Council Briefing - June 16, 2024

This June 2nd, 2025 Seattle City Council briefing featured **seven councilmembers present** (Moore excused) and covered extensive upcoming legislative business. **Key highlights include:** - **Ten major items** on tomorrow's introduction calendar, including Chief Barnes' police confirmation, surveillance technology updates, and critical housing legislation - **Transportation levy oversight committee appointments** moving forward with Tuesday meeting target - **Comprehensive planning process** beginning with House Bill 1110 implementation - **Interactive media kiosks resolution** facing amendments that could impact project viability - **Significant discussion on chamber disruptions** and public comment procedures **Major departments involved:** SPD, SDOT, Parks, City Light, and Planning. **Timeline pressures** evident around World Cup preparations, levy implementation, and comprehensive plan deadlines.

### Police Chief Confirmation Process **Background:** Chief Sean Fitzgerald Barnes' confirmation has been deliberately extended beyond the typical 30-day window to allow community engagement and operational experience. **Current status:** Confirmation hearing scheduled for June 10th in Public Safety Committee, with Councilmember Kettle emphasizing the value of allowing Barnes to experience Seattle's challenges firsthand before formal review. **Technical details:** - Barnes has handled protests, counterprotests, and a triple homicide during his interim period - Community meetings completed across precincts - Questions submitted from multiple councilmembers for comprehensive review ### Transportation Levy Oversight Implementation **Background:** The newly passed transportation levy requires rapid implementation of oversight structure to begin monitoring expenditures. **Current status:** Second slate of appointments being considered tomorrow, with **18-19 total committee members** including: - Chair (Transportation Committee chair) - Seven district-based council appointments - Five mayoral appointments - Four modal representatives (bike, freight, pedestrian, transit) **Technical details:** Strong preference for auditing and engineering experience, with conflict of interest screening ongoing. ### Comprehensive Plan and Housing Legislation **Background:** House Bill 1110 mandates significant updates to Seattle's zoning and comprehensive planning, with state compliance deadlines approaching. **Current status:** - **Council Bill 120993** implements major neighborhood residential zone updates - Select committee process beginning June 5th with written-only public comment initially - **Timeline pressure** evident with multiple phases planned through summer

### Coalition Patterns Emerging **Key alliances:** - **Kettle-Saka partnership** on regional transportation issues and public safety coordination - **Rivera-Hollingsworth alignment** on community safety and gun violence response - **Strauss leading** on budget reform and Sound Transit fiscal accountability **Strategic positioning:** Council President Nelson's **strong opposition to Amendment B** on kiosk legislation signals broader tensions around project viability versus oversight concerns. ### Power Dynamics at Play **Budget authority consolidation:** Strauss's Select Budget Committee showing increased oversight with **exceptions down to just two departments** - demonstrating tighter fiscal control. **Regional influence:** Seattle's representatives (Saka, Kettle) actively shaping regional transit fare coordination and safety planning, positioning Seattle as regional leader. **Community safety tensions:** Multiple councilmembers addressing **antisemitic incidents nationally** while preparing for **local event security challenges**, showing proactive stance on vulnerable community protection.

### Immediate Opportunities **Tomorrow (June 3rd) Full Council Meeting:** - **Interactive media kiosks resolution** with amendments - contact councilmembers today about Amendment B concerns - **Chief Barnes confirmation** introduction - final opportunity for community input before June 10th hearing **This Week's Committee Meetings:** - **Transportation Committee** (June 3rd, 9:30 AM) - levy oversight appointments - **Select Budget Committee** (June 4th, 9:30 AM) - budget reform and downturn response - **Comprehensive Plan Committee** (June 5th, 9:30 AM) - HB 1110 implementation ### Key Decision Points **Critical timeline items:** - **June 10th:** Chief Barnes confirmation hearing - last chance for formal input - **June 17th:** First transportation levy oversight committee meeting - **Ongoing:** Comprehensive plan public engagement through summer ### Contact Strategies for Maximum Impact **For kiosk legislation:** Contact Council President Nelson and Councilmember Strauss before 2 PM tomorrow **For police confirmation:** Submit questions to Public Safety Committee before June 10th **For comprehensive planning:** Prepare written comments for June 5th and 13th meetings

### Related Policies and Initiatives **Budget reform connections:** - **Exceptions ordinance** showing improved departmental compliance - **Bond repayment strategy** using interest earnings for early payoff - **Five-year budget analysis** (extended to six years due to staffing turnover) **Regional coordination themes:** - **Transit fare simplification** across multiple agencies - **Safety action plan** adoption for injury/death reduction - **World Cup preparation** driving infrastructure timeline pressures ### Upcoming Milestones **June 10th:** Police chief confirmation hearing **June 11th:** Parks committee with golf course contracts and SPU audit **June 12th:** Second kiosk ordinance discussion **June 17th:** Transportation levy oversight committee inaugural meeting

### Budget Implications **Transportation levy oversight:** **$1.55 billion** program requiring immediate governance structure **Kiosk program revenue:** **Significant upfront capital** requirements making term length critical for viability **Sound Transit crisis:** Regional fiscal imbalance threatening **mid-2020s operations** without reform ### Procedural Insights **Executive session:** Legal consultation on pending litigation - standard monthly occurrence **Committee scheduling:** **Staffing shortages** affecting comprehensive plan timeline coordination **Rules revision:** **Proposed 20-minute public comment** formal extension requirement under consideration ### Implementation Challenges **Comprehensive planning:** **State mandate compliance** with local community engagement expectations creating tension **Regional coordination:** **Multiple transit agencies** with different fare structures complicating simplification efforts **Public safety:** **Balancing First Amendment rights** with vulnerable community protection requiring legal framework development **Chamber management:** **Disruption protocols** being refined to balance public participation with orderly governance - ongoing procedural evolution affecting civic engagement access.