Budget committee unanimously recommends 2026 Seattle budget with investments in housing, safety and transit

The Seattle Select Budget Committee voted unanimously Nov. 20 to recommend the 2026 budget ordinance and a related set of council changes to the full City Council, advancing a package the chair said focuses on affordability, homelessness response, public safety and fiscal responsibility.

Chair Dan Strauss, who presided over the select committee, said the package before the committee reflects months of work and community engagement, including 17 committee meetings and two public hearings. "The budget that we're passing today focuses on affordability in the city, addressing homelessness, increasing public safety, building community between one another, and also fiscal responsibility," Strauss said.

Central staff reported they had compiled collective bargaining agreements, council budget actions and provisos into the official court file and found no further technical adjustments were required before the committee vote.

Key investments cited by committee members include…