Action Alert: Fight for a 2025-2026 Seattle City Budget that aligns with your values!
- clara
- Nov. 8, 2024
Like many of you, we're still processing the results of the national election, and we will have more thoughts in our upcoming newsletter. Locally, we’re celebrating the landslide victory of Prop 1, Seattle’s transportation levy! Seattleites want to invest in a safe, sustainable, and accessible transportation system for everyone. Huge thanks to everyone who worked on the campaign.
Yet despite Seattle voters having spoken loud and clear, Seattle City Council is trying to cut the ADA program and reverse safety improvements. See below for details.
- Speak during the Public Budget Hearing on Tuesday, Nov 12 at 5:00 pm (in-person or virtual options).
- Email Seattle City Council now using this easy form.
- Share this Action Alert with 3 friends. Word of mouth is the best form of advocacy.
What’s happening: Seattle City Council is currently finalizing the 2025-2026 city budget, and they need to hear from you! Seattle Neighborhood Greenways is pushing the City Council to pass a budget that better reflects our shared values of safety, equity, and sustainability. Right now, they’re not. We’re telling City Council:
- No cuts to Accessibility. There is a massive backlog to make our streets accessible for everyone. Funding from the newly passed transportation levy will make large investments in accessibility, but unfortunately the City Council is proposing to cut some of existing ADA funding in the mayor’s proposed budget. The levy is meant to be additive, not a replacement for existing funds.
- Don’t undo valuable safety projects. An amendment proposed by Councilmember Saka would spend $2M of taxpayers' dollars to remove a safety barrier that prevents an illegal left turn into a parking lot on Delridge Way SW. Traffic safety barriers prevent the hitting and killing of pedestrians.
- Do not hold Levy funding hostage. Council already approved this levy proposal in July before sending the package to voters. But now they're proposing a proviso on half the levy, or $89M. This would delay SDOT hiring new staff and hinder their ability to advance projects quickly in 2025, and holds hostage funding that voters just approved by a landslide.
- Automated camera revenue needs to go back into traffic safety. The 2025 budget includes an expansion of automated school zone speed cameras while diverting revenue from automated enforcement away from physical street improvements that keep kids safe on their way to school. Any automated enforcement cameras should be a temporary solution, and all revenue should go towards physical street improvements.
- We also stand in support of the Solidarity Budget Coalition’s push against austerity budgeting. We need to shift funding from criminalization to invest in community needs and pass new progressive revenue to adequately fund our city’s needs. See here for more details.
Thank you for your continued advocacy!