Council Briefing - June 16, 2024

This June 17, 2025 Seattle City Council briefing featured **six councilmembers** addressing critical policy items and federal immigration concerns. Key participants included Council President, Councilmembers Rinck, Rivera, Solomon, Strauss, and Hollingsworth, with Councilmembers Saka and Moore excused. **Major Policy Items:** - **EMS Levy renewal** moving to committee Wednesday with 2026-2031 strategic plan - **AI rent price-fixing legislation** introduced to ban algorithmic rent coordination - **Transportation levy oversight** committee appointments - **Comprehensive Plan amendments** with public hearing scheduled June 23rd - **Chief of Police confirmation** for Chief Barnes scheduled for tomorrow **Critical Timeline:** - **June 18th**: Multiple committee meetings including EMS levy discussion - **June 23rd**: Major Comprehensive Plan public hearing (virtual 9:30 AM, in-person 3:00 PM) - **June 25th**: Amendment concepts due to Central Staff

### EMS Levy Renewal Program **Background context**: The Emergency Medical Services levy requires renewal for 2026-2031, representing a critical funding mechanism for Seattle's emergency response capabilities. **Current status**: Moving through expedited process due to time sensitivity, with committee review Wednesday and anticipated council vote shortly after. **Technical details**: - Covers 6-year strategic plan period (2026-2031) - Bypassing typical two-meeting rule due to urgency - All councilmembers receiving individual briefings ### AI Rent Price-Fixing Legislation **Background context**: Addresses algorithmic rent coordination where landlords use software like RealPage to share confidential pricing data and artificially inflate rents. **Current status**: Two identical bills submitted by Councilmembers Strauss and Moore, with Moore's version moving forward on introduction calendar. **Technical details**: - **800,000 Washington leases** affected by RealPage software (2017-2024) - State legislation passed Senate but died in House due to time constraints - Investigation found higher rent increases and vacancy rates in buildings using the software - Modeled after Washington State Senator's bill ### Comprehensive Plan Update Process **Background context**: Major update to Seattle's guiding land use document, with House Bill 1110 compliance requirements for missing middle housing. **Current status**: Public hearing scheduled June 23rd with strict amendment deadlines approaching. **Technical details**: - **June 23rd public hearing**: Virtual sign-up 8:30-10:00 AM, in-person 2:30-6:30 PM - **June 25th deadline**: General amendment concepts due to Central Staff - Committee emphasizing strict timeline adherence due to workload complexity

### Federal Immigration Response Coalition **Key alliances**: Councilmembers Rinck and Hollingsworth leading strong opposition to Trump administration immigration enforcement, with apparent broad council support. **Strategic motivations**: - Positioning Seattle as sanctuary city ahead of potential federal enforcement - Building coalition for potential SPD non-cooperation policies - Using Chief Barnes confirmation as leverage point for immigration policy commitments **Power dynamics**: Council using federal concerns to strengthen local progressive policy positions and test new police chief's alignment with city values. ### Housing Policy Coordination **Key alliances**: Strauss and Moore collaborating on AI rent-fixing despite separate bill submissions, showing unified approach to housing affordability. **Strategic motivations**: - Both councilmembers positioning as housing affordability champions - Coordinated approach suggests broader housing policy alignment - Timing with Moore's departure creates succession planning dynamic ### Budget Reform Implementation **Strategic positioning**: Strauss highlighting budget reform successes with bond early payoff and reduced budget exceptions, building credibility for future fiscal leadership.

### Immediate Opportunities **EMS Levy Input**: - **Wednesday, June 18th, 2:00 PM**: Public Safety Committee meeting - Contact councilmembers before Wednesday with EMS service priorities - Focus on geographic equity and response time improvements **Comprehensive Plan Engagement**: - **June 23rd Public Hearing**: Critical opportunity for neighborhood-level input - **Virtual option**: 9:30 AM (sign-up 8:30-10:00 AM) - **In-person option**: 3:00 PM (sign-up 2:30-6:30 PM) ### Key Decision Points **Chief Barnes Confirmation**: - **Tomorrow's Public Safety Committee**: Opportunity to observe questioning - Immigration enforcement policies likely to be major focus - Community policing and accountability measures under scrutiny **Housing Legislation Timeline**: - AI rent-fixing bill moving to Housing Committee - Contact Housing Committee chair with support/concerns - Link to broader affordability strategy discussions ### Contact Strategies for Maximum Impact **Committee-Specific Outreach**: - **Land Use Committee** (Councilmember Solomon): Focus on zoning and development issues - **Public Safety Committee** (Council President): Emphasize community safety priorities - **Housing Committee**: Target AI rent-fixing and affordability measures **Timing Considerations**: - Comprehensive Plan amendments have **hard deadlines** - early engagement critical - EMS levy on **expedited timeline** - immediate input needed - Chief confirmation happening **tomorrow** - last-minute input opportunity

### Related Policies and Initiatives **Immigration and Public Safety Intersection**: - Sanctuary city ordinances requiring review and potential strengthening - SPD cooperation policies with federal agencies under examination - Community trust and policing effectiveness concerns **Housing Affordability Package**: - AI rent-fixing legislation connects to broader affordability strategy - Missing middle housing requirements from HB 1110 implementation - Comprehensive Plan updates affecting neighborhood character **Budget Reform Implementation**: - Early bond payoff demonstrates fiscal management improvements - Reduced budget exceptions showing better financial controls - Sets precedent for future budget oversight and accountability ### Upcoming Milestones and Deadlines **June 2025**: - **June 18th**: EMS levy committee review - **June 23rd**: Comprehensive Plan public hearing - **June 25th**: Amendment concepts deadline **Ongoing Processes**: - Chief Barnes confirmation and 100-day evaluation period - Transportation levy oversight committee formation - Federal policy response committee coordination with King County ### Cross-Cutting Themes **Community Safety Redefinition**: - Immigration enforcement vs. community policing tensions - EMS services as public safety infrastructure - Neighborhood-level safety through comprehensive planning **Affordability Crisis Response**: - Housing cost intervention through AI rent-fixing ban - Transportation levy impact on household budgets - Comprehensive Plan density requirements vs. displacement concerns

### Budget Implications and Funding Sources **EMS Levy Renewal**: - Six-year funding commitment requiring voter approval - Strategic plan alignment with budget projections needed - Geographic equity considerations for service deployment **Bond Management Success**: - Early payoff using interest earnings from other bonds - Demonstrates improved cash flow management and forecasting - Creates model for future debt service optimization **Budget Exception Reduction**: - Significant decrease in over-budget spending incidents - Improved departmental budget discipline and oversight - Enhanced financial controls and reporting systems ### Procedural Insights and Next Steps **Comprehensive Plan Process**: - **Strict timeline enforcement** due to state compliance requirements - Central Staff workload management requiring early submission deadlines - Amendment process complexity requiring significant advance preparation **Committee Coordination**: - Multiple committees handling interconnected housing and land use issues - Cross-committee briefings needed for comprehensive policy development - Staff volunteer coordination for major public hearings ### Implementation Challenges and Opportunities **Federal-Local Policy Tensions**: - SPD cooperation policies requiring careful legal navigation - Community trust building while maintaining federal law compliance - Resource allocation for sanctuary city policy implementation **Housing Market Intervention**: - AI rent-fixing enforcement mechanisms requiring development - Coordination with state-level legislation and Attorney General enforcement - Market impact assessment and monitoring systems needed **Public Engagement Scaling**: - Major public hearing logistics requiring significant staff coordination - Virtual and in-person hybrid engagement model testing - Community capacity building for complex policy input processes