Following The Seattle City Council’s approval of the city budget Nov. 21, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rachel Smith issued the following statement:
“Seattleites should give two thumbs up to Mayor Bruce Harrell, Budget Chair Dan Strauss, and the entire Seattle City Council for the smart and responsible budget they approved today. It funds priorities like retaining shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness, investing in downtown Seattle, funding the largest affordable housing budget in history, and bolstering public safety through our crisis response teams, including police, fire, Health 99, and CARE. We thank them for their hard work and look forward to seeing these investments deliver for the people in our great city.”
“And while nothing elicits strong opinions and advocacy from community voices – including ours – like a budget process does, it is important to close this biennial chapter with a reminder of three facts. One, today the city of Seattle has the most tax revenue it has had in the history of the city. Two, Seattle’s Office of Housing will see the most funds appropriated to the department, ever – nearly five times the amount the City spent on housing annually pre-pandemic. Three, the 2025-26 biennial budget is the largest budget in the city’s history and is a net increase from last year’s budget. Despite these facts, debates about the need for new revenue swirled – even without concrete plans to get results with additional tax revenue. Government levying taxes is a means to an end, not an act of righteousness, and it is prudent these did not move forward at this time.”
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About The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
The Seattle Metropolitan (Seattle Metro) Chamber of Commerce is a regional business advocacy organization that helps our 2,500 members thrive in an equitable and inclusive regional economy. 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.