Select Budget Committee Public Hearing Session I 11/6/25

Good afternoon.

The Select Budget Committee meeting will come to order.

It is 1.03 p.m.

I'm Dan Strauss, chair of the committee.

Council Member Juarez is excused.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Salomon.

Here.

Council Member Hollingsworth.

Present.

Council Member Kettle.

Here.

Council President Nelson.

Council Member Rink.

Council Member Diabetta.

Present.

Council Member Sacca.

Here.

And Chair Strauss.

Present.

Six present.

Thank you.

On today's agenda, we have the public, two public hearings, one for Council Bill 121092, which transfers administration of major institutions and schools program within city departments, as well as on the overall city council, or the city budget.

If there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted.

Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted.

For folks who have signed up for the public comment period, it's my understanding that a mistake occurred that is being fixed right now.

And so the information that was sent in the original confirmation email was incorrect.

You should have received an additional email in the last five minutes with the correct call-in information.

I'm seeing that that has worked because we're now having more people showing as present than as not present.

please check your email right now.

You will have updated information in how to call in.

And I'm gonna give a little bit of stalling right now, explain how things are gonna work today.

And then we'll come back to making sure everyone is as present as possible.

This public hearing will follow a similar format to the previous budget public hearing on October 7th.

We'll have first the major institutions public hearing, and then we will close that and we will open the public hearing on the budget.

So anyone can sign up between now and 3 p.m.

Registration for the virtual public comment will end at three and we will continue meeting until we have gotten through everyone.

In the four o'clock hour, we'll take a recess and then at 5 p.m.

we will begin with in-person public comment.

If there's still virtual public comment for us to take, we will be switching back and forth and we'll address that at that time.

So if commenters who have called in are still waiting to speak at five, we will alternate between remote and in-person public commenters starting at 5 p.m.

Regardless, If you are remote or in person, you will receive a minute and a half, 90 seconds.

and when 10 seconds are left, you will hear a chime.

So during our in-person public comment period, if you are part of a group of three or more, you will get four and a half minutes, which equals the same number, same amount of time as for three, so groups, sorry, groups of three or more will receive four and a half minutes, but that's just for the in-person.

If you're able to figure it out online, It might create some havoc, but we'll make sure to do our best to meet your needs.

You are only able to provide public comment in either virtual or in person, not in both.

You are able to be part of a group or as an individual, but not both.

You cannot join multiple groups.

Those are the guidelines.

We're gonna be here until we are done.

So for the people attending in person tonight, you can receive a reduced parking rate of $8 at the Sea Park garage starting at 4.30 p.m.

With that, we are going to move right into public comment.

I'm going to first read the names of people who are not, well actually, For those who've registered, please again go check your emails.

We're gonna first open up with the major institutions public hearing.

We'll close that and then we'll move on to the budget public hearing.

So with that I see, will the clerk please read item number one into the record?

Agenda Item 1, Council Bill 121092 relating to the administration of the major institutions and school programs transferring administration of major institutions and school programs from the Department of Neighborhoods to the Office of Planning and Community Development for public hearing.

Thank you.

We now have the public hearing on Council Bill 121092 open.

I see, clerk, that we have two speakers signed up and I'm seeing confirmation of that.

Each speaker will receive 90 seconds, a minute and a half.

10 seconds remaining, you'll hear a chime.

With that, we have Colleen McClure and then Darrell Bivens.

Colleen, I see you are here, star six to unmute.

Colleen.

Would you also like to, I see Colleen's off mute.

Good afternoon, Colleen.

Good afternoon, City Council.

Colleen McAleer, we're giving public comment on the major institution transfer from department neighborhoods over to Office of Planning and Development.

We have 2,400 residents in our neighborhood and our community borders two of the city's major institutions.

both University of Washington and Children's Hospital.

And we have been directly impacted with their multiple expansions and have always worked at a great compromise.

While the budget funding changes it to a net zero, there's concern that the movement over to OPCD creates a new source of revenue for them so they can take in fees from the institutions.

And we're a little concerned that it may be creating a potential conflict of interest between their interests and the neighbors' interests who do not pay fees.

The intent of the original administration under the Department of Neighborhoods states that to permit appropriate institutional growth within the boundaries while minimizing the adverse impacts associated with development and balance a major institution's ability to change and the public benefit derived from that needs to protect also the livability and viability of the adjacent neighborhoods.

So for the record, we wanna be sure that the intent of this transfer continues to balance institutional growth with the existing neighborhoods viability and livability.

And we ask that this intent be included in the council's discussions and the vote today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Colleen.

Up next is Mr. Biven, Daryl Bivens.

Daryl, I see you're here, star six to unmute.

I see you're off mute.

Hello, yes, thank you.

Yes, hi, thank you all.

Today, I will keep my statement brief here.

I'm just hearing representation of Table 100, which is a nonprofit organization that provides a lot of support to small businesses and through support that we have through funding sources like what's being put on today.

Hang on, Daryl?

Daryl?

Daryl?

Yeah, go ahead.

We're gonna pause real quick.

Are you here testifying about transferring major institutions from Department of Neighborhoods to Office of Planning and Community Development?

No, not for that at all.

Hang tight, we're gonna come back to you.

We'll come back to you in just a few minutes.

It'll be a little bit, because you are a little ways down the list.

Sorry.

That's fine, yeah.

Thank you.

Clerk, can you confirm, are there any other public comment registrants present for the major institution's public hearing?

Not at this moment.

Okay, so then we are going to close the public, we're gonna, leave this public hearing open, but transfer to the next item on the agenda.

Clerk, will you read the second item into the agenda?

Public hearing on the 2026 proposed budget.

Thank you.

We are moving now into the virtual public comment period on the city budget.

And I'm doing some quick math here.

We have 62 people signed up.

which means that we have about an hour and a half of public comment.

So with that, I see most people have called in.

Again, you will have received an additional email since 1 p.m., so in the last 12 minutes, I'm gonna, I see more people are calling in right now.

Alexandra Johnson, you're not present.

I'm gonna read the name of the people who are not present and then we'll start at the top and run through with our beautiful public hearing for today.

So Alexandra Johnson, not present.

Brandi Osborne, Kirk Robbins, Justin Montavalo, Lisa Carl, Tina Varelli, Nafiso Samatar, Tayeb Muhammad, Rani Kotha, Esther Lucero, Ollie Garrett, Donald Cameron, Joe Malloy, Michael Vershout, Shirley Ling, Stu Hennessy, Suzanne Grant, Alberto Alvarez, David Haynes, If you heard your name called, please check your email for an updated call-in number.

With that, we are gonna run through this list and hear from everyone.

We're gonna start with the order in which you registered.

I will now read the first 10 names and we'll start cycling through there.

So we are gonna start with Mackenzie Liu, Stephanie Sismet, Ryan McKinster, Logan Schmidt, Alexander Johnson is not present, Gabriel Newman, Celestine Berrysmith, Janice Degucci, Acacia Pottschmidt.

Those are the first 10. Alice Lockhart, you're right behind.

Mackenzie, I see you're here.

You're already off mute.

Thank you for being prompt.

Welcome to the public hearing.

Over to you.

Hello, my name is Mackenzie Liu.

I'm an elect legal assistant at the Housing Justice Project.

I urge the council to fully reinstate all of the funding for tenant services by adding at least $500,000 to what is proposed in the chair's balancing package.

This is the bare minimum of what is needed to prevent further collapse of services.

The 2024 level alone does not provide the capacity needed to meet current demand, and I encourage doubling this funding in the future.

I also support allocating $4 million for rental assistance.

I work with tenants who need legal defense in their eviction cases.

The filings of eviction cases have doubled over this year.

Our office in Seattle sees anywhere from 10 to 20 tenants a day, many who are the most vulnerable to eviction, families, DV survivors, disabled, elderly, and people who do not speak English.

Without a lawyer it is extremely easy to lose a court case for eviction and even automatically many people who I talk to do not know they have lost until they come to our door.

Those are the hardest situations I encounter and we see at least one person like that per day.

The strongest prevention of this is to fund tenant services and rent assistance.

Without services, people are quickly evicted and families are displaced.

Please fully restore tenant services funding so organizations like HJP, Solid Ground, and Tenant Law Center can continue to support renters and prevent displacement and homelessness.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mackenzie.

Up next is Stephanie Sismet followed by Ryan McKinster.

Stephanie, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, members of the council.

My name is Stephanie Sisma, and I am the assistant director of the community dining program at Sound Generations, a member of the Meals Partnership Coalition.

I am here to speak today in favor of additional funding for meal programs.

I want to thank Mayor Harrell for funding additional investments in meal programs in his budget.

I also want to thank Council Members Hollingsworth, Saka and Rink for championing additional investments in senior meal programs.

Community Dining provides fresh, nutritious and culturally relevant meals to older adults while socializing with others.

We are experiencing a high client demand for meals while also battling budget shortfalls and rising costs of food and supplies.

This funding would help our senior nutrition program meet the current demand of meals, avoiding reduction in meal service days, or limiting daily attendance.

For example, a community-based organization serving one or two days a week could face potential shutdown for the rest of the year, seizing access to nutritious meals for already marginalized clients.

If this funding is not expanded in 2026, this could jeopardize our ability to meet the nutritional needs of older adults.

I urge the full council to ensure that these modest investments in meal programs are included in the final budget.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Stephanie.

Up next is Ryan followed by Logan Schmidt.

Ryan, you're already off mute.

Take it away.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Chair Strauss and council members.

Ryan McKinster on behalf of Habitat for Humanity, Seattle, King and Kittitas counties.

Thank you for maintaining your commitment to affordable home ownership funding during a very challenging and difficult budget year.

Thank you also for including a long-range planning position.

We also ask that you consider adding a permit expediting role at SDCI.

These investments help us to get homes built faster and get people into those homes.

Here's what you're supporting.

The Shell is a Metro bus driver with two kids who was previously living in a subsidized housing in Delridge.

She was sharing a bedroom with her daughter so her son could have privacy.

Thanks to your past funding, she's now living in a Habitat home in Highland Terrace Right on her bus route.

Her kids have stayed in their schools and for the first time they have stability in their own rooms.

Or take Donovan and Crystal in West Seattle.

He works at a Seattle museum.

