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Once a year, I get the chance to present my proposed budget plan to the City Council and the people of Seattle.
On Monday morning, I used that opportunity to travel to Franklin High School to join community members, City employees, City Councilmembers, and the amazing students and staff of Franklin to announce my 2020 Proposed Budget for Seattle.
 Our budget reflects the present and future we want for the people of Seattle, and for our youth, like the students who were there with me on Monday. My budget keeps the lights on - and invests in progress on some tough problems for Seattle. Along with delivering the basis services that residents rely on ? from picking up the garbage to delivering clean electricity to plowing the snow to filling the potholes to keeping people and goods moving during the Seattle Squeeze ? my budget would invest in:
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Expanding opportunity for young people. That includes supporting two years of free college for all Seattle public school graduates through our Seattle Promise College Tuition Program and nearly doubling our investments in our Child Care Assistance Program to serve 600 more families.
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Building safer, more just communities. My budget takes steps like: adding new police officers and expanding our Community Service Officer program and supporting community-based emphasis patrols, so there?s more officers walking and biking in communities they serve. And it renews our commitment to not just community-based policing, but to true public safety and shared opportunity ? like free transit, college and jobs, and restorative justice and youth safety.?
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Addressing the homelessness crisis. The City is doing more than ever to help our neighbors who are living unsheltered. We?ve created greater accountability, we?ve helped more people, and for the first time since 2012, the annual Point in Time Count show a decline in the number of people experiencing homelessness. My budget invests to keep that progress going. But still, too many of our neighbors are suffering. So this budget will make historic investments in a new era and a new approach of a single unified regional response that will help prevent people from falling into homelessness in the first place ? and help connect people with housing and services.?
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This budget makes new, unprecedented in housing in Seattle. This budget makes new, unprecedented investments in housing in Seattle.?This summer, I announced the ?Housing Seattle Now? initiative ? a new surge of investments in both low- and middle-income housing. With my budget, we have a chance to keep that momentum going. We can invest over $78 million from the sale of the Mercer properties to build and support more affordable housing and prevent displacement. And as I wrote you earlier this month, I am proposing my ?Fare Share? plan to so Uber and Lyft drivers can make a minimum wage, and so we can invest another $52 million in housing near transit. My budget also takes advantage of a new state law to invest an additional $25 million in more housing across Seattle.
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Creating a more connected city with more safe transportation choices. We simply don?t have enough transit, and we don?t have enough safe, affordable, and reliable options for people to get around ? no matter where you live. That's why my budget invests in critical steps like new safety, bike, pedestrian, and transit improvements; supports free ORCA cards for students and our low-income neighbors; invests in more Metro bus service; supports a goal of 90 new blocks of bus-only lanes; and invests in new first-last mile connections to transit, new protected bike lanes, and better (and more) sidewalks.
 Click here to learn more about my 2020 Proposed Budget, watch video from Monday?s event, and explore our proposed budget itself.
Seattle is changing. And with our budget, we can decide what kind of city we want to be. As I said Monday, it?s time to once again to turn our progressive values into action ? action that does the most good for the most people. I look forward to working with the City Council to cement this plan as a guide for our work in the coming year.
I value your input and hope to hear from you on our shared priorities in my 2020 budget plan for Seattle. Please continue to write me at?[email protected], reach out via?Twitter?and?Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we?re doing for the people of Seattle on?my?blog.
Sincerely,
 
On Tuesday, Mayor Durkan signed into law her plan to renew and expand the?program that provides affordable rent to nearly 4,500 low- and middle-income households in private apartment buildings in neighborhoods across Seattle. The Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) program was set to expire in December 2019, and with this renewal the program is expected to?add up to 1,300 new affordable homes by 2022, and also includes steps to protect MFTE tenants from high rent increases.??
 Mayor Durkan also held a swearing in ceremony for one of the newest leaders at the City of Seattle, Emily Alvarado, the Mayor?s pick to serve as the permanent Director of the Office of Housing.
 Alvarado, who was nominated by Mayor Durkan earlier this month after serving as Interim Director since July, was confirmed unanimously by the City Council earlier this week. For the past five years, Emily lead on policy in the Office of Housing as the Manager of Policy and Equitable Development.??
Emily is passionate about creating a more affordable, inclusive Seattle for all our neighbors, and she is committed to centering racial equity and social justice.
Mayor Durkan was joined by community members on Tuesday as she signed her new Executive Order to affirm and advance the City of Seattle?s commitment to economic inclusion and contracting equity, and expand the City?s outreach to women- and minority-owned businesses (WMBE).
 "As a large buyer in our local economy, we have a responsibility to use our purchasing power to help small businesses that have been historically underserved and underused,? said Mayor Durkan. ?With this Executive Order, we?re doing more to help women- and minority-owned businesses thrive in Seattle. And we?re setting ambitious goals and lasting processes to make sure that we?re fulfilling our commitment to this community.?
Earlier this week, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced an important milestone for Seattle: The demolition of the double-deck portion of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is now complete!
 Click here to watch an incredible time lapse video from WSDOT of the viaduct demolition.
Lifelong AIDS Walk: Saturday, September 28
This year marks the 33rd anniversary for the Seattle AIDS Walk, and funds raised will continue to support HIV prevention and care services for people living with or affected by HIV. Historically, AIDS Walks were held to honor lives lost by the disease and walk in hope for a cure. Today we care for the health and well-being of individuals living with the disease and help them live the fullest life possible. We also know that increased testing and treatment can prevent new infections, which is why we provide education and outreach to communities at greatest risk of infection.
Indigenous Showcase @ NWFF: Now ? Nov 9
Northwest Film Forum partners with Tracy Rector to present this ongoing series showcasing emerging talents in Indigenous communities. This exciting program exemplifies how Native American and Indigenous filmmakers are at the forefront of the industry, successfully establishing a dialogue and creating images that challenge and change long established cultural attitudes towards indigenous culture.
Walk to End Alzheimer?s: Saturday, September 28
Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer?s? is the world?s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer?s care, support and research. This inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the fight against the disease!
 For this edition?s recommended read, we encourage you to read an op-ed in the Seattle Times by Gary Locke and former King County Executive Ron Sims about Seattle?s homelessness crisis, and the need for a regional authority to help address this challenge.
As former executives of King County, we know firsthand that past local efforts have been well intentioned, but our fragmented and siloed approach has failed to address a problem of this complexity and scale. Now we know what needs to be done to make this work.
The first step is to form a regional homelessness authority that consolidates funding and policy, makes services accessible countywide, brings a diverse set of voices and perspectives together to inform solutions, and uses real-time data to drive action ? all to make significant reductions in people experiencing homelessness. It is time for King County to come together as a region around an approach that works for us ? one that, as The Seattle Times editorial board recently pointed out, will help us better understand the scope and complexities of this issue and make for a more effective response.
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