NEWS GLEAMS | Seattle City Council Offers Proposed Budget Amendments; Call for Murals in South Seattle

A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Seattle City Council Offers Proposed Budget Amendments; Will Vote on Nov. 21

Budget Overview

On Sept. 26, Mayor Bruce Harrell revealed his 2023—2024 Proposed Mid-Biennial Budget Adjustments, which continues to place focus on the City's One Seattle comprehensive plan priorities. One Seattle focuses in large part on activating the downtown core, creating housing, increasing walkability, and combating displacement challenges.

Since that date, the proposed budget has been in the hands of the Seattle City Council, which has been hearing public comment and making adjustments. On Oct. 27, members of City Council went through all the proposed budget amendments one by one over the course of nearly six hours. The conversation has been divided into Part 1 and Part 2, viewable in its entirety on the Seattle Channel.

Nearly the first hour and a half were reserved for public comment. Topics that were discussed included budgets around labor, housing services, policing, health services, substance use treatment, infrastructure, the arts, and uses for the JumpStart payroll expense tax. With all of these amendments in consideration, Seattle City Council will vote on the final budget on Nov. 21.

Previously, Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, chair of the Select Budget Committee, had said Seattle City Council will prioritize three tenets: accountability, to provide greater transparency in the budget forecast and increase community engagement; sustainability, to address concerns about new proposals and initiatives when core City services that have been underfunded need to be prioritized; and equity, to ensure that critical investments in affordable housing, residential services, climate resilience, and wage equity are made.

Understanding the City Budget

To help Seattle residents better understand the City budget, City Council has created a new tool called the Seattle Budget Dashboard to make a more transparent and easy-to-understand process. A video tutorial provides a walk-through of the tool.

Participating in the Budget Process

There are multiple ways for Seattle residents to participate in the budget process and offer their feedback. They can:

• Understand the proposed budget: Read more about the mayor's proposed budget and send all questions directed at the mayor's team to MOS_Comms@Seattle.gov.
• Attend public hearings on the budget: The last public hearing is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. Residents can participate remotely or in person, and they can sign up for public comments two hours before the public meeting. All who sign up to speak will have the opportunity to do so.
• Send in written feedback: Written feedback about the budget can be offered at any time. Locate your councilmember here, or email all nine councilmembers at Council@Seattle.gov.

Call for Murals in the Chinatown-International District and Beacon Hill

A number of locations around South Seattle have opened a request for qualifications (RFQ) — or a call for artists to create murals. For all projects, artists over the age of 18, especially BIPOC artists, with personal ties to the related neighborhood are preferred. Artist teams may also apply. All must demonstrate an ability to work within a strict project timeline; they will also be asked to submit a budget that includes artist fees, travel costs, arts supplies, and rental equipment.

The Chinatown-International District

The Chinatown-International District (CID) Small Business Relief Team (SBRT) is a joint collaboration between the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA), Friends of Little S i Gn (FLS), and the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda). Their work is centered around COVID-19 mitigation and recovery, and they are seeking muralists for each of the following locations:

• Saeteun's Garage building: 710 S. Jackson St. (West & East Wall)
• Little Saigon Park: 1224 S. King St.
• Asia Condominiums: 668 S. Lane St. (North Wall)

Each mural location was chosen based on high levels of community interest, visibility, and proximity to gathering spaces.

The RFP and details about each wall can be seen on the SCIDpda website; the deadline for submitting the RFP is 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023.

Beacon Hill

SCIDpda is also seeking a mural artist for Beacon Pacific Village, a mixed-used affordable housing development located in North Seattle. The site is located in the north lot of the historic Pacific Hospital Campus. The development will be broken up into two phases, and the first phase will be completed by August 2024. According to a listing on SCIDpda, features of the development will include:

• 160 units of affordable, family-sized housing (20% of which will be 3- or 4-bedroom units).
• A Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) that will be owned and operated by International Community Health Services (ICHS).
• The Jose Marti Child Development Center, which will be leased and operated by El Centro de la Raza.

Suggested themes for the mural are history, family, community, healing, belonging, inclusion, journey, and intergenerational.

The RFP and details about each wall can be seen on the SCIDpda website; the deadline for submitting the RFP is 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023.

Department of Health Says COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines Are Safe to Get in Tandem

As the South Seattle Emerald reported in September 2023, updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters are now available. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is also alerting residents that it is perfectly safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine simultaneously.

DOH recommendations for the new 2023—2024 mRNA COVID-19 vaccines include:

• Any unvaccinated individual with a weakened immune system is recommended to receive at least three doses of the 2023—2024 Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or two doses of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in order to be up to date.
• Any vaccinated individual with a weakened immune system is recommended to receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine booster.
• Children 6 months to 4 years old who are unvaccinated are recommended to receive three doses of the updated mRNA Pfizer or two doses of the updated mRNA Moderna.
• Children 6 months to 4 years old who were previously vaccinated are recommended to receive one or two doses of an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (timing and number of doses to administer depends on the previous COVID-19 vaccine received).
• Anyone 5 years and older regardless of previous vaccination is recommended to receive one dose of an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least two months since the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine.

Those who wish to find a vaccine location can easily use the Washington State Department of Health's Vaccine Locator and see all options near them.

King County still tracks ongoing COVID-19 metrics through the Public Health — Seattle & King County dashboard.

📸 Featured Image: Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, chair of the Select Budget Committee, calls the Friday, Oct. 27, meeting to order. Screenshot from the Seattle Channel.

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