She's a pet sitter.

Donovan has said when asked, Habitat is giving us a chance to stay in our community and become homeowners.

The best opportunity I could have ever imagined.

These are the people who keep Seattle running.

Bus drivers, museum workers, pet sitters.

Finally able to build equity and stay in their communities.

We appreciate your support, especially given the budget pressures you're facing.

At the same time, we want to acknowledge that JumpStart funds were designed specifically for housing.

As our city looks ahead, we hope to see those resources return more fully to their original purpose, creating affordable, safe, and equity building homes Seattle and its constituents need.

Thank you for partnership.

Thank you, Ryan.

Up next is Logan Schmidt, followed by Alexandra Johnson.

But Alexandra, you are not present.

Check your email for an updated email after 1 p.m., followed by Gabriel Newman, Celestine Berry-Smith.

Logan, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

I see you're off mute.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Chair Strauss and Councilmembers.

My name is Logan Schmidt, and I'm here on behalf of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.

As Seattle plans for its future under the One Seattle Plan, it's critical to this budget to invest in the staff and tools needed to deliver on the City's housing goals.

The comprehensive plan sets an ambitious vision for housing supply.

That vision can't be achieved without the adequate planning capacity and timely permitting.

That's why we urge you to support key budget amendments that will strengthen our housing and permitting systems.

These include OPCD-001-D1 to restore funding for the long-range planner at OPCD, and two key SDCI amendments, one to invest in AI permitting improvements and the other to fund a new strategic advisor focused on permit expediting.

These are modest but high-impact investments that will help Seattle meet its housing targets, improve permitting timelines, and deliver the homes our community urgently needs.

Thank you for your leadership.

Thank you, Logan.

Up next is Alexandra.

Alexandra, you're not present.

When you become present, we'll come back to you.

Following that, we have Gabriel Newman followed by Celestine Barry Smith.

Gabriel, I see you're here.

You're already off mute.

Welcome, my friend.

Take it away.

Hello, good afternoon Seattle City Council.

Thank you so much for taking the time to work with your constituents to create a 2026 budget that meets the needs of everyone.

I'm reaching out on behalf of GSBA, Washington's LGBTQ and Allied Chamber of Commerce to highlight and encourage your support for a few budget items that impact our members.

The first is Councilmember Saka's statement of legislative intent requesting the Mayor's Office to lead a policy review on unpermitted food and merchandise spending.

This is a major concern for our members, and we appreciate the opportunity to come together to work on a mutual solution.

The second is Councilmember Strauss's request for additional $300,000 in OAD funding to support cleaning services in Ballard and Capitol Hill, which would bring $200,000 to Capitol Hill High Pine area, providing much needed services in one of our city's dentists retail areas.

The third is Councilmember Hollingsworth's request for $50,000 in OAD funding to continue the support of the BIA effort in Capitol Hill.

Fourth is Hollingsworth's request for $250,000 in Human Services Department to increase support services for Black, trans, and gender diverse individuals and our friends at Lavender Rights Project.

And additionally, we support Councilmember Saka's $250,000 request for micromobility corrals.

Again, this is a major concern for our members, and I think this is a way to make our streets more equitable while also retaining the importance of micromobility.

And finally, we support all increases in support for Seattle's care team.

Investing in these items will help analyze Seattle's economic hotspots and build our reputation.

Thank you so much.

Bye-bye.

Thank you, Gabriel.

Up next is Celestine Berry-Smith followed by Janice DiGucci.

Celestine, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

You're off mute.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Celestine Berry-Smith.

and I manage the tenant services program at Solid Ground.

Every year we support almost 200 Seattle renters with education, counseling and referrals they need to maintain stable housing.

Renters come to us for support with things like illegal rent increases, housing discrimination or harassment, repairs for damaged units or evictions.

As a result of the cuts to tenant services, our contract was reduced by 43% and we had to reduce our staffing.

This has translated to serving 125 fewer Seattle renters through our program this year.

People who call into our bilingual tenant hotline are now facing longer callback times.

And because demand is still very high, we've also observed increased pressure on other parts of solid ground homelessness response work, like our front desk intake lines.

Tenant services are needed now more than ever to help people stay out, especially as people struggle to make ends meet with loss of SNAP and other public benefits.

We are grateful for the effort so far to restore cuts to tenant services made in 2024, and we're asking the Council to fully fund tenant services in this budget with an amendment for an additional $500,000.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Up next is Janice DiGucci followed by Acacia Pottsman.

I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

There you are.

Welcome.

All right.

Good afternoon, Chair Strauss and Council Members.

My name is Janice DiGucci and I'm Executive Director of Neighborhood House, which serves 13,000 low-income people, mostly immigrants and refugees throughout Seattle and King County.

A mother enrolled in our home visiting program gave birth by a C-section to her second child while her partner was deported.

With no car and no support, we arranged transportation to receive section appointments, secured food for her to have at home, and visit her weekly to ensure she has what she needs.

Our naturalization staff is helping an Afghan special immigrant visa holder obtain his U.S. citizenship.

at great risk to himself and his family.

He worked alongside U.S. military as a translator, and we are repaying him by making him wait over a year and a half for an appointment.

He's had to jump through extra hoops, and we'll need advocacy from Senator Murray to realize his dream to be a citizen.

These are just two people of the thousands that we help each day.

And I want to thank the Council, and especially Councilmember Rick, Solomon, Nelson, and Strauss for their support for an additional $4 million to support immigrants and refugees suffering as a result of mass deportation, barriers to naturalization, and fewer resources to help them get on their feet.

Neighborhood Health also supports all Seattle Human Services Coalition priorities, specifically Amendment HSD 017A.

Our staff that are a lifeline to our community members are themselves struggling with low wages and high cost of living.

This amendment will help us stabilize the human service workforce at this critical time.

Thank you.

Thank you, Janice.

Up next is Acacia Pottschmidt and then Alice Lockhart.

And actually, I'm gonna read the next 10 names because I realized we got in there.

Well, following Acacia will be Alice Lockhart, Christopher Lakinin, Taylor Farley, Deborah Brose, Brandy Osborne, you're still not present.

Please check an email after 1 p.m.

followed by Kirk Robbins, Alexander Estevez, Kate Garvey, Tricia Matthew, Justin Montavolo.

Those are the following 10. So we've got Acacia here with us now, already off mute.

Take it away.

Good afternoon, Acacia.

Good afternoon, Chairman Strauss.

My name is Acacia Potchmann.

I'm a resident in District 4. and I likewise am calling in to comment today to encourage the council to fully fund the $1 million of tenant services in the upcoming budget.

In a growing city like Seattle, where nearly half of us are renters and nearly half of those are already considered rent burdened, paying more than a third of their income on units that are consistently smaller and substantially more expensive than the national average, tenants should not consistently be worrying about how to fight illegal junk fees and evictions in addition to struggling to pay their rent, which is already a challenge.

In an environment where predatory corporate landlords have nearly all of the leverage, homelessness continues to grow, and working people are already struggling greatly, Seattle renters should, at a bare minimum, have ample access to legal services and education about their rights of tenants.

Particularly because of cuts to federal funding and grants for these vital services, it is incumbent on the Council to represent those of their constituents who are renters, not merely landlords and homeowners.

and restore these funds to 2024 levels in addition to thinking about increasing these funds for future budgets.

Thank you.

Bye.

Thank you.

Up next we have Alice Lockhart followed by Christopher LaKeenan.

Alice, welcome.

I see you're being promoted now.

Here you are.

Star six to unmute, Alice.

Give it one more second.

Alice, star six to unmute.

There you are.

Welcome, Alice.

Thank you, and good morning, Council.

Oh, good afternoon, Council.

I'm Alice Lockhart.

I've lived in Licton Springs for just over 30 years.

This fall, for the first time ever, I am personally getting calls from people I know who are looking for tenant services because they can't make rent.

Some of those are...

and it's only going to say SNAP benefits cuts mean members of our community must choose between food and rent.

I urge the council to fully reinstate all of the funding for tenant services by adding at least another half a million, preferably more, than what is proposed in the chair's balancing package.

This is the bare minimum of what we need.

Similarly, thanks to the chair for the balancing package, including money to offset those SNAP benefits cuts.

We did back up the envelope.

It would require not 4 million, but more like 16 to offset a month of full SNAP benefit cuts.

So more than that.

20 of good things, but not absolutely totally necessary things in the budget that can be cut.

I urge you to be brave and when council members propose balanced amendments that have a little bit of bitter in them, swallow that pill so that people are not harmed and help the community in the budget.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Alice.

I see Alexandra Johnson has joined us, so we're gonna go back to Alexandra Johnson and then we'll come to Christopher LaKeenan.

Alexandra, you're with us now, star six to unmute.

There you are.

Good afternoon, Alex.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Good afternoon.

Hi.

Okay, thank you so much.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Alexandra Johnson and I'm speaking on behalf of the Duwamish River Community Coalition.

I sent an email as well that outlines our request in more detail, but basically we urge you to adopt a 2026 budget that invests in people, not policing, redirecting excess Seattle police permit and general fund dollars towards affordable housing, childcare, and community safety programs that are actually evidence-based.

The city must stop perpetuating this myth of scarcity around funding.

We have flexibility around the funding.

They just need to be spent equitably.

We ask that you fully fund affordable housing and homelessness services, including $21 million for the Low Income Housing Institute, and reject punitive neighborhood renewal approaches that criminalize unhoused people.

Prioritize South Park in the Duwamish Valley where tree canopy loss, flooding, and lack of green space continue to worsen environmental injustice.

Restore parks funding, invest in flood prevention, and expand programs like urban forestry and the Duwamish Valley Youth Leadership Program.

Finally, please make this budget transparent, equitable, and accountable from reparations planning to food access to child care support so that all Seattle communities, especially those historically burdened, can thrive.

This includes planning line item funding for Georgetown Neighborhood Center, as well as making sure that the South Park Community Center is opened as soon as possible.

This has already been pushed away for over six years, so it's a really big deal to us and our community.

Thank you.

Thank you, Alexandra.

Up next is Christopher LaKeenan, followed by Taylor Farley.

Brandy Osborne, you're not present and you're coming up soon.

If you hear this message, please call in.

Christopher, I see you're off mute.

