Seattle (December 1, 2020) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today signed the City’s 2021 Adopted Budget into law. After proposing a 2021 budget in September, the 2021 Adopted Budget comes after City Council consideration and the City Budget Office issued an updated economic forecast for 2020 and 2021 that added $57 million in net new revenue. The Mayor’s letter to City Council outlining additional priorities can be found here.
“Seattle faced the most challenging year in its history, and this year’s budget process was unprecedented on several fronts. Even among significant barriers, we put together a budget that makes truly historic investments in communities of color, lays the groundwork for an equitable recovery, and reflects our values for the future of Seattle,” said Mayor Durkan. “In September, I outlined four key priorities for the City’s 2021 budget: Continuing to invest in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic; making the City’s largest-ever investment in racial equity and justice; addressing our homelessness and housing crisis; and advancing public safety while transforming policing. I’m grateful that these priorities carried through the entire budget process, as they’re crucial for our work to become a more equitable and just city as we navigate and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. As we approach the end of a long and difficult year, I believe we’ve turned a corner and can make collaborative, data-driven decisions that advance our shared policy goals on the city’s toughest challenges.”
The 2021 Adopted Budget totals $6.5 billion and makes significant new investments in communities of color, affordable housing and homelessness, and community-based public safety responses. Key investments include:
- For the first time in Seattle’s history, the City’s Adopted Budget includes $100 million in new investments in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities;
- Continued investments in COVID-19 response such as citywide testing sites and relief programs for residents and small businesses;
- A record $167 million to address our City’s homelessness crisis. These investments will create new shelter spaces, including the temporary use of hotel rooms. In addition, it will maintain over 2,300 existing spaces, of which 2,100 will be in enhanced shelters and tiny home villages;
- A 15 percent reduction to the Seattle Police Department’s budget as compared to the 2020 Adopted Budget. These reductions include transferring the 911 Call Center and Parking Enforcement Unit out of SPD, while reducing the size of the force largely through eliminating vacant positions caused by historic attrition;
- Expanded and continued investments in community safety alternatives such as Health One, mental health professionals, and Community Service Officers; and
- $3 million invested in a new Clean Cities Initiative to address garbage and other waste that has accrued in parks and other public spaces over the last several months.