Seattle officials outline $30 million federal-backfill plan for food, housing and immigrant services

Seattle officials on Sept. 25 told the City Council’s Select Budget Committee they are proposing to use up to $30 million in proceeds from the proposed business-and-occupation (B&O) tax to protect local food access, housing and immigrant and refugee services from likely federal cuts. The proposal, presented by Deputy Mayor Greg Wong and department directors, would direct the money into three priority “buckets”: food access, housing and shelter services, and immigrant and refugee supports. Wong said the proposal is a risk assessment rather than a precise prediction of federal actions: “We are not dealing with a, necessarily logical or coherent federal government at this time.” The funding matters because city leaders say federal proposals and agency actions could sharply reduce assistance that many Seattle residents rely on. The executive’s package would expand the Fresh Bucks program, increase funds for food banks and prepared-meal programs, add emergency rental assistance and a reserve for shelter, and enlarge legal and workforce supports for immigrant and refugee communities. Deputy Mayor Greg Wong framed the work as a near-term mitigation strategy tied to the Seattle Shield Initiative, the B&O-tax-funded program the council forwarded to voters. He told the committee the third B&O “bucket” could provide “up to $30,000,000 in proceeds that may be used to mitigate the impact of federal funding decisions.” Office…