Welcome at your convenience.

Good afternoon, members of the Council.

My name is Chris Lee Keenan, and I'm a volunteer and board member for Community Lunch on Capitol Hill, a member of the Meals Partnership Coalition.

I'm here today to speak in favor of additional funding for meal programs, and I want to thank Mayor Harrell for funding additional investments in meal programs in his budget, as well as Council Members Hollingsworth, Saga, and Rink for championing additional investments in these programs.

I've testified before letting you know how grateful our guests are that they can get a meal each weekday, that they can take home enough to tide them through the night, that they know we will be open every weekday with absolutely no exceptions.

I also want to be sure that you know we are a lean organization.

We feed over 100 people each day and we employ two full-time and about four part-time people along with about 20 volunteers each week.

Our lowest paid worker gets $22 an hour.

It's above minimum wage, but try living on it.

We're not wasting the city's money.

I'm sure you've heard stories that CEOs used to make 40 times the lowest paid worker and now they make 400 times or more times that wage.

Our executive director makes two times the lowest paid staff member.

We served 88,265 meals in the last six months.

Each meal cost $4.87.

The city's contribution, 75 cents.

We're not wasting your money.

We really appreciate your support.

I urge the full Council to ensure that these modest investments in meal programs are included in the budget.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Chris.

Up next is Taylor Farley, followed by Deborah Brose and then Brandy Osborne, who is now present.

Taylor, welcome.

I see you're off mute.

We can hear you.

Hello.

Hi.

Great.

Hello and greetings, council members.

My name is Taylor Farley.

I use their pronouns for the record.

I serve as the executive director at Queer Power Alliance, an LGBTQIA plus organization rooted in multiracial cross-class communities in Seattle and King County.

We organize for housing justice and economic stability and safety, especially for trans, queer, and BIPOC renters, people with disabilities, and those most impacted by displacement.

And I'm urging you to fully reinstate the tenant service funding by adding the full $100,000 to the Chair's Ballot Team package.

that's the bare minimum to prevent further collapse of services.

In the 2024 level, the amount just wasn't even enough for us to help ensure the needs of our community.

With the current administration, federal administration, we anticipate a future needs that will be likely increased and we will once again be obligated to address the crisis that renters are currently facing without the necessary financial support from the city.

We can't afford to put rental assistance aside for tenant services.

We need both and we strongly support the $4 million in rental assistance.

Thank you, Taylor.

Feel free to send any more comments into council at seattle.gov.

Up next, we have Deborah Brose followed by Brandy Osborne.

Deborah, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

Hi there.

My name is Deborah Brose.

Thank you for your time, council members.

I'm the executive director of the Georgetown Business Association.

I'm speaking today on behalf of the members of the Business Association and also the members of the Georgetown Coalition.

in support of Chairperson Strauss's balancing package, including Councilmember Saka's amendments affecting Georgetown.

These include next steps to create the Georgetown Climate Resiliency Hub and Neighborhood Center and the Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan for the Duwamish Valley, prioritizing farmers markets in food deserts like Georgetown, and support for outreach efforts for the creation of new BIAs.

These amendments are important to the future of Georgetown and will help in gaining ground to resolve some of the historic injustices of the Duwamish Valley.

I know you've visited our neighborhood and have seen what we have to offer.

We are small but mighty.

What you may not have seen is the lack of access to resources our community faces.

We have no grocery stores, no neighborhood center, and no sustainable source of funding focused specifically on our needs.

The proposed balancing package can help change that.

And we hope to see these investments passed in the final budget.

Thank you for your time.

I hope to see you all in Georgetown.

Thank you, Deborah.

Up next is Brandy Osborne followed by Kirk Robbins and then Alexander Estevez.

Brandy, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

Welcome, Brandy.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, council members.

Thank you for hearing my testimony today.

My name is Brandy Osborne.

I am a former jungle resident and current co-lead participant, and I would like to share with you what the co-lead program means to me.

I've been homeless since 2010, living in the jungle since 2015, and tomorrow I'm happy to tell you that I am moving into permanent housing, only possible by co-lead and their program.

all the continued support that they have given me and my partner.

I can't even tell you how much it means to me.

And because of this and only because of this is any of this possible.

We weren't just given shelter by COVID.

We were made to feel like we were people, that we mattered, that we meant something and that we were going to have a real home.

The care and compassion that the staff has shown to us over the last seven months of me being here is something that I wasn't prepared for.

But I am so, so super grateful that I have.

I hope more people are able to get the same blessings that I have, which wouldn't be possible without your continued support of funding to please keep this program operating.

It's life-changing and more important now than ever.

Thank you.

Thank you, Brandy, and welcome home.

Up next is Kirk Robbins from District Six, followed by Alexander Estevez.

Kirk, I see you're here, star six to unmute.

Kirk Kirk and I used to serve on the Ballard District Council together when those still operated just stalling for a little bit of time to see if Kirk star six star six Kirk Kirk Robbins Can we leave Kirk promoted and we'll move on to Alexander Estevez, followed by Kate Garvey, and then we'll come back to Kirk after Alexander.

Alexander, welcome.

You're already off mute.

Take it away, my friend.

Welcome.

Thank you so much, Chair Strauss, and good afternoon, Councilmembers.

My name is Alex Bejarang Estevez.

I live in District 7, and I'm a staff attorney at the Sexual Violence Law Center.

SDLC is a nonprofit law firm that provides free legal representation to survivors of gender-based violence in Seattle and across the state of Washington.

On behalf of the survivors we serve, SVLC asks you to support HSD amendments 061 through 064. As a staff attorney that works with survivors every day, I have seen firsthand the need for these funds and the impact they will have to improve our survivors' lives.

The average low-income person who has experienced domestic violence or sexual assault faces between 18 to 19 legal needs that stem directly from the violence they experience.

As a legal service provider, this looks like assisting our clients to obtain court orders that improve their safety, protect their privacy, both in court and in public, represent people in immigration cases, shield against discrimination in the workplace or the school, among other things.

We ask that you support these amendments because community-based programs like SVLC are often the primary ways that survivors connect to other critical services.

And this is especially true for culturally-specific programs that support non-white, LGBTQ+, and immigrant survivors.

I urge council to support HST amendments 061 through 064, and I want to thank the sponsors of these amendments.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Alexander.

We're gonna...

Kirk, you're back.

You're already off mute.

take it away my friend okay thank you Councilmember Strauss and others I am Kirk Robbins of District 6 and I'm calling to support with some qualifications the proposal to review unpermitted food and merchandise vending in the city my concern is that the most conspicuous and notorious of these apparently is being overlooked specifically that that would be at 12th and Jackson What is dispensed there is not just untaxed, it is also toxic.

Much of it is stolen, it's dangerous, it's addictive, and it is notorious.

It is causing impact on the neighborhood beyond what a simple taco truck without a permit in Aurora is doing.

I think the idea that this is all about money and not about regulation to protect public health and safety is a problem that ought to be addressed and called out.

Yet none of the council members, the six council members who support it, mentioned, as far as I could tell, 12th and Jackson.

So there's that.

Another suggestion is to pull up the tracks for the slut in South Lake Union.

It's a money loser.

People don't like it.

It's not gonna go anywhere.

It's not gonna connect anywhere.

It will cost some money this year, but it will save money in the future.

which is a welcome approach that Councilmember Strauss has been championing.

That's a good place to do it.

And just for the record, I use all pronouns.

Thank you.

Thank you, Kirk.

Up next is Kate Garvey followed by Tricia Matthew, Justin Montavlo on deck.

Kate, you're with us now.

Star six to unmute.

Welcome, Kate.

Thank you.

Hello.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Kate Garvey, and I am the CEO of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, or KSARC.

I want to thank you for your continued commitment to survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence and for your inclusion of amendments 061 through 064 in the balanced budget.

These amendments are vital to sustaining services for survivors of sexual assault, gender-based violence, commercial sexual exploitation, and immigrant survivors.

I especially want to express my deep gratitude for Amendment 061, which includes $500,000 in funding for KSARC.

That investment is a lifeline, ensuring survivors in Seattle continue to have access to advocacy, therapy, and support when they need it most.

Every day, our team answers calls from people who are at their most vulnerable.

Survivors can need someone to listen, believe them, and help them navigate what's next.

One survivor, Nick, shared, when I finally made that call, someone answered, and it changed everything.

That's what your investment makes possible.

Someone answering the call day or night.

For a parent helping their child heal, for a young person facing the legal system, for an immigrant survivor seeking safety and hope.

These support safe lives, restore dignity, and strengthen our community.

I urge you to continue supporting HFDA amendments 061 through 064 so that every survivor finds the courage to reach out and know that someone will answer.

Thanks as well to all of those who sponsored these amendments.

Thank you for standing with survivors and thank you for your- Thank you, Kate.

Up next is Tricia Matthew followed by Justin Montavlo and then Margie Heldring.

Tricia, welcome.

I see you're there and you're off mute, Tricia.

Oh, you went back on mute.

Star six.

You're off mute now.

Apologies for that.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Tricia Matthew.

I live in District 5 and I work in District 3 as a director at Catholic Community Services, supporting programs like the Tenant Law Center, Housing and Essential Needs, and supportive services for veteran families.

These programs work with our most vulnerable community members that are homeless or about to become homeless, providing eviction prevention services, rental assistance, housing case management, and resource support.

As you know, voters in Seattle continuously rank housing affordability and the homelessness crisis as critical issues and our programs address that.

So I'm here today to please ask you, like many others already, to first fully reinstate all of the funding for tenant services by adding in at least another $500,000.

The huge cut to tenant services last year has only added to the extreme backlog of people needing help.

These are cost-effective services that help keep people housed and off the streets and often out of the court system altogether, saving time, money and additional trauma.

I'm also asking that in this time of the huge risk of losing millions in federal funding that are keeping thousands of people housed and safe to please prioritize sustaining existing housing, shelter and human services before funding new or expanded programs so that none of those who are housed become homeless again.

Thank you very much for your time and for all your thoughtful and difficult work on our city's budget.

Thank you, Tricia.

Up next is Justin Montavlo.

I see you're here, star six to unmute.

Justin, star six to unmute.

I see you're off mute now, Justin, welcome.

