SEATTLE \u2014 Mayor Katie Wilson is proposing a two-year city budget that would put public safety at the center of Seattle\u2019s spending plan, increase the Seattle Police Department\u2019s budget by $68 million, and fund 1,250 police officer positions, all without asking for new taxes.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Wilson\u2019s first proposed budget, unveiled as the city prepares to enter the 2027\u201328 biennium, calls for a $9.1 billion spending plan across all city funds in 2027, a 2.2% increase from 2026. The mayor\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
SEE ALSO | Mayor Wilson wants CARE to lead Seattle gun violence response with community partners<\/a><\/p>\n Public safety would receive the largest percentage increase among the city\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The proposal also includes $346 million for the Seattle Fire Department, $72.6 million for the city\u2019s CARE Department and $14.8 million to continue funding for police-accountability offices.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Among the strategies outlined in the briefing:<\/p>\n $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\u201328 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.<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Several departments would see reductions, including the Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts, the Office of Sustainability and Environment, Seattle\u2019s planning and community-development functions, Human Services, Emergency Management, the Office of Inspector General and the Fire Department\u2019s overtime budget.<\/p>\n Wilson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Wilson also said her budget will 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.<\/p>\n The proposal gives the City Council a different choice from a budget debate centered on new revenue and whether it believes the mayor\u2019s mix of cuts, transfers and existing tax revenue is enough to meet Seattle\u2019s public-safety and human services needs while keeping the city on stable financial footing.<\/p>\n Initial feedback to the proposal was mixed. Elle Cree, who works with the homeless outreach group called “Stone Soup Crew” on Capitol Hill, criticized the Mayor’s priorities. “We do not need more enforcement. We need more services,” said Cree. “60 additional officers represent over a million dollars a year in salary”.<\/p>\n The Wilson proposal comes on the heels of concerns raised by Former Washington Governor Christine Gregoire and the business community<\/a> about how new taxes, or an extension of the Jumpstart Payroll Tax, could slow the region’s growth potential. An Amazon spokesperson told KOMO News, “We appreciate Mayor Wilson putting forward a budget that focuses on making use of existing resources. Like Mayor Wilson, we believe the city\u2019s priority should be making sure those resources are used effectively and deliver results for residents.”<\/p>\n