Mayor Katie Wilson proposes $9.1B Seattle budget with public safety boost, no new taxes

SEATTLE — Mayor Katie Wilson is proposing a two-year city budget that would put public safety at the center of Seattle’s spending plan, increase the Seattle Police Department’s budget by $68 million, and fund 1,250 police officer positions, all without asking for new taxes.

Wilson’s first proposed budget, unveiled as the city prepares to enter the 2027–28 biennium, calls for a $9.1 billion spending plan across all city funds in 2027, a 2.2% increase from 2026. The mayor’s office says the plan is designed to close a projected general fund gap while protecting core services and avoiding the cycle of annual budget shortfalls that has followed the pandemic.

“I have made the difficult decision to transmit a budget without major new revenue,” Wilson said in an afternoon speech. “Right now, we don’t have good options to raise more progressive revenue that don’t also come with great risks. Our economy and especially our downtown are fragile. In that context, raising additional revenue through JumpStart is not the right move.”

SEE ALSO | Mayor Wilson wants CARE to lead Seattle gun violence response with community partners

Public safety would receive the largest percentage increase among the city’s service areas under the proposal, rising 13% to about $1.135 billion. The general fund would direct 53% of its roughly $2 billion in spending toward public safety.

The proposed Seattle Police Department budget is $556 million, a net increase of $68 million. It would provide funding for 1,250 officer positions, which budget officials described as 66 more positions than the current funded level. Wilson’s office says SPD has roughly 3,000 applicants in its hiring pipeline.

The proposal also includes $346 million for the Seattle Fire Department, $72.6 million for the city’s CARE Department and $14.8 million to continue funding for police-accountability offices.

The administration is proposing the spending increases against a challenging financial outlook. Seattle had been projecting a $175 million general-fund deficit in 2027 and a $150 million gap in 2028, according to the budget briefing. The City’s budget office said the proposal balances the 2027 budget and projects a $15.1 million surplus in 2028, followed by smaller surpluses in 2029 and 2030. The plan relies on a combination of spending reductions, transfers, and higher-than-expected revenue, rather than new taxes.

Among the strategies outlined in the briefing:

$90 million in spending reductions and transfersEliminating long-term vacant positions and scaling back planned program expansions that have not been implemented;A one-time $65 million transfer from the 2026 Office of Housing budget to support 2027–28 investments;Higher revenue forecasts, including a $58 million increase in expected JumpStart payroll-tax revenue;Continued use of JumpStart revenue to support homeless services and housing investments.

The mayor’s office said the proposal would reduce 128 full-time-equivalent positions citywide, but 113 of those positions are vacant. Fifteen filled positions would be eliminated. The budget also adds positions in other areas, for a net increase in city staffing.

Several departments would see reductions, including the Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts, the Office of Sustainability and Environment, Seattle’s planning and community-development functions, Human Services, Emergency Management, the Office of Inspector General and the Fire Department’s overtime budget.

Wilson’s proposal reserves $500 million for affordable housing, renters and homelessness services. That includes preserving $140 million in JumpStart funding for the Office of Housing and spending $183.5 million on homelessness response.

The administration said it aims to add 1,000 shelter units by the end of 2027 and maintain 1,750 units annually. The proposed budget also includes $57 million for food security and access, $185 million for youth programs, and money for two new public restrooms, one at Cheryl Chow Park in Rainier Valley and another in northwest Seattle.

Wilson also said her budget will also not dip into the city’s reserves. “(I’m) not touching this city’s reserves. We live in Seattle. There is always rain in the forecast,” she said in a speech.

The proposal gives the City Council a different choice from a budget debate centered on new revenue and whether it believes the mayor’s mix of cuts, transfers and existing tax revenue is enough to meet Seattle’s public-safety and human services needs while keeping the city on stable financial footing.

Councilmembers will now review, amend and ultimately adopt the first year of the 2027–28 budget. Multiple public hearings will be held by the Council in the days ahead. They will endorse a second-year spending plan that can be revisited next year.