Hey, my name is Justin Montavlo.

I'm a participant at CoLead and I just wanna share what this means to me.

I was a troubled teen and I got in trouble as a youth and young and ended up doing some time and then got out and fell into drugs and then both my parents died and I became homeless and since then I've been looking for a way out and CoLead has offered me a place to live and offered me resources that I didn't have any resources then and they're helping me get on my feet and restart my life.

Thanks, Justin.

You've got another 45 seconds if you want to keep talking.

If not, it's okay too.

Yeah, it just means a lot.

Hopefully other people can have a chance to get this and get their life back on track also.

Thank you, Justin.

Anything else?

All right.

Thanks, Justin.

Always good to hear from you.

Up next is Margie Heldring, followed by Laurel Harkley and then Elizabeth Archibald.

Margie, you're still on mute.

Star six to unmute.

There you are.

Welcome, Margie.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you, council members.

Thank you.

for this opportunity.

My name is Margie Heldring and I live in District 4. I am the executive director of an organization, Grandmothers for Gun Responsibility, having served as the founder and chair of our Washington state group for a decade, Grandmothers Against Gun Violence.

I am here today on behalf of our grandmothers to thank you all for consideration of Council Member Rivera's amendment to add funding for a youth gun violence summit that would convene national and regional experts from different cities around the country that are showing success in reducing youth gun violence.

This is a wonderful idea with rich possibilities.

Our organization, the National Grandmothers, is focused on children and youth because, as most of us know, for them, gun violence is the number one cause of death.

And the good news is that there are cities around the country, Baltimore and Philadelphia being two, that are showing encouraging drops in gun violence.

And for us in Seattle to have the opportunity to learn lessons, to hear their best practices, to hear from them would have been productive and persuasive messages would be wonderful.

Thank you very much for this time.

Thank you, Margie.

Up next is Laurel Harkley, then Elizabeth Archibald, and then Jen Southwell.

Laurel, I see you're here and you're off mute.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

I'm Laurel.

The proposed budget for District 3, almost 75% of that is earmarked specifically for the Black community.

who makes up 9% of the district population.

This 75% doesn't include the many programs that clearly will also disproportionately go to the black community.

91% of the population gets less than 25% of the budget.

For the general budget, there are 24 bills specifically for minorities.

18 of those are specifically earmarked for the black community, while everybody else gets a combination of six.

20% of minorities in Seattle are black but get 75% of the money earmarked for minorities.

The only LGBTQ group that gets funding is one that focuses almost solely on black trans women despite the fact that most LGBTQ people are not black trans women.

The settler colonialism that infiltrated Capitol Hill during the summer of 2020 still has enormous amount of control and we have seen long-term activists canceled for objecting to the constant extortion and violence from the ethno-nationalist settler community.

Ethno-nationalism has no place in our communities, but we see the city constantly funding groups that forward it.

And we see how accusations of anti-racist...

Thank you for your time.

Oh, you've got another 10 seconds, Laurel.

Okay, I just wanted to say that we need to be treated equally and it's not happening.

The Black Panther Party was not a civil rights group.

Ask Kathy Smith, Betty Van Patter, and Alex Rackley about that.

I hope that's included in that Black Panther Museum.

That's getting one.

Thank you, sir.

If further comments, feel free to send them in to council at seattle.gov.

With that, we've got Elizabeth Archibald followed by Jen Southwell and then Lisa Carl.

And Elizabeth, I see you're already off mute.

Take it away.

Good afternoon.

I thank the council for giving me the opportunity to speak on the 225 budget.

My name is Elizabeth Shambo.

I'm a senior that is fortunately a tenant in a affordable housing unit in South Lake Union neighborhood managed by Lehigh.

And I just, there are like three points I was hoping to be able to talk about today.

The first is I'm hoping that we will be able to provide robust and full funding to keep all of our affordable housing units that we have now.

so folks like myself, seniors, low-income people, will have a place to call home.

It's very important.

Secondly, that we keep and fully fund and maintain the shelters that we have so that folks that are looking for a place can have a safe drive place to stay while they're waiting for their permanent homes.

And thirdly, that we provide excuse me, robust services to those that are unsheltered that are looking for a shelter bed or their permanent home.

It's very important that we maintain and keep what we have.

And so that's why I'm calling in today.

And I appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Thank you, Elizabeth.

Up next is Jen Southwell followed by Lisa Carl, Matthew Blackham on deck.

Jen, you're off mute.

Take it away at your convenience.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Jen Southwell and I'm the Vice President of the Board of the Seattle Public Library Foundation.

First of all, I want to thank the Council for protecting the proposed funding level for the library in this year's budget.

The Foundation provides about $5 million per year in private funding for the library, which is above and beyond the public resources.

That same amount, $5 million, will be taken away from the library's capital budget this year, but we're able to cover it with a one-time transfer from funds from the library levy.

This will ensure stable operations for next year.

However, this also underscores the importance of renewing the upcoming levy and increasing public dollars for future budgets.

Much like philanthropic investments, levy funds are best used to enhance services, not fill budget gaps.

While I appreciate the council did not further reduce the library's budget this year, I ask that you find ways to increase the general fund resources for SPL in the future.

Thank you for your work and your commitment to our city.

Thank you, Jen.

Up next is Lisa Carl followed by Matthew Blackham and then Sam Wolf.

Lisa, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

Lisa?

Star six to unmute.

Lisa Carl, I see you are here, star six to unmute.

We're gonna come back to you, Lisa.

Matthew, you're now here, star six to unmute.

I see you're here and off mute.

Matthew, take it away, welcome.

All right, thank you, council member.

My name is Matthew Blackham and I'm a co-lead staff member.

I've been working in this field for for about four years now.

I just want to share about co-leading this program and why it's so important to keep this program going.

We provide a level of service here that I have not seen at any other place.

We are able to really meet people where they're at, and I know that's thrown around a lot, but we work with our participants so closely that we're able to to find what's truly important to them.

So we're not just checking boxes.

We are working with them so that they can make an investment in themselves so that they can see the importance of that new life, of living that new life and making those changes.

I'm not really asking you to believe in CoLead.

I think the numbers show that CoLead is a program that works.

I am asking you to make an investment in something that works and grow that program so that we can reach other people so that we can help change the city as a whole.

Thank you.

Thank you, Matthew.

We're gonna try Lisa Carl again.

Lisa, I see you're still here, star six to unmute.

Lisa?

Lisa Carl, if you are with us, star six to unmute.

Alright, let's move on to Sam Wolf, followed by Brown Talaga, Paulina Lopez on deck.

Sam, you're already off mute.

Welcome.

Hello, Council.

My name is Sam Wolf and I work as the Seattle LEAD Program Director.

LEAD provides long-term case management for people whose unlawful behavior stems from extreme poverty and or unaddressed behavioral health issues.

These are folks who face the most complex path to recovery and stability and LEAD case management is a necessary tool to support them on that path.

While this case management is a critical resource for our LEED clients, LEED's restoration package in the proposed budget is a critical resource for the city.

LEED's city funding has shrunk since 2022, and without this restoration, LEED will not be able to take on high-priority referrals from neighborhoods throughout the city.

LEED works when we collaborate with others, including law enforcement, community partners, and other service providers.

For this reason, I'm also here to support the proposal for neighborhood-based outreach in the Ballard and U District neighborhoods.

This proposal comes from a track record of work where case management, outreach, and community-based ambassador teams regularly coordinate around the most impactful and vulnerable individuals in those neighborhoods.

The goal of the work is for these teams to do more than the sum of their parts, to make a real difference for our clients and for the community.

None of it is possible when service providers lack the capacity to do what they need to do.

Now more than ever, our neighborhoods need more of this work.

And so I'd like to thank council members, Rivera, Hollingsworth, Strauss, Inc., and Nelson for sponsoring this.

Thank you, council.

Thank you, Sam.

And for the record, we are now at speaker 29 of 63. We're gonna try it.

And Lisa, I see you're off mute already.

Are you there?

Yes, thank you.

Wonderful.

Take it.

Good afternoon, council members.

Okay.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Lisa Carl and I live in District 5, specifically in Meadowbrook, the Meadowbrook neighborhood of Northeast Seattle.

I am a full-time worker and a mom of a senior at Nathan Hale High School.

I've lived in Seattle most of the last 35 years and yet this is my very first time commenting at a council meeting.

I'm motivated to comment today by deep frustration with our regressive tax system in the city of Seattle, and specifically the recent increase in the local sales tax to fund public safety measures.

These safety measures are important and necessary, of course, but it is unacceptable that the council once again leaned on a regressive tax structure to fund essential city services.

We live in a wealthy city yet we consistently behave as if funding is hard to come by and limited.

It makes no sense that the city of Seattle cannot fully fund all of our needed services.

Why do we have to make hard decisions about what to fund in this wealthy city?

It is in part because our city council has been afraid to take the steps towards meaningful tax reform that we need.

And I'm just frustrated.

We all know that Seattle's a wealthy city, but one that has a high level of income inequality.

I want to see the council pass a city income tax in the coming year, requiring all households that earn $500,000 or more to pay income tax.

Alongside that, I'd like to see the council reduce the retail sales tax and the gas tax incrementally to reduce the tax burden on our poorest residents.

Let's make Seattle a more equitable city and set an example for the rest of the country.

Thank you.

Thank you, Lisa.

Up next is Brown Talaga, followed by Paulina Lopez and then Karen Canover.

Brown?

Maybe Bronwyn?

My apologies for mispronouncing your name.

Bronwyn?

Star six to unmute, Bronwyn.

There you are.

Welcome, Bronwyn.

Hi.

Good afternoon.

My name is Bronwyn Talaga.

I'm a co-lead senior participant support specialist.

I've been working in the field for over 10 years and two and a half of those years with co-lead.

I want to share my perspective as someone who's in the field doing this work every single day, providing essential support and resources to individuals walking through our doors at Lodging is a starting point.

a moment to take in what is a new beginning or a fresh start for folks.

Basic needs are supported.

For example, one participant did their first intake and just walked in our doors being greeted by staff and the first thing they said was, it's been a while since I've been indoors and it's clean and so safe for the first time.

They were overwhelmed with emotions.

To be in a safe environment and not worry about their next meal or one place to rest their head.

