For several years now, King County and the City of Seattle have been jointly working on a project to supplement the “combined water outflow” sewer and storm drain system that during large rainstorms can dump raw sewage into the Ship Canal. The project is required under a consent decree that …
Continue readingSPD Chief Adrian Diaz Appointment Packet
Mayor Harrell has nominated Interim SPD Chief Adrian Diaz as permanent Chief of Police, contingent upon confirmation by the Seattle City Council. Here is the appointment packet that the Mayor’s Office submitted for Diaz. And here is Diaz’s answers to questions submitted by Councilmembers. The Council will hold a hearing …
Continue readingState economic and revenue forecast update
The state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council has released its quarterly forecast update. Here’s the executive summary: I hope you found this article valuable. If you did, please take a moment to make a contribution to support my ongoing work. Thanks!
Continue readingCity of Seattle/KCRHA quarterly report on homeless response
The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department has submitted to the City Council its latest quarterly report on the joint activities of the city and the King County Regional Homeless Authority in responding to unsheltered homelessness in Seattle. The report details the number of referrals to shelter made by members …
Continue readingWashington State Fines and Fees
The National Center for Access to Justice at Fordham Law School has published a “fines and fees justice index” for each of the fifty states assessing the fairness and appropriateness of the fines and fees imposed by the criminal justice system. In the past I’ve written about the disparate impact …
Continue readingSeattle 2024 Comprehensive Plan EIS Scoping Report
Last month the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development released its “scoping report” for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) it must prepare in advance of the city’s 2024 update to its Comprehensive Plan. The scoping report lists the potential significant changes in the Plan (from the current version) that …
Continue readingState auditor review of how Seattle contracted for homeless services
Yesterday the Washington State Auditor’s office released a performance audit of contracted homeless services for four jurisdictions: the City of Seattle, the City of Spokane, Snohomish County, and Yakima County. The report make several pointed critiques of Seattle’s processes for contracting with and managing the performance of homeless service providers, …
Continue readingSeattle 2023 budget “balancing package”
Seattle City Council budget chair Teresa Mosqueda has unveiled her “balancing package” of amendments to Mayor Harrell’s proposed 2023 city budget. Her colleagues on the Council have until Wednesday to propose any further amendments, which will be discussed and voted on next week, with the final budget approval scheduled for …
Continue readingFinal City Council redistricting map
The Seattle Redistricting Commission has finished its work and given its final approval to new City Council district boundaries. I hope you found this article valuable. If you did, please take a moment to make a contribution to support my ongoing work. Thanks!
Continue readingCity of Seattle Revenue Forecast Update
Today the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts released its November update to its revenue forecast, which will provide final revenue numbers for the City Council’s 2023 budget. According to the forecast office, the 2023 General Fund total revenue forecast, according to their three economic scenarios: The …
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