Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell this week delivered his proposed 2025-26 budget to the Seattle City Council. Given the depleted state of city finances (a $250 million deficit), it was a budget that offered little in the way of innovation.
During his hour-long budget presentation, the mayor looked grim but determined. It wasn’t a celebratory package. On the contrary, his budget contemplates 159 layoffs at the city, a minimal housing commitment, and dedication to the business-friendly “no new taxes” mantra. Instead, the mayor figured on balancing the budget by taking $287 million from Jump Start tax receipts.
Harrell went big on his self-styled “One Seattle Plan” mentioning the concept half a dozen times and even speaking about a “One Seattle approach.” The mayor’s modus operandi includes some $100 million in new spending, a good deal of it focused on getting Seattle in shape for the 2026 World Cup. Among the specifics is Harrell’s planned revitalization of Westlake Plaza, beefed up police and firefighting forces and the addition of 11 new employees to his United Care Team (UCT), able to clean up encampments seven days a week. He did reserve 10 percent of the Jump Start windfall (some $43 million) for a reserve fund, a cushion for 2026.
Harrell’s budget also called for some major cuts, including to the city’s award-winning Seattle Channel. He projected losing such stalwarts as Seattle “Inside/Out” Host Brian Cullanan and Producer Susan Hahn as well as cutting Nancy Guppy of “Art Zone.” It’s apparent that communication with the public isn’t a priority for His Honor.
The proposed budget with its cuts and additions — with its so-called “holistic” solutions — now goes to the Seattle City Council which will be spending the next two months on the details. How much the councilmembers will approve the mayor’s proposals is an open question. Although they’re nominally in charge of passing the city budget, major city obligations like public safety have already been decided by contracts and union agreements.
As always, the public will have several opportunities to have a say. Already progressive and labor groups are voicing criticism of Jump Start tax receipts flowing into the city’s general fund rather than into affordable housing and environment-friendly programs. Those critics will be advocating for the city to instead raise new city revenue from large corporations.
Nevertheless, odds are good that, when November comes, the new councilmembers endorsed by Harrell will do the “One Seattle” dance and mostly okay his proposed budget. Particularly tempting to those councilmembers is a modest slice of money that Harrell had the foresight not to program. That means there are a few bucks councilmembers can devote to their own pet projects. In shaky times, that’s what’s known as a win-win budget.