Time and time again, folks are able to let their guards down and rest peacefully in Coley's lodging site.

Supporting our participants and advocating on their behalf in their legal matters as well.

Due to CoLEAD support, folks were able to quash their warrants because they are enrolled in CoLEAD, actively engaging and having access to case management in the program.

We provide intensive case management, supporting, advocating and guiding access to mental health resources.

CoLEAD empowers the participants to regain control over their lives, a sense of community and support which are vital for long-term recovery.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Up next is Paulina Lopez followed by Karen Canover and then Marcia Wright-Soyca.

Welcome Paulina, I see you're off mute.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Honorable Seattle City Council Select Budget Committee Chair Strauss.

My name is Paulina Lopez and I'm calling on behalf of the Duwamish River Community Coalition and we want to share our respective recommendations regarding Mayor's 2022 group on budget.

We are aware the city must take difficult choices amid a structural budget deficit.

However, we urge to prioritize the payroll expense tax and the Green New Deal funds for the intended purposes of advancing climate, environmental justice, reducing greenhouse emissions and supporting communities most impacted by pollution and displacement.

The Duwamish Valley should not continue living in daily harms of toxic exposures as we speak on economic inequities as a solution to balancing the budget.

Our recommendations, relocate the funding to frontline environmental justice investments and redirect the $1.8 million proposed over price on the delayed Sound Transit 3 and step forward projects for directly benefit frontline communities to restore the funding like Environmental Justice Fund, the Duwamish River Opportunity Fund, and Indigenous-led climate initiative.

Two, the city must honor its commitment to the Green New Deal vision and original funding framework, restore the original payroll expense task allocation for the Green New Deal.

And currently, 50% of these revenue diverted to the general fund.

We need to phase it out to diversion over the next five years.

Three, resilience planning of neighborhood preparedness, resilience planning for creating community hubs, neighborhood paths, localized preparedness plans, of the Georgetown, a Simon Resilience Have Neighborhood Center.

Thank you, Paulina, and please feel free to send any additional comments to council at seattle.gov.

With that, I see Karen Canova is already off mute.

Marcia Wright-Zoica is next, and then Colleen McClure is on deck.

Thank you.

Welcome.

My name's Karen Conover and I'm on the board of the Seattle Public Library Foundation and I live in District 3. Our city's in a difficult economic situation that's impacting our residents, non-profit organizations, and public services alike.

While it's unfortunate that this year's budget will cut $5 million in capital projects for the Seattle Public Library, I appreciate the constraints that the mayor and the council face and I'm glad that the library has the ability to transfer levy dollars to ensure stable operations in 2026. However, this transfer makes the renewal of the library levy next year even more important for everyone.

The library is increasingly reliant on levy dollars to deliver basic essential services to our patrons.

I'm encouraging all of us to work together over the next year to ensure that a strong levy package is put before voters and refugees.

During tough times, our neighbors rely on the library more than ever.

So thank you for protecting the funding for Seattle Public Library today, and I hope you're all committed to the library's future as well.

Thank you very much for all you do on behalf of the library and for our city.

Thank you, Marsha.

Up next, or thank you, Karen.

Up next is Marsha, followed by Colleen and then Peter Orr.

Marsha, you're already off mute.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone.

I'm Marsha Leipsojka, and I'm the Executive Director at Family Work.

which provides hunger relief and family support services in District 4, 5, and 6. Thank you for all the work you've contributed to a tough budget this year.

Many aspects meet the moment of the incredible challenges we're facing with federal cuts that have harmed the most marginalized neighbors and politics that have weaponized hunger and poverty.

Investments in food security, housing, wage equity, gender-based violence, and seniors are all connected.

and will strengthen the community safety net amid the chaos and uncertainty.

In the last week, family works have seen three times the normal number of visitors to the food bank and moms and dads who are coming to our Roosevelt Resource Center asking for rental assistance, clothing assistance, and diapers so they can afford to buy food.

I'm urging you all to protect the increases in food security funding for food banks and meal programs.

Seniors are among the most vulnerable to food insecurity, housing instability, and loneliness.

Please support amendment HSD 47 and I urge you to add $250,000 to address the growing needs of our 15 centers across the city.

And please protect existing housing and services and support Chair Strauss' proposal to strengthen the reserve to prevent disruptions to these services in the future.

We may lose $10 million in federal funds that keep thousands housed.

We have the ability to work together to anticipate this disruption and we can start now.

And finally, we can't do this work without- Thank you, Marsha.

Feel free to send any additional comments into council at seattle.gov.

Colleen McClure is up next, followed by Peter Orr and Gina Hall is on deck.

Colleen, welcome.

Good afternoon, Chair Strauss and City Council.

Colleen McClure representing the Laurel Horse Community Council with over 2,400 residences.

The city budget is continuing to explode every year, with great concern at $9 billion, just about, and at a greater rate than its population growth.

With the potential for large businesses to leave Seattle due to their increased B&O taxes and the employee jumpstart taxes, revenues may actually decrease in the next 18 months, leaving little room to expand budget expenditures from the balanced budget presented by the executive.

While the intentions of the members to provide these needs are commendable, 239 pages of amendments requesting $85 million and more expenses is not sustainable without cuts to pay for them.

Our city and state has taxed its residents and businesses to the max.

Proposing any new property taxes to pay for these non-essential $85 million in amendments is not fiscally responsible, and it's choking out affordability for Seattle's renters and property owners.

Revenue sources are already in the budget.

new sales taxes, special levies for parks, transportation, affordable housing, King County Parks, MedicOne, now the new families and education.

They should be deployed first to fund these needs.

And the city should also work with AI tools to reduce overhead and add more revenue for people.

To benefit the whole city, LCC does support a few amendments.

One is more 911, public safety, non-emergency support, food delivery services, and the tree governance into one department.

Thank you, and revisit these amendments in mid-2006.

Thanks, Colleen.

Up next is Peter Orr, followed by Gina Hall, and then Robin Schwartz is on deck.

Peter, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

Hello, council members.

I'm a 15-year resident of District 5 here to voice support for budget amendment OPCD 11A1, which allocates an additional $250,000 for OPCD to address the area of Aurora Avenue North in my neighborhood, and $150,000 of which is pledged toward public safety measures.

As a block watch captain, I can testify that this part of Aurora requires urgent and ongoing attention as we residents constantly risk becoming casualties of pimp gunfights and reckless driving.

as a parent with a student who will be crossing Aurora Avenue North to get to school next year.

The safety of this street is all the more important to me.

Former Councilmember Kathy Moore's efforts to reduce the dangers in this area are sorely missed, and your designation of funds towards safety improvement is a welcome testament to your attention.

Thank you Councilmembers Strauss, Juarez, and Solomon for including amended OPCD 11A1 in the budget, and I ask for the Council's unanimous support of it.

I yield my time.

Thank you, Peter.

Up next is Gina Hall followed by Robin Schwartz and Jimmy Hightower is on deck.

Gina, welcome.

Star six to unmute.

Gina Hall.

Star six to unmute.

Gina.

One last call for Gina and then we can leave her up.

Gina's off mute.

Welcome, Gina.

Good afternoon.

Thank you so much.

Hello again.

My name is Gina Hall.

I'm the CEO of Upless Northwest, formerly the Millionaire Club Charity.

I would like to first thank our Mayor, Bruce Harrell, also Council President, Sarah Nelson.

And thank you, Chair of the Budget Committee, Dan Strauss.

for supporting this innovative public-private partnership through the graffiti abatement program with Uplift Northwest.

As many of you may know, Uplift Northwest, formerly the Millionaire Club Charities, has been around over 100 years.

We have a non-traditional approach to serving folks who live in extreme poverty, many of which are experiencing homelessness.

Yet, we are serving anywhere from 500 to 1,000 individuals get one step closer to a living wage career path through our employment readiness programs.

I just want to share one example of a story, and this story is about Pedro.

Pedro moved to Seattle after contracting a business in Georgia.

He lost his job in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shortly after arriving to Seattle, he found Uplift Northwest.

He went through our employment readiness programs and soon was placed on one of our graffiti abatement program crews.

He showed a knack for problem solving.

He was promoted to lead.

You got 10 seconds left, Gina.

Yeah.

Okay, so I just wish that you, I'm asking you to please support the $250,000 additional support for our graffiti abatement program.

Many folks depend on our programs and supportive services.

Thank you for your service and for caring for underserved representatives.

Right back at you, Gina.

And to the viewing public, we are currently at 2.12 p.m.

meeting.

There are 48 minutes remaining to register for public comment.

I see somebody just registered a couple minutes ago.

And we will continue this meeting until 4 p.m., and then everyone signed up by the registration deadline of 3 p.m.

will be heard today.

So just wanted to remind the viewing and listening public that registration closes in 48 minutes.

With that, we have Robin Schwartz followed by Jimmy Hightower and then Danson Coyne, Robin, star six to unmute.

Hi, good afternoon.

My name is Robin Schwartz and I am a Duwamish Valley community member and a staff member at the Duwamish River Community Coalition.

In this capacity, I am on the board of the Georgetown Community Council and the Georgetown Neighborhood Center Visioning Group.

I know the council is very familiar with both the strengths and challenges of the Duwamish Valley as well as the mission of DRCC.

For all of these reasons, I'm here today to support Councilmember Saka's three Georgetown Amendments.

DRCC works with community to identify and prioritize goals that will provide the Duamish Valley with a standard of living that is comparable to other communities in the city.

These amendments will support community capacity, access to healthier food options, and climate resilience, which are crucial components to mitigate Georgetown's vulnerability to inequitable health and wellness impacts that stem from environmental injustice and historic disinvestment.

Georgetown has worked hard to organize and advocate to build relationships and to envision a better future.

DRCC believes that most impacted communities should lead the way towards better outcomes for their own communities.

We stand behind this critical work because it is community-led.

We urge the Council to fund these amendments so that our neighbors can continue to make Georgetown a healthier and more resilient place to live.

Thank you.

Thank you, Robin.

Up next is Jimmy Hightower followed by Dance and Coin and then Red Star or Red Asterix.

Jimmy, you're already off mute.

Thank you.

Take it away.

Thanks so much.

My name is Jimmy Hightower and I'm calling to advocate for two Lake City items on the budget, OED001A1 and OED002A1.

