Plus, Seattle Public Schools cancels community meetings.
 
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💰 Let’s talk cash

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell proposes 2025-26 city budget
The City of Seattle stands underneath a sunny sky, but still hazy, sky.
The proposed city budget aims to close a $250 deficit. | Photo by Kelly, via Pexels
It’s that time of year again and Seattle’s City Hall is furiously punching calculator buttons — in case you haven’t guessed it yet, we’re talking city budget season.

Mayor Bruce Harrell introduced a proposal for the 2025-26 city budget on Tuesday, Sept. 24 that aims to account for a $250 million deficit while working towards the One Seattle ideal.

The overall budget accounts for $8.3 billion in total, but of course, that will be divvied up between several buckets. So, let’s crunch some numbers and talk about what’s new.

The new stuff

With any city budget comes the announcement of new initiatives. For Seattle, our changes and new projects include (among a vast number of other things):
  • $334 million for affordable housing — a 32% increase from 2023
  • $26.5 million for the CARE Department — a 30% increase from 2023
  • $5.7 million to establish a new Opioid Recovery and Care Access (ORCA) Center
  • $350,000 to expand the Trees for Neighborhoods program + find siting for an eventual One Seattle Tree Nursery
  • Funding for an environmental review to add ~500 housing units (including ownership, rental, and transitional types) to the Fort Lawton site, while adding 20 more acres to Discovery Park

Resolving the deficit

With all of the new projects, the city also still had to resolve its $250 million deficit. To do so, it proposed to eliminate 159 city jobs — half of which are still vacant from a pre-existing hiring freeze. Most of these will come from non-public facing roles like IT and human resources.

Add your public comment

The proposed budget will now go through several rounds of hearings and public comment sessions where locals can add their two cents.

Residents may also write in to their council members at any stage of the process to voice opinions.
     
    Events
    Wednesday, Sept. 25
    • Orville Peck: “Stampede” Tour | Wednesday, Sept. 25 | 6 p.m. | Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville | $100+ | The campy, masked South African singer has collaborated with big-name artists like Willie Nelson, Lady Gaga, and Noah Cyrus.
    • “Palatable Gay Robot” | Wednesday, Sept. 25 | 7 p.m. | Here-After | $25 | In this “equal parts smart and absolutely stupid” performance, a gay robot comes to terms with humanity’s impossible definition of what it means to be “palatable.”
    Thursday, Sept. 26
    • Science After Dark | Thursday, Sept. 26 | 6-8 p.m. | Pacific Science Center | $30+ | Be careful — the butterflies in the Butterfly House might try to steal your drink.
    • Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 | Thursday, Sept. 26-Sunday, Sept. 29 | Times vary | Benaroya Hall | $36+ | Depicting the internal battle between humanity and fate, this work was dedicated to the Russian composer’s best friend.
    Friday, Sept. 27
    Saturday, Sept. 28
    • Sustainable Ballard Festival | Saturday, Sept. 28 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Loyal Heights Community Center | Free | Learn some easy ways to help the planet while enjoying live music, drinks, and DIY projects.
    Events calendar here
    Click here to have your event featured.
     
    News Notes
    Edu
    • Seattle Public Schools canceled all of its upcoming community meetings concerning plans to consolidate schools, saying that it needs more time to reconsider its proposals following initial feedback. A new schedule of meetings will be released soon. (KING 5)
    Featured
    • Ooh, la, la — a Beacon Hill restaurant was just listed on the New York Times’ Restaurant List for 2024, which touts the yummiest places to eat across the US. Familyfriend is well known for its smashburgers, a non-pretentious combination of quality meat, kewpie mayo, and pickles. (New York Times)
    Real Estate
    • Plans for an 11-story Bellevue tower just doubled in height, now standing at 27 stories. Construction is projected to start in 2026 and will take ~36 months to complete. It will include four levels of underground parking and 8,000 sqft of retail space on the first two floors. (Puget Sound Business Journal)
    Sports
    • This Friday, Sept. 27 is Fan Appreciation Night for the Seattle Mariners. Game-goers can enjoy giveaways all night + a fireworks show after the Mariners finish taking on the Oakland A’s. Season Ticket Members will enjoy some bonus perks like an early gate opening and extra team merch opportunities.
    Biz
    • The Seattle Convention Center has a new president and CEO. Jennifer LeMaster is filling the combined role after working at the Georgia World Congress Authority, where she was most recently its Chief Administrative Officer. (Puget Sound Business Journal)
    Eat
    Listen
    • Seahawks players Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II both went down with injuries in the first half of the Miami Dolphins game, but the defense still held strong. Hear from the local experts about what led to their success with Locked On’s daily, Seahawks-focused podcasts.
    Seasonal
    • Ready to bask in the chilly breeze of autumn? KING 5’s Kelly Hanson takes their YouTube show “Local Lens” to Swans Trail Farms for a preview of their Fall Festival activities like the petting zoo, pumpkin patch, apple picking, and more. Take a look.
    Finance
    • Did you know some credit cards can actually help you get out of debt faster? (Yes, it sounds pumpkin-spice bananas. But it’s true.) The secret: Find a credit card with a “0% intro APR” period for balance transfers. Here are hands down some of the best.*
    Number
     
    City

    💡 Like diamonds in the sky

    Seattle’s Third Avenue has new permanent string lights
    A King County Metro bus drives along Third Avenue downtown under several recently installed strings of lights now hovering above the street.
    Believe it or not, this is actually a photo of Seattle, not Paris. | Photo courtesy of King County Metro
    Is Seattle the new “City of Lights?”

    Okay, maybe not — but Third Avenue did just get a little extra sparkle after the city installed new ambient lighting over Third Avenue.

    The new lighting between Stewart and Virginia streets is part of the city’s Downtown Activation Plan, which aims to encourage more locals to spend time in the area.

    Safety is also top of mind with the installation, creating better visibility for the block. The city hopes that with the added lighting, surrounding local businesses will join the effort in beautifying the area with their own additions to store fronts.

    The lights cost the city $50,000 to install with a minimal amount of projected short-term maintenance costs due to the LED lights’ durability.
    The Buy
    Shop the best shoes to pair with your fall wedding guest look, from Nordstrom’s “Wedding Guest” selection:

    🥿 Save your ankles with sparkly Betsey Johnson flats.
    👡 Choose champagne or silver for this five-star rated sandal.
    💎 Add a touch of sparkle to your outfit with jeweled slingbacks.
    👠 Go for style + function with a kitten heel on pointy-toe pumps.
    More worth The Buy
     
    The Wrap
     
    Alina goes to New York and Louisville

    Today’s edition by:
    Alina
    From the editor
    Hi everyone! Didja miss me? I have returned from my travels to Louisville + New York City and brought you back this very real photo of me having a very good time.

    I did actually have a lot of fun having intense stare-offs with giraffes at the zoo with my mom, helping her get a new guinea pig, and stumbling around NYC with my best friend.

    But as you all know — there’s nothing like coming home. I’m happy to be back with you all (and my cat).
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