full Council meetings: one on Monday to vote on items from the last few weeks, and one on Friday to vote on urgent items passed out of committee this week. And since five committees meet this week, there should be plenty to vote on.
Monday morning’s Council Briefing will feature a presentation on the city’s Winter Weather Communication and Preparedness Plan.
Monday afternoon’s full Council meeting has several items of note, including:
- The final vote on the ordinance capping move-in fees and requiring landlords to offer an installment plan for paying those fees. The ordinance will pass; the controversy will be over whether to amend it to exempt landlords renting out part of their primary residence. Expect a protracted public comment session because of this bill.
- Two alley vacation petitions.
- An ordinance updating street-use rules in support of the Play Street program.
- A resolution condemning hate speech and acts of hate following last month’s election.
This week’s Introduction and Referral Calendar contains a few interesting items:
- The 2016 budget Q4 supplemental ordinance;
- An update to the “first in time” rental ordinance, exempting ADUs and DADU’s (i.e. “mother in law apartments” and “backyard cottages”) from the ordinance.
- An ordinance granting the City of Kenmore permission to build a recreational trail along the Tolt Pipeline right of way.
- An ordinance authorizing the acquisition of the Kiwanis Ravine open space;
- Appointments to the Seattle Commission for People with Disabilities, the Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board, the Seattle Women’s Commission, the Seattle City Light Review Panel, the Seattle Indian Services Commission, and the Seattle Public Library Board of Trustees.
Tuesday morning, the Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and Arts Committee meets. It will consider several appointments to the Seattle Music Commission, the Seattle Human Rights Commission, the aforementioned Seattle Commission for People with Disabilities, and the Seattle Women’s Commission. It will also take up confirmation of Dylan Orr as Director of the Office of Labor Standards, and a handful of property acquisition and disposal issues. Finally it will hear a presentation on the upcoming financial audit of Seattle Public Utilities.
Tuesday afternoon, the Energy and Environment Committee meets. It will consider several appointments to the Seattle City Light Review Panel; an ordinance authorizing Seattle City Light’s support for a worker training program run by the Kalispel Tribe; and some surplus property disposal issues.
Wednesday morning, the Gender Equity, Safe Communities, and New Americans Committee meets. The agenda for the meeting has not been released; the early word is that the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs will give a presentation on their Citizenship Workshops.
Wednesday afternoon, the Human Services and Public Health Committee meets. The agenda has not been published yet, but Council member Bagshaw has previously stated that this meeting will be the first of several discussions of the Mayor’s interim plan on addressing the homelessness crisis, with a briefing on the three new sanctioned encampments.
Thursday morning, the Parks, Seattle Center, Libraries and Waterfront Committee meets. The agenda has not been published yet, but the meeting is expected to include a briefing on the Parks Department’s plan for off-leash areas.