I've lived in Lake City and District 5 for over 10 years, and since 2020 have been very involved with community and business organization efforts, particularly with Build Lake City Together here in my community.

In my work with the LCT and within the community, I've met some of the most compassionate, caring, and scrappy folks who truly love this community and are disheartened by our neighborhood being perceived as a wasteland due to empty storefronts, the loss of our anchor grocery store, Fred Meyer, and lack of resources for our unhoused neighbors.

Lake City is home to Tent City 4, an incoming tiny home village, other low-income housing developments, immigrant and local owned small businesses, North Helpline, and Seattle Indian Health Board, just to name a few.

We're proud of these places, but we need help to properly support our community, especially with the loss of Bartels and Fred Meyer.

The $50,000 to expand funding for a business incubator will help us solve storefronts and meet the unique needs of our community, while the $100,000 in funding for cleaning services in Lake City to help us maintain and enhance our neighborhood and provide proof of concept to help move a business improvement area forward.

We've been working really hard on it.

We want to show our Seattle neighborhoods or neighbors that Lake City really is a diamond in the grass.

Thank you to Council Member Juarez's staff and Council Member Ranked for visiting our community and taking time to talk through our needs.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jimmy.

Up next is Dance and Coin followed by Red Star and then Max Vumbaka.

Danson, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

Danson, there you are.

Welcome.

Great.

Good afternoon, council members.

Hi, my name is Danson Coyne.

I'm a member of the Hopey Tribe and I serve as the finance manager here at the Chief Seattle Club.

I'm asking for you guys to support on the HSD 042A, including 350,000 for critical repairs at the Monterey Lofts, the space our housing team relies on to bring our native relatives home.

This investment ensures that Native people experiencing homelessness receive care in a place rooted in culture, dignity, and belonging.

We're grateful for Councilmember Juarez's strong advocacy in this Council's partnership.

I'd like to close today by offering a brief honor song for Councilmember Juarez.

Avoid using all capitals'

Thank you, Danson.

And as we remember Arlene today, that song was extremely appropriate.

Red Star, I see you're already off mute.

Take it away.

Hi.

Good afternoon, Seattle voters and council members.

Like many Seattleites, I submitted my ballot to vote out stagnation.

We voted out leadership that serves business owners over working people because this is our city.

and refuse to let it be managed for the wealthy few while our neighbors face rising eviction and insecurity.

You are elected public servants.

Serve the public.

Stop acting like victims of circumstance.

Ask yourself, how am I using my office to build trust, integrity, and equity?

Not more suffering.

Stop funding sweeps.

Stop cutting tenant legal aid.

Stop pretending we can police our way out of poverty.

Increase funding for eviction legal services.

Increase funding for tenant education.

Fund actual housing and shelter, not more displacement.

And remember, every vote you cast on this budget is a message to your constituents.

When your name appear on the next ballot, we will remember exactly where you stood.

So please advocate for the people who represent you the most, not your donors.

Thank you.

Thank you, Red.

Up next is Max Vumbaca, followed by Tina Varelli and Nafiso Samathar.

Max, you're here.

Welcome.

Good afternoon.

Hi.

Good afternoon, council.

My name is Max Vumbaca.

I'm a renter in District 4 and a pantry coordinator at the University District Food Bank.

Just in the past week, We have seen the catastrophic effect of federal snap cuts on families facing hunger in our city.

Families coming to the food bank right now are scared and confused and really overwhelmed by the prospect of delays and reductions in federal food benefits for the foreseeable future.

But we have also seen so many of our neighbors pull together in this crisis moment.

from high schoolers doing mutual aid fundraisers to so many restaurants offering free meals.

And we really need our city council to do the same.

We desperately need to protect investments in food banks and meal programs.

And I especially ask you to support and ideally increase Chair Strauss's proposal to strengthen the mayor's reserve to prevent major disruptions in human services when federal cuts cut against our families in this city like we're seeing right now.

Thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it.

Thanks, Max.

Up next is Tina Varelli followed by Nafiso Samatar and then Mary Peterson.

Tina, before you start, I'm gonna call off the names of those who are not present.

So either call in now or come to the in-person public comment at five.

Those who are not present at this time are Tayeb Mohammed, Rani Kotha, Esther Lucero, Daryl Bivins, I'm sorry, Daryl, Joe Malloy, Michael Vershot, Stu Hennessy, David Haynes, and everyone else is present.

With that, Tina, I see you're off mute, so at your convenience, take it away.

Good afternoon and welcome.

Tina?

Maybe you...

Oh, hi.

Sorry.

Thank you so much.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Welcome.

Awesome.

Thank you so much.

My name is Tina.

I'm a constituent for District 5. I'm giving public comment in support of budget amendment OPCD 011-A-1.

This $250K is funding for Aurora Avenue North for public safety.

Thank you to our Council Member Juarez and Solomon in support of this.

I want to emphasize how important this funding is for those experiencing homelessness, being trafficked, or who need mental health care.

I live close to and travel on Aurora Avenue North and often see women soliciting sex, loitering on the street, and our neighbors are victims to pimps.

in shooting at each other and John's driving around the neighborhood looking for a spot to stop, as well as used condoms disposed on the street and in our yards.

I want to emphasize that sex trafficking data is wildly inaccurate and that I urge, it is likely many of these women are sex trafficked.

I urge city council to approve this budget amendment to provide services to those experiencing this.

And this would also give myself and neighbors relief from the collateral damage that this sex trafficking has.

These crimes are absolutely open and are absolutely unacceptable.

Thank you, Tina.

And feel free to send in any additional comments to council at seattle.gov.

Nafiso, I see you're here, star six to unmute.

And following Nafiso is Mary Peterson.

Ali Garrett, you'll be next unless Tayyib Mohamed, Rani Kotha or Esther Lucero or Darrell Bivens calls back in.

Nafiso, welcome.

Hello.

Thanks, counsel.

Good afternoon.

My name is Nafiso Samatra.

I'm the executive director of Somali in the Banyan Business Alliance.

CBA, I have had honor serving our community for the last 25 years.

At CBA, our mission is to support small businesses to gain skills, tools, and training needed to succeed and to be sustainable.

We provide a business technical assistance, legalization, getting UBI, EIN, UEI business plans put together, plan to organizational.

We sign MOU, Non-Understanding, with Bell House, Bell Weather Housing, to support a flourish apartment resident at the Rainier Beach area through computer literacy, business training, and creating a resume referrals to the employment agencies, translation and interpretation of essential resources.

Through this work, we have I noticed that many residents are unemployed, low-income, and need a language support in Portuguese, French, Roval, Ormond, Somali, and Spanish.

Council's acceptance of 190,000 proposals in the budget, thanks for Sarah Nelson, will allow us to continue empowering the newcomers, immigrant families, small business owners and recipients.

Thank you, Nafiso.

And feel free to send any additional comments to council at seattle.gov.

Up next is Mary Peterson.

And unless folks call in, Ollie Garrett followed by Bree will be next.

Mary, star six to unmute.

I see you're here.

Welcome.

Hi.

Yes.

Hi, thanks.

I appreciate what the council is doing and what you are doing.

for the budget committee to provide important money to homelessness and affordable housing.

However, I think that one of the most important things is to try to keep people who are housed in their housing.

And as tenant issues come up, we need to have people who will help people with issues with their landlords.

So I am really wanting you to please restore or add money for the funding, take it to the level of 1.6 million.

So please do that, particularly since we are in a state where we are with the federal government.

So you could restore the tenant services funding to organizations like Solid Ground and Housing Justice Project.

I think that that would go a long way to keep people in their housing at the moment.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mary.

We have Tayeb, Mohamed, Rani, Kotha, Esther Lucero, Daryl Bivins, all not present.

If you are a friend of theirs, please text them to call in now.

Ali, you are off mute, Ali, so you're gonna be up next followed by Bree Gee and then Donald Cameron.

Ali, welcome, good afternoon.

Good afternoon, and good afternoon, Chair Strath and council members.

I'm Olly Garrett, President of Tabor 100. I'm here today to speak in support of funding for small businesses, technical assistance, and capacity building resources in our region.

Across Seattle, our small businesses, particularly Black-owned, BIPOC-owned, immigrant-owned, women-owned, family-owned firms, continue to face historic barriers to accessing capital, contracts, and stable operating.

These businesses are the backbone of our local economy.

They hire local, reinvest in the neighborhoods, and keep wealth circulating inside our community rather than extracting it out.

When they thrive, our economy is more diverse, more resilient, and more reflective of the city that we say we are.

However, many of these businesses are navigating complex regulatory and certification environments.

ongoing market challenges and the economic pressure of recovery all while operating with limited staff and raising margin.

Technical assistance and business development support is not a luxury, it's a necessity.

Sustained investment in this work ensures that small businesses are not left behind in economic recovery.

It ensures that our growth is equitable and not just profitable.

I respectfully urge the council to support these investments.

The returns is not just financial, it is social, cultural.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ollie.

Up next is Bree, followed by Donald Cameron.

Bree, you're off mute.

Take it away.

Hi, good afternoon.

I'm Bree Geinkels.

I respect that you didn't know how to pronounce my name, Dan.

I'm a volunteer on the board of Cal Anderson Park Alliance, known as CAPA.

CAPA brings together residents, businesses, institutions, and organizations to work to make the park a safer, healthier, and more welcoming place.

The Cal Anderson Shelter House was built to provide a space for community to gather, but historically it was too expensive and the reservation process too cumbersome, so the building usually just sat empty.

and then it was completely closed following the pandemic.

About 14 months ago, CAPA entered into an agreement with the city to manage the shelter house for a pilot project.

Since then, nearly 200 events have been held there, everything from small committee meetings to large festivals, community meals, birthday parties, album launches, game nights, craft fairs, all kinds of things.

In addition to managing the shelter house, CAPA helps event organizers navigate the challenging permitting process and plan successful events in the park itself.

We also manage the Kathy Hillenbrand Community Room next to Light Rail Station and we facilitate events in the Capitol Hall Station Plaza next to the park.

This pilot has brought positive activity to the neighborhood and created a sense of belonging among a diverse population.

The captain needs more funding in order to make the spaces available more hours and every day of the week and to expand our efforts to bring more community events to the park and the plaza.

