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SeaTac begins FIFA planning: city manager to convene working group, seeks study session on lodging‑tax and event readiness
Summary
City Manager Jonathan Yang asked council to authorize staff planning for FIFA activities, described economic estimates and proposed an internal working group and council study session; council asked for tangible deliverables before commitments.
City Manager Jonathan Yang told the SeaTac City Council the city is preparing for the FIFA World Cup and asked for direction to form an internal working group and schedule a council study session on event readiness and funding options.
Yang said the city will convene project managers across departments and return to the council with a study-session presentation. "As we sit here, there are 484 days until FIFA arrives," Yang told the council, and he cited draft regional estimates the city had received: roughly 750,000 visitors to the region, an estimated $929,000,000 regional economic impact, $106,000,000 in state and local tax receipts, and an estimated 20,000 or more jobs created in the region. He said the city has appointed interim public works director Florendo Capy Hargro as the project manager for SeaTac—s internal planning effort.
Yang proposed a FIFA kickoff and internal working group and asked council permission to pursue outreach with partner agencies and to return with timelines and deliverables. Several council members supported information-gathering but emphasized the city should not promise commitments without tangible benefits for SeaTac. Councilmember Lavell said he may need to recuse from decisions because of another role he holds; Councilmember Lovell asked staff to provide visual project timelines (for example a Gantt chart) showing tasks that must be advanced before the event.
Yang recommended a council study session focused on hotel lodging tax (the city received a council referral on whether hotel lodging tax funds can be used for FIFA) and financing options for civic projects tied to the event. He said staff will bring scope, budgeting and sequencing options for council review. No binding commitments were made at the meeting; the council approved staff proceeding to plan and to bring a study session and materials back to the full council for consideration.
