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Mayor Harrell’s office transmits balanced 2026 budget proposal to Seattle City Council
Summary
Mayor Bruce Harrell’s administration formally transmitted a proposed 2026 city budget to the Seattle City Council on Sept. 23, highlighting record investments in affordable housing, homelessness response, and workforce supports while pledging information-sharing as the council begins its review.
Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed 2026 budget was formally transmitted to the Seattle City Council on Sept. 23, presented to the council by Andrew Myerberg, the mayor’s chief of staff.
The proposal, Myerberg said, is “a balanced budget proposal” that increases investments in affordability, homelessness responses, public safety and public health, and stabilization programs for renters and small businesses. He told council members the mayor’s office and City Budget Office stand ready to provide analysis and information as councilmembers develop amendments and finalize the budget.
Myerberg said the administration took contingency measures earlier in the year, including a hiring freeze, limits on travel and training, and department spending controls, after a spring revenue forecast and federal funding uncertainty. “Today, it is my privilege to present Mayor Harrell’s balanced budget proposal to council,” he said.
The mayor’s proposal as presented includes: a record-level investment in affordable housing; a program described as bringing housing equity to people subject to historic discrimination; a wage increase for human services providers; an expanded small-business fund; additional non-congregate shelter and wraparound services; funding intended to protect shelters against potential federal cuts; increased funding for crisis-response personnel and 9-1-1 dispatchers; additional hires for Seattle Fire Department recruits; and expanded investments in substance use, mental health, and diversion programming.
The proposal also calls for a substantial increase in the city’s wireless budget and for expanded emergency rental assistance and incentives tied to fresh food access. Myerberg said the administration and the council worked together on a proposed business tax restructuring for the November ballot and that the budget aims to avoid layoffs or cuts to core services.
Council President Sarah Nelson moved to accept and file the mayor’s formal budget transmittal (Clerk File 314543). The motion passed on a recorded roll call vote of 9-0.
The council now begins a fast review and amendment process ahead of the fall budget schedule; Myerberg said the mayor’s office and budget staff will supply data requested by councilmembers to inform tradeoff decisions.
Why this matters: The transmittal starts the council’s formal review process and sets the street-level priorities the executive intends to fund. Acceptance of the file does not approve any spending; it simply records receipt of the mayor’s proposal and begins the council’s budget deliberations.
What happens next: Councilmembers will review the proposal and introduce amendments during the budget process in the weeks ahead. The council’s next regular meetings and a scheduled budget public hearing will occur during October as the council moves toward adoption of the 2026 budget.