The health of the park directly affects the residents, businesses, and institutions in the area.

We know activation alone won't solve all the issues that arise in the urban park, but positive activation is critical to the overall success.

So we ask the council members to support the funding that we understand council member Hollingsworth will be proposing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And up next is Donald Cameron.

Donald star six to unmute.

You're off mute.

Welcome.

Greetings.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for the council.

I really appreciate to have an opportunity to tell a little bit about our program.

I'm with Seattle Cares Mentoring Movement and we're in support of Council Member Nelson HST Amendment 65. Our program provides mentorship for both boys and girls throughout Seattle, both in person and virtual.

I think one of the big differences in our program outside of doing mentorship is that we work with the parents.

We have a program called University for Parents that really provides mentorship for them and also training around relationship building, financial literacy, workforce development, helping them find jobs.

So it's a holistic strategy that we work with when we work with families and youth.

We're currently in two middle schools, soon to be elementary school, starting in 2026. So it's been a great opportunity for us to serve our community.

We also do healing and wellness circles for parents.

We feel that we can't just work with the kids in an isolated situation.

We have to work with them as well.

And one last thing I'd like to share is our partnership for hope is an opportunity where we bring and 18 bullets for I can to feed families in our community.

Thank you, Donald.

Up next we have, and I see Esther Lucero is now present, so we will go back to Esther Lucero.

Esther, welcome.

Star six to unmute.

Hi.

Greetings, everybody.

My name is Esther Lucero, and I'm Navajo and Latina, and I serve as the president and CEO for the Seattle Indian Health Board.

I just want to make sure everybody can hear me because I'm actually calling in from my family vacation.

Can you hear me all right?

We can hear you.

Okay, fantastic.

I think I just really want to encourage the City Council to support a budget initiative for Thunderbird Treatment Center.

and the thing I really want to make clear to everybody in Seattle and everybody on the council is that our treatment center will serve, it actually increases the bed capacity by 51%.

That means we will serve so many people in the state of Washington and specifically from Seattle.

For the folks who don't know, Seattle Indian Health Board has three clinics in Seattle proper and we have a mobile unit and those will predominantly be our referral points.

So we are a huge part of the solution dedicated to, you know, addressing substance use issues within the City of Seattle.

I just want to thank you for your consideration and just really encourage you to push this forward.

It actually finalizes our budget.

It makes us, it fills our budget gap and that means we will be up and running come early spring.

So please, please, please support this budget ask.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Up next is Cindy C. Followed by Michael Vershout and then Shirley Ling.

Cindy, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

Cindy?

There you are, welcome.

Hi, good afternoon, country members.

I'm Cindy Chivertoni, Visual Communitarian Children and Family Program Director.

I want to express my deepest thank you to Council Member Rob Saka and Chair Daniel Strauss for including our preschool center in the chairs package.

Your support ensures that our centers can relocate without interruption, a critical win for the South Park community.

Since 2022, our center has operated at South Seattle College, but that facility now is being demolished.

Without your help, we face a real risk of gap in services.

Now, thank you to your leadership, we can continue to provide early learning and family support to Spanish-speaking immigrant families who relate on us.

Villa Comunitaria was founded 20 years ago in response to the needs of our diverse communities.

In 2024, we serve over 120 children and their families offering cultural and grounded early learning education.

Families choose Villa because they feel safe, welcome, and understood.

Our program helps immigrant families navigate complex systems, immigration, housing, health, and education, while honoring their cultural identities.

We have applied for the EDI grant to purchase and adopt a new home for our center.

Thank you, Cindy, and feel free to send any additional comments to counsel at seattle.gov.

Up next, I've got Michael Vershout, Shirley L., and then Nuba Annan.

Michael, I see you're here.

Star six to unmute.

And while Michael is unmuting for the public, we have 24 minutes remaining to register for public comment.

I see people are still registering now, so that's helpful.

And Michael, you're off mute.

Take it away.

Welcome.

Thank you, Chair, and the rest of the council members.

This is Michael Verschel.

I'm a 30-year resident of Seattle Central District.

Hang tight, Michael.

We can't...

Hang tight, Michael.

We're going to restart your time.

We can barely hear you.

So if you're using a Bluetooth device, it might be that, or...

Is this better now?

It is a little choppy, but it's much better.

I'll try to speak loudly, and I appreciate your patience with me.

Sorry for the connection.

That sounds great.

You're with us now.

With that, when you start talking, we'll start your time, and thanks for coming.

Welcome.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you, members of the Council for allowing me to speak.

I'm Michael Verschell, I'm the Director of the Consulting and Business Development Center, which is a self-sustaining unit of the University of Washington's Archer School of Business.

I'm also a 30-year resident of Dallas Central District Community.

I want to speak in favor of funding for small business technical assistance.

We know that especially in this time where city funds are tight and difficult, that making decisions on where to spend money is also difficult.

Funding to support the growth of small businesses will ultimately generate additional tax dollars for the city and will create a more vibrant neighborhood for all of us.

Mostly what I want to draw the council's attention to is that there's a whole body of peer review academic research that shows that providing technical assistance after a business has started is the most effective way to grow a business.

Yes, we talk a lot about access to money and access to contracting opportunities, but if we can increase the skill sets and the management capabilities of business owners across the city, that will lead to significant growth of businesses.

So providing that financial support to allow technical assistance to continue and to expand, whether it be through the Liberty Project or other avenues, is vitally important to the city's future, to the businesses and employees here in the city.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Michael.

Up next is Shirley L., and then Nuba Anand, followed by Suzanne Grant.

Shirley, you're off mute.

Welcome.

Hello.

My name is Shirley, and I'm a person who lives in Lake City.

I am absolutely disgusted with the huge amounts of hard-earned public dollars proposed to remove harmless receipts, terrorize and sweep our unhoused neighbors, and add ever-increasing surveillance that puts our immigrant and LGBTQ neighbors at risk.

And I really can't believe how much of our money Harold wants to spend to subsidize the corrupt, money laundering, workers' rights-violating FIFA organizations.

All of this while, I have to watch my longtime neighbors no longer be able to afford their rent, groceries, or transportation, and even lose their homes.

It doesn't have to be this way.

I urge the Council to help our neighbors stay housed by allocating at least another $500,000 for tenant services and $4 million for rental assistance for renters' affordable housing.

I also urge the council to help our neighbors stay fed by making expanded funding for fresh bucks and food banks permanent rather than one time.

Thank you.

Thank you, Shirley.

Up next is Nuba Annan, Suzanne Grant, and then Alberta Alvarez is on deck.

As Nuba's coming off mute, I'm gonna read the names of those who are not present yet.

Tayeb Muhammad, Rani Kotha, Joe Malloy, Stu Hennessy, David Haynes, Haley Joy, Arlene Hampton.

If I read your name, call in now.

And Nuba, I see you're off mute.

Take it away.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone.

And thank you for the opportunity to speak.

I am Nuba Annan and I am with the Somali Family Safety Task Force.

We are a community-rooted organization serving the immigrants and refugee families in Seattle.

I have come to this committee before and I continue to return because the needs of our community are ongoing and because the support and decisions made in this space make a real difference in people's lives.

Thank you for receiving us each time with respect and understanding.

Our mission is to ensure that women, youth and elders in our community have safe, supportive and culturally grounded spaces to heal, learn, grow and belong.

We support survivors of domestic violence and gender-based harm through safety planning, emotional support and trauma-informed advocacy.

We also hold FGM healing circles that allow women to speak and process their experiences in their own language and cultural context often for the first time in their lives.

We invest in long-term empowerment through ESL classes, maternal health workshops, parenting support and leadership development opportunities.

Our youth programs offer tutoring, mentorship, and cultural identity activities that help young people participate academically while remaining connected to who they are.

These programs nurture confidence, belonging, and a strong foundation for leadership.

Our senior women and men programs bring elders together weekly to share meals, stories, cultural traditions, and companionship.

I'm here again today because these services depend on the decisions made in this committee.

Community-rooted, culturally-specific organizations like ours are all...

Thank you, Nuba.

Up next is Suzanne Grant, followed by Alberto Alvarez, followed by Angela Griffin.

and as Suzanne Grant is coming off mute, if you or somebody's name I called as being not present, please look for an updated email coming into your inbox about 1.03 PM with an updated call-in number.

With that, over to you, Suzanne Grant.

Hello, Suzanne Grant here.

I want to register my support as referred by Tree Action Seattle, for the statement MO-O1S-A-1 submitted by council members Saka, Rink, and Solomon to explore combining all nine agencies that now manage trees into a single department.

SDCI fails to meet the most basic enforcement measures, and the department is riddled with ethics issues and nepotism.

Their policies and piecemeal enforcement have led to hundreds of tree removals.

Take the foxes out of the henhouse.

An independent forestry position will provide better management.

Urban forestry policy should be set by experts, not SCCI, that has a revolving door with building industry insiders.

It would reduce confusion and redundancy.

It would provide more efficiency.

Several city departments all have tree crews driving across the city.

An independent department could instead divide work geographically.

This proposal by council members Saka, Rink, and Salomon would make sense, and it would help Seattle reach its tree canopy and climate goals.

Though placed under budget, this has no cost, so it's a no-brainer.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Up next is Alberto Alvarez followed by Angela Griffin and then Cesar Garcia.

Alberto, welcome.

I see you're off mute, Alberto.

Good afternoon.

Hello, thank you.

People are making sacrifices just to buy groceries and pay rent.

The danger is real.

Council takes life and death decisions that affect all of us.

Millionaires and billionaires steal from our labor, our health, our housing, and now our food.

We need to take from the wealthy, not the working class.

Council is now faced with severe economic downturn and a budget that will not match the needs of the people.

Reduction services and staffing will further destabilize working people, young families, and elders on fixed income.

Nelson's agenda was an active threat to stability.

The blame is on Maritza Rivera, Rob Saka, and others who follow in lockstep with the demands of wealthy elites.

Seattle has voted that you course correct, do better, and have a good day.

Thank you, Alberto.

Up next is Angela Griffin followed by Cesar Garcia and then Clara Cantor.

Angela, I see you're here and off mute.

Welcome, good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Chair Strauss and members of the council.

