SEATTLE – As the Seattle City Council prepares to finalize the city budget this week, public confidence in their ability to deliver results continues to trend downward.
A recent poll by EMC showed council favorability slipping 12 points over the past five months as 54 percent of voters feel the city has gotten “pretty seriously off on the wrong track.” At the same time, a recent study by ECONorthwest for the Seattle Metro Chamber showed special funds for the city’s budget have increased by 30 percent over the past decade, after factoring in inflation and population growth.
“We see members of the Council call for more revenue year after year,” said Alicia Teel, senior vice president of public affairs and communications for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. “Right now, Councilmember Sawant is trying to increase the Council’s payroll tax before it even takes effect. Seattleites have voted to give the City more and more resources, yet members of this Council continue to press new spending ideas driven by ideology rather than the needs of the city.”
The EMC poll found nearly half (45 percent) of Seattle voters report being “frustrated” about homelessness, the top voter concern for multiple consecutive years, while the Council prepares to replace the Navigation Teams it defunded with smaller HOPE Teams.
Additionally, the ECONorthwest study shows a steep rise in the Seattle public employee pension obligations, which have doubled in the past decade to more than $118 million.
Teel said, “It is startling that for a $118 million expense, we’ve heard nothing from this Council about whether there might be better ways to manage the funds as many other cities in our state are doing, and redirect savings to deliver more services to residents and businesses.”
“Our city deserves a council focused on results, not slogans” said Teel. “We are experiencing a deep economic shock from the ongoing pandemic that will require extraordinary collaboration across the region. We need elected leaders to effectively target each dollar of taxes where it can have the most impact for those with the greatest need.”
The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber formed a Fiscal Task Force to work with ECONorthwest to study city budget trends and produce analysis and recommendations, which were released today. A summary of finding and recommendations can be found here.
About the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
The Seattle Metropolitan (Seattle Metro) Chamber of Commerce is the regional business advocacy organization that engages the innovation and entrepreneurship of its 2,400 members to promote inclusive economic prosperity. Founded in 1882 by local business leaders, the Chamber today is an independent organization representing a regional workforce of approximately 750,000. For more information, visit www.seattlechamber.com.