Council Member Debora Juarez’s Statement on Budget
Seattle City Council 5th District Council Member Debora Juarez issued the following statement after the City Council passed the annual budget yesterday.
It is my pleasure to share our tremendous success as we worked to secure critical funding for both District 5 and citywide priorities.
As your representative for District 5, I sponsored $3.1 million in priorities to be added to the budget. I am excited to share that I secured 89% of what I requested. We also achieved a 94.6% success rate for new investments in District 5!
Today, The City Council voted to approve the 2020 City Budget after more than two months of deliberations and public meetings. Some highlights:
Building District 5
- $210,000 for flexible homeless outreach services connecting people experiencing homelessness in North Seattle with appropriate services
- $150,000 for an Aurora/Licton Springs Community Center feasibility study
- $50,000 in capital investments for the new Coyote North cultural and arts center in Lake City that will provide creative space and classes for low-income children
- $500,000 for an interim Fire Station so that our Fire Fighters can continue to serve D5 while we plan the replacement Fire Station 31 near Northgate
Pedestrian Safety
- $200,000 for a new sidewalk on 132nd near Broadview-Thomson K-8 School
- $350,000 to continue the “Home Zones” pilot program in 2020, a new idea to calm traffic, keeping kids and pedestrians safe from cars speeding and cutting through neighborhood streets.
- Hiring an Active Transportation Coordinator at Seattle Public Schools, to help ensure that our children can safely get to and from school
Caring for Our Neighbors
- $1 million to increase the number of tiny house villages and 24/7 shelter beds, in order to shelter our homeless neighbors.
- $750,000 for a rental assistance pilot for individuals age 50 or older who have income limited to federal disability benefits and are at risk of or are currently experiencing homelessness.
- $1 million to support Chief Seattle Club’s services for indigenous peoples who are experiencing homelessness.
- $150,000 to support the culturally relevant programming of Rise Above, a mentorship program for indigenous youth.
- $75,000 to supply menstrual hygiene products and diapers in all emergency shelters.
- $124,000 for a sex industry workers diversion program, and $140,000 to HSD for an outreach program for sex workers
Protecting Seattle
- A transformative $3.5M additional investment in the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. This support will fund case managers assigned to at-risk individuals referred by police officers. This program has been proven by multiple studies to prevent and reduce crime.
- A liaison assigned to work with Native communities regarding Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) cases
- $87,000 to an expert organization, such as the Seattle Indian Health Board, to advise the City on steps that should be taken to address the MMIWG crisis
- $600,000 to increase the size of the next Fire Department recruitment class by 30% in order to fill vacancies more quickly.
Funding Maintained
The Seattle City Council passes a two-year budget in even-numbered years. In odd-numbered years, the Council revisits what was passed the previous year and adjusts as needed. Funding that was previously proposed and endorsed always has the potential to be cut. I worked hard to protect our previous budget wins, including:
- $8 million for the Lake City Community Center
- Funding to continue Seattle Police Department’s “Emphasis Patrols”
- Hiring 40 additional officers and 12 Community Service Officers
- More than $1 million for local non-profits like Aurora Commons, North Helpline, and God’s Little Acre
- Expanding the Navigation Team and adding more mental health specialists
- More than $1 million for pedestrian improvements along Lake City Way
I wish to thank all those who took the time to come down to City Hall, write a letter to the City Council, or work with a community group in order to advocate on behalf of their neighborhood priorities. Your engagement is a huge reason why we had a 94.6 percent success rate in our District 5 budget requests. I am also grateful to Council Budget Chair Sally Bagshaw, who led an efficient and substantive budget deliberation process.
