On Monday, November 25, the Council adopted the 2014 Seattle budget. The budget includes a number of Council initiatives, in public safety, human services, and developing the new universal pre-school program. I was able to secure funding for a number of important projects, and was happy to join in the unanimous vote to approve the […]

Starting a restaurant is one of the most frequent ways that people launch a small business career. It’s especially common in immigrant communities, where it is often the first way newcomers can establish themselves, serving their fellow community members and bringing new variety to the City’s food scene. Yet getting permits for a restaurant is […]

The Council is moving into our two month process of reviewing and formally adopting the 2014 Seattle budget. The City budget is in good shape, thanks to careful budgeting during the last several difficult years. As we come out of the recession, there is more money to spend, and the Mayor has proposed a number […]

On Monday, July 15, the Council passed an ordinance authorizing spending on new transportation projects, using savings from the Spokane Street Viaduct project. The new legislation accepts Mayor McGinn’s proposals for bike infrastructure ($3.6 million), the Neighborhood Street Fund ($1 million), retaining wall repairs ($700K), and work on transit oriented development ($250K). The Council revisions […]

On Monday, June 10, the Council unanimously approved the First Quarter Supplemental to the 2013 Budget. As the title suggests, we amend the approved budget four times during the year, to correct errors, add expenditures for priorities that have emerged since the budget was approved, and/or make cuts if revenues are coming in below target. […]

On Monday, November 19, the City Council unanimously adopted the 2013 City of Seattle budget, and endorsed the 2014 budget (the City prepares budgets on a two-year cycle, but the legal ‘adoption’ of the budget has to be done annually, so the 2014 budget will be reviewed, amended, and finally adopted in November of 2013.) […]

On Monday, September 24, Mayor McGinn submitted his 2013-2014 budget proposal to the Council, and the Council will spend the next two months reviewing and modifying it.  We are legally required to adopt a budget for 2013 by December 1.  Under the two-year budget cycle, we also “endorse” a budget for 2014, which will go […]

The City Council is considering whether it should approve public financing to support the construction of a new arena south of Safeco Field.  It appears likely that constructing a new arena to bring an NBA basketball team to Seattle can be done without City participation.  The land is zoned to permit its construction, and the […]

Seattle property owners will actually fund about $15 million of the City’s proposed $120 million investment in the proposed basketball/hockey arena to be developed south of Safeco Field, even though publicity for the project has suggested that repayment of this investment will come entirely from revenues associated with the arena, not taxpayers, and, further, that […]

Washington has a unique business tax system:  businesses are taxed on their gross income (Business and Occupation Tax – B&O Tax), rather than their profits.  There’s a statewide B&O Tax, and some 40 cities have local B&O Taxes.  And there are three different ways that cities can charge this tax:  on gross receipts (like the […]