City of Seattle Seattle City Council

SEATTLE'S 2005-2006 BIENNIAL BUDGET:
COUNCIL SEEKS TO RESTORE CITIZEN ACCESS TO CITY SERVICES

SEATTLE-Three weeks before Seattle City Councilmembers are slated to approve the 2005-2006 city biennial budget, they face million-dollar gaps centered on citizen access to city services-especially for poor and low-income families. The City Council now confronts the difficult task of filling those gaps while delivering a balanced budget before December.

The Mayor's proposed budget reflected a successful effort to overcome about a $20-million budget shortfall. Since he presented his budget, an additional $2-million in unfunded inescapable costs has opened another hole and left the Council with the task of filling it. This gap widens when added to the costs of restoring access to city services for poor, low-income families, the homebound and disabled, and youth. The challenge the Council now faces is finding the money.

Among the changes in the Mayor's budget the Council is considering are:

• Restoration of the Bookmobile;
• Scrapping the plan to charge parking fees in City Parks and first-time entrance fees in Volunteer Park's Conservatory;
• Continuation of the Park's Late Night Recreation Program for youths;
• Restoration of a Human Services Department program that helps people access social services as well as technical assistance;
• Policy advocacy for the poor.

"We vowed early on to a commitment to a humanitarian and fiscally responsible budget that puts people first. That commitment means we must find ways to preserve access to the City's amenities for all of its citizens. The public has overwhelmingly informed us, in a widely inclusive Public Hearing process, that that is their first priority. It's clear the budget we deliver by the first of December must address the human costs. We now seek to do that, even though the task is daunting because of limited funds."     --The Seattle City Council

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City Council

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