President-elect Donald Trump (yes, it pains me to write that) has stated that in his first 100 days in office he will cancel all federal funding to “sanctuary cities” such as Seattle, where by ordinance city employees may not inquire into a person’s immigration status (except in specific law-enforcement circumstances). Yesterday Mayor Ed Murray held a press conference, in which he stated that Seattle will continue to be a sanctuary city, even if it loses federal funding. So how much is at stake?
Continue readingTag: budget
More details on new affordable housing proposal
The proposals to be discussed at tomorrow’s budget committee meeting have been posted now, and with that the details of Council member Herbold’s new proposal to spend an additional $29 million for affordable housing.
Continue readingCouncil got good news on the budget today
This morning the Council got an update on the revenue side of the budget, and the news was good.
Continue readingThis week: more budget!
There aren’t a lot of meetings this week, but they ought to be informative.
Continue readingCouncil members’ budget proposals: the notable and the nutty
In the first round of Council members’ budget proposals, they collectively submitted over one hundred items. Most of them are straightforward and, frankly, boring; such is the people’s business. But several proposals deserve more attention, because of either their size, their importance, their virtues, or their tendency to raise eyebrows. Keep in mind that none of these have actually been approved yet; they have merely been proposed. But they provide interesting insights into the Council members’ thinking. In no particular order:
Continue readingBudget discussion: first impressions
The Council has finished its first round of discussions on the budget. Time for some Monday-evening quarterbacking.
Continue readingThis week: more budget!
I hope you like budget discussions… and more budget discussions…
Continue readingUnderstanding the Budget, Part 4: The Police Department
You’d think the budget for a medium-large city’s police department would be complicated. Think again.
Continue readingThis week: budget and homeless encampments
Monday and Friday are the big days in Council Chambers this week.
Continue readingNews roundup: bags, budget, AirBnB
Seattle Times, KING5, and The Urbanist report on yesterday’s Council approval of a permanent extension to the city’s plastic bag ban and new rules on tinting compostable bags. MyNorthwest discusses the City Council’s approach to the Mayor’s budget proposal. Seattle Times covers the Council’s approval of a new pay band for the head of Seattle Public Utilities. Crosscut opines on the change of the city’s political tone to “Seattle nasty.” MyNorthwest reports on AirBnB’s new ad campaign as it fights back against possible regulation. State Scoop reports on Seattle CTO Michael Mattmiller’s comments at a conference on how government IT procurement needs …
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