This week in Council Chambers: August 9-13, 2021

The Council is squeezing in committee meetings before it breaks for its summer recess.  Here’s what’s up this week.

Monday’s Council Briefing includes a presentation from the Seattle Library on this year’s “Seattle Reads” selection, “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett.

Monday afternoon’s full City Council meeting is scheduled to include votes on:

  • a bill authorizing the city to lease a property in the University District from Sound Transit in order to temporarily site a tiny home village;
  • a bill lifting the “hazard pay” mandate for grocery workers;
  • a budget ordinance allocating the “Seattle Rescue Plan 2” funds;
  • lifting a proviso on $30 million of funding for the Equitable Communities Initiative;
  • approval of a $205 million interfund loan to cover advance spending of payroll tax revenues;
  • a permit for a tunnel under Thomas Street to the Climate Pledge Arena loading docks;
  • two bills acquiring additional parks properties;
  • an ordinance naming the new I-5 pedestrian/bike bridge at Northgate the “John Lewis Memorial Bridge”;
  • three bills related to Swedish Hospital construction projects;
  • a permit for an underground heat-energy-harvesting system in South Lake Union;
  • final approvals for two Amazon alley vacation applications;
  • a property-swap ordinance for Seattle City Light related to salmon conservation projects;
  • a resolution from Councilmember Sawant in support of a call from Black community leaders in the Central Area to reverse comes coercive property acquisitions from the 1960’s;
  • two resolutions related to creating a 15th Avenue East Business Improvement Area.

This week’s Introduction and Referral Calendar includes these new bills:

  • requests from the City Auditor and Seattle IT Department for extensions to required paperwork related to surveillance technologies in use by the city;
  • a long list of appointments to the Seattle Music Commission, the Human Rights Commission, and the Cultural Space Agency Public Development Authority Governing Council;
  • an ordinance establishing “alternative development standards” for small lots in Belltown;
  • two bills (here and here) related to the annual Comprehensive Plan update;
  • an update to the Husky Stadium Transportation Management Plan for UW football games and commencement.

Tuesday morning, the Public Safety and Human Services Committee meets. On the agenda:

  • a bill transferring parking enforcement officers out of SPD (though it’s apparently still not clear whether they are moving into SDOT or the new CSCC);
  • a recap of the recent Community Safety Capacity-building RFP;
  • SPD’s quarterly finance and staffing report.

Wednesday morning, the Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee meets. The agenda has not been published yet, but it is expected to include:

  • discussion of an update to the urban forestry management plan;
  • the previously-mentioned bill authorizing alternative construction methods on Belltown small lots;
  • a bill loosening use restrictions on storefronts downtown.

Wednesday afternoon, the Select Committee on Homelessness Strategies and Investments meets. The agenda has not been published, but committee chair Lewis has previous said that he wants to revisit some of the issues from the last meeting (including slow rollout of the Council’s homeless shelter investments), and to hold a panel with service providers to discuss providers’ capacity limits.

Thursday afternoon the Community Economic Development Committee meets. The agenda includes thirty appointments to various committees.


I hope you found this article valuable. If you did, please take a moment to make a contribution to support my ongoing work. Thanks!