My name is Dr. Angela Griffin and I serve as the CEO of Bird Bar Place, the Alice Historic Community Action Agency.

And for six decades, Bird Bar Place has been a lifeline helping our neighbors stay warm, stay housed and stay hopeful.

We provide energy assistance, food access to our market, and housing stability services that prevent displacement and homelessness.

Until 2024, we also operated an in-house rental assistance program supported by private funding, which helped thousands of residents remain in their homes during difficult times.

When that funding ended, our program closed with more than 400 people still on our wait list.

And since then, our staff have been turning away families almost every day who are seeking help to stay stable.

We know that stable, affordable housing is essential to both physical and mental health.

When people have secure homes and are unburdened by debt or impossible choices, they can focus on thriving, not just surviving.

No one should have to choose between paying rent or meeting other essential needs.

Over the past year, Burberry Place has seen a 40% increase in requests for help across all of our services, from food and energy assistance to tenant support.

now serving more than 4,200 households each month across Seattle.

We urge the council to increase investments in tenant services, rental assistance, and other essential supports across the community.

These programs are critical to preventing eviction, promoting stability, and ensuring that every Seattle resident has the dignity, safety, and opportunity for a home.

Thank you.

Thank you, Angela.

Up next is Cesar Garcia, followed by Claire Cantor.

Good afternoon.

My name is Cesar Garcia, Co-Executive Director of Lake City Collective.

We build community and we are part of the same community that we serve.

I'm here to advocate for our budget priorities to be included in the 2026 budget, which will support essential community projects in Little Brook, one of the most dense, diverse and under-invested neighborhoods in Seattle.

We sent a letter with those priorities via email twice and we submitted letters written by youth volunteers to all of you as well.

Our three priorities are, one, allocating funds to parks to complete the construction of Little Brook Park.

We advocated for the redevelopment of the park for years.

Construction will happen next summer.

However, additional funds will be needed for the restroom and lighting that our community needs.

Two, allocating funds to OSC for a partnership to pilot sustainable programs at our EDI site.

A collaboration with OSC will expand the delivery of public benefits to our site.

Our project will be the first sustainable living building built by a CBO in the nation where we will host green careers pathways for youth, workforce development and among other programs.

And three, allocating funds to SDOT to start the design of our Little Brook Plaza.

This multi-year effort began as a pilot and has been the most active health district site in the city.

It has been toured by people from all over the country and the city of Portland transportation officials.

It's an example of collaboration between city departments and a CBO of Lake City Collective.

Thank you so much for your consideration and have a good day everyone.

Thank you, Cesar.

Up next is Clara Cantor.

I see you're off mute.

Following Clara is Sarah White followed by Carl Nelson.

Clara, welcome.

Hi, my name is Clara Cantor.

I'm a community organizer with Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, and I also support the Seattle Solidarity Budget Act, in particular, Council Member Rink's amendment to restore tenant services.

I'm calling with two specific comments.

First, to please resubmit Council Member Saka's amendment funding micro-mobility corrals to create space for bikes and scooters that's off the sidewalk.

Corrals like this are essential for sidewalk access for everyone, but especially for people with mobility aids, wheelchairs, other kinds of wheels.

Bike and scooter share is exploding in popularity in Seattle and helping people get conveniently where they need to go.

But the issues with parking are also growing and we need to address them.

There is plenty of street space where it's already illegal to park cars, where corrals can be used to daylight and intersection and increase pedestrian safety and visibility.

And there's also a lot of places where we can repurpose a single car parking space in favor of parking for many more bikes and scooters.

My second comment is that I would also like to strongly oppose both of the rates of the Seattle Transit measure.

Transit service is already deeply underfunded and we cannot cut it just because we're going to be, just before we're going to be going to voters to renew the SDM, especially not for soft cops, but even for other vitally important things like sidewalks.

Like other commenters have said, this council's continued rating of directed funding and shifting that revenue away from its voter approved purpose is Dishonest budgeting and it creates systemic distrust of the budgeting process and the success of future levies.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you.

Up next is Sarah White followed by Carl Nelson.

Sarah, welcome.

Hi there.

Can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Welcome, Sarah.

Okay.

Hi, my name is Sarah.

I work for Catholic Community Services Tenant Law Center.

Due to last year's 40% budget cuts to eviction prevention tenant services, we had to reduce our services by half.

I'm asking you to reinstate eviction prevention tenant services funding to $2.4 million back to the 2024 levels.

The attorneys I work for earn about $48 an hour.

In just a few hours, they can change lives, and I hope to show you why their work is worth every dollar.

One recent client was a 91-year-old woman facing eviction through a protection order.

She had lived in the same home for 40 years with her aunt, the owner, who is now a centenarian in hospice care.

No other city-funded organization could have sent an attorney to that hearing, but we did, and we kept her housed.

This is not funded by state right-to-counsel funding.

Last year, the council approved a single curb cut on Delridge Avenue or Denny Way that costs more than the entire Eviction Prevention Services budget across 10 organizations.

Residents speak about the homelessness crisis, yet funding for the very attorneys preventing this homelessness crisis continues to fall short.

We've only been able to help about 10% of the people that reach out to us.

For every person like that 91-year-old woman we assist, nine others may end up on the street.

some perhaps dying there, all for what amounts to a spare change in the city's budget.

Each year I share these stories and each year our funding is cut and we're asked to do more with less.

Please make eviction prevention a higher priority and fully fund tenant services by restoring $1 million and return us to 2024 levels.

Thanks.

Thanks, Sarah.

Last person present, we've got 10 minutes left to register for virtual public comment.

So please register now and then I'll call out the names of those who are not currently present and then we'll make sure to provide some time to hear from them.

But without any further ado, Carl Nelson, welcome.

Hello, Mr. Chair and members of council.

My name is Carl Nelson and I am a 16 year resident of Seattle District 4, a renter and a member of the Cedar Crossing Penance Association.

I live in an affordable housing project with more than 400 people and their families.

I'm calling in today to urge you to pass Councilmember Rink's amendment and fully reinstate all of the funding for tenant services by adding at least another half a million dollars to the Chair's balancing package.

With evictions at an all-time high this number is the bare minimum we need to prevent a complete collapse of our services in Seattle and we absolutely need even more funding for these services in the future.

As someone who has faced multiple illegal evictions from a previous landlord, I can tell you how essential groups like the Tenants Law Center is to protecting low-income residents from the predations of dishonest actors.

And as a founding member of my building's Tenants Union, one which has won significant improvements for its members, I can attest to how invaluable B.

Seattle's assistance has been for us.

Please fully restore tenant services so essential organizations like V Seattle, the Tenant Law Center, and Bird Bar Place can continue to support renters and preventing homelessness.

Thank you much.

Have a good rest of your day.

Bye-bye.

Thank you, Carl.

We have no further public comment registrants remotely present, so I'm going to ...

Oh, we've got David Haynes.

David?

Welcome.

And David, I see you registered to speak to the ordinance regarding major institutions, but would you like to just do the general public comment which we are in right now?

What's that?

We're in the budget hearing.

I see that you marked the hearing for the major institutions master plan.

Would you like to just provide public comment on the budget instead?

Yeah, I already sent an email for the other thing.

Fantastic.

Well, with that, my friend, you have one minute, 30 seconds, and take it away at your convenience.

Good afternoon.

All right.

Thank you, counsel.

Counsel should reject this budget out of principle that the mayor has tainted it in the racisms of the ignorant past and regurgitating it with miseducations of hate who've been put in charge to skin color prioritize without judging them.

criminal character of repeat offenders that this budget continues to run interference for and give housing before innocent homeless.

And if you go down the list of all the defund police policies that shifted over $100 million to give to pay off all these protesters that hide behind all these nonprofits, there's a considerable amount of the same bad policies that have exacerbated the efforts in public safety.

And you all have allowed for LEAD and PDA and co-LEAD to constantly get a different allocation of multi-millions of dollars and infiltrate the civilian dispatch and are cheating a whole bunch of innocent homeless and trying to trick the small business community into believing that you're doing the best efforts for their front doorstep, letting them know they can get back to paying the Chamber of Commerce's double, triple, quadruple leases.

Yet the innocent are suffering a lack of capacity that still doesn't have it built into this budget but all of the bad policies that are tainted in racism, that racially discriminate against innocent white houseless citizens, but yet still run interference for evil, black, predatory, drug-seeking criminals is still in the budget.

And you all are getting away with implementing unconstitutional police reform that needs to be investigated by the Department of Justice.

It's shameful what you all have done in the integrity

Thank you, David, and feel free to provide any more additional public comment and email to council at seattle.gov.

Colleagues, we have five minutes until public comment registration is over.

We have a number of folks that are not present, so I'll read their names out right now, and my suggestion is that we stay in having the meeting remain in order until just after 3 p.m.

so that we don't have to leave and return.

We have Tayeb Mohammed, Ronnie Kotha, Joe Malloy, Stu Hennessy, Amanda Locke, Haley Joy, Arlene Hampton, all registered but not present.

For any of those folks, you can call in and remember, you have to look at the second email that you received from registration, that email would have come in between 1.01pm and 1.05pm.

It has a different call-in number than the first email that you received.

And thank you for everyone who called in for working with us through those technical changes, technical difficulties.

Not seeing anyone else coming in.

We've also got three minutes left.

So Seattle Channel, we will just awkwardly sit here until we'll technically be at ease, but leave the cameras on, leave the mics on.

We will be out of ease in four minutes.

We have three o'clock.

Thank you.

We will come out of ease.

We have three o'clock on the computers and our council chambers clock lags by 30 seconds.

So it's ticking over to 3 p.m.

in just a moment.

We are seeing no additional public comment registrants sign up.

And Mr. G, can you confirm that there are no additional public comment registrants present in the background or online?

There are no additional remote public comment registrants either signed up or in the queue.

Thank you.

So seeing as we have reached 3 p.m., the end of registration, I'm gonna make an executive decision at the moment that we will call through these folks at 5 p.m., at the beginning of the public comment period, if they are present.

And if they are not, we will then just move right into the in-person public comment.

Are there any objections, colleagues?

I'm hearing no objections.

We will be in recess until 5 p.m.

Thank you.

We are now in recess.

See you at 5.

Thank you, Chair.