Mayor's 2026 proposal funds downtown activation team, graffiti-abatement staff to expand cleaning and prevention

SDOT presented the proposed 2026 budget elements that would expand downtown cleaning, trash mitigation, and graffiti-abatement work.

The department said the mayor's proposal adds over $4,000,000 in general-fund support and 16 positions for a downtown activation team focused on daily cleaning, trash mitigation and alley/street/sidewalk cleaning and deodorizing. SDOT said the expansion would extend routine cleaning into additional neighborhoods such as Pioneer Square, Pike Pine, and the Chinatown-International District.

On graffiti, SDOT described participation in the mayor's interdepartmental (IDT) 1 Seattle Graffiti Plan alongside Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Office of Arts and Culture. SDOT said the proposed budget adds five FTE to remove graffiti in the public right-of-way and on transportation assets and that the IDT will use murals and activation strategies on large retaining walls and other surfaces to help prevent future tagging.

"This is 1 of the reasons why our general fund increase occurred in the mayor's proposed budget by adding 5 FTE to support this important work," SDOT's presenter said. The department described coordination with partners on programming to activate public spaces and reduce repeat vandalism.

Ending: SDOT said it will follow direction from the mayor's office IDT on sequencing and frequency; committee members asked for details on overlap with Business Improvement Areas and existing community cleaning contracts, and SDOT said it would provide follow-up scheduling and scope details.