curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
On Tuesday, Sept. 27, Mayor Bruce Harrell revealed his proposed budget for the City of Seattle. Focal points include "using JumpStart payroll tax revenues to shore up spending for non-JumpStart programs, move the City's parking enforcement officers back into the Seattle Police Department (SPD) from the Department of Transportation (SDOT), and provide pay increases to homeless service providers well below the rate of inflation," according to PubliCola reporting, republished by the Emerald.
The $95 million Harrell is proposing to use from JumpStart to fund budget shortfalls in the general fund is likely to cause controversy with Seattle City Council, as JumpStart was originally earmarked for housing, Green New Deal programs, and equitable development. The Emerald recently covered Teresa Mosqueda's JumpStart Self-Determination Fund, which would use the progressive payroll tax to support community-based organizations and their efforts to combat displacement, gentrification, and housing insecurity; it would be one example of a JumpStart proposal in line with its original intents.
The budget proposal also includes $1 million for ShotSpotter, a controversial microphone surveillance system, to be installed throughout Rainier Beach.
"A study of its use in Chicago concluded that it rarely resulted in the detection of actual gun violence, and could lead to preemptive police stops and searches in Communities of Color; last year, that city was forced to withdraw evidence based on ShotSpotter data from a murder case because the information was deemed unreliable," reports PubliCola. "According to the ACLU, acoustic gunfire detection systems often send police into Communities of Color based on false alarms, increasing the likelihood of conflicts between cops keyed up for a dangerous confrontation and innocent people in those communities."
The proposed budget now goes to the Seattle City Council to debate and amend. Written public comment will also be accepted at all meetings of the Budget Committee. Comments intended for the full Council can be sent to council@seattle.gov. There will be three hybrid public hearings at City Hall regarding the budget this year that will occur on:
King County's Biennial Budget — which totals nearly $12.4 million — establishes the County's spending priorities from January 2023 through the end of 2024. King County Executive Dow Constantine will transfer the proposed budget to the King County Council at the end of the month, when Council will debate over, amend, and eventually adopt the budget before the end of the year. A timeline is as follows:
The proposed budget takes into account the current COVID-19 budget shortfall, which has created significant gaps in funds for Metro Transit, the General Fund, and the Mental Illness and Drug Dependency Fund. King County's website states that the budget focuses on "critical priorities such as the environment, and advancing the County's anti-racism agenda, including intentional and meaningful community engagement."The budget proposal also ties in with the County's 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update, which guides its long-range vision for the next 10 years, especially around its three focus areas of Climate Change & Environment, Housing, and Access & Equity. Similarly, the Subarea Plans guide long-range development for specific communities, including parts of unincorporated King County, that will eventually become part of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan.
Renton Municipal Arts Commission is accepting grant applications from individuals, organizations, and community groups to fund programming such as art exhibits, concerts, dance performances, festivals, workshops, readings, and theater productions. Grants of up to $10,000 are awarded four times annually, and applicants are eligible for one grant per calendar year.
The application for this round of funding is online. Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2022. Projects and events scheduled between January and March 2023 are given priority.
Two Q&A sessions will take place on Monday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 7 p.m., and Friday, Oct. 7, from 3 to 4 p.m. at Renton History Museum.
Application deadlines in 2023 are Feb. 3, April 21, and July 21. Apply on its website.
Questions concerning the application process may be directed to Jessie Kotarski, the City of Renton's economic development manager, at 425-430-7271 or arts@rentonwa.gov.
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The South Seattle Emerald™ is brought to you by Rainmakers. Rainmakers give recurring gifts at any amount. With around 1,000 Rainmakers, the Emerald™ is truly community-driven local media. Help us keep BIPOC-led media free and accessible.
If just half of our readers signed up to give $6 a month, we wouldn’t have to fundraise for the rest of the year. Small amounts make a difference.
We cannot do this work without you. Become a Rainmaker today!