Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Review topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council Central Staff previews six-year budget review to aid 2026 budget process
Summary
Council Central Staff presented a six-year review of Seattle's budget (base year 2019) to give councilmembers longer-term perspective on departmental spending, fund sources (general fund, Jumpstart, other), and staffing trends; staff offered follow-ups and attachments for the upcoming budget cycle.
Seattle — Council Central Staff presented a six-year review of the city's budget to the Finance, Native Communities & Tribal Governments Committee on Sept. 17, 2025, offering a longer-term view to support the 2026 budget process.
Ben Noble, director of Council Central Staff, said the report builds on last year’s five-year analysis and uses 2019 as a base year because the city's financial system conversion around 2018–19 makes comparisons before that date challenging. "This document ... really builds on the work that was done last year," Noble said, describing department-by-department comparisons at the budget summary level to show how expenditures and funding sources have changed over six years.
Noble explained the review groups funds into three broad categories — the general fund, Jumpstart, and other funds (including grants and earned revenues) — and offers charts and tables that break spending down by budget summary level (BSL) and by funding source. He used the legislative department and the Human Services Department as examples to show how the tool presents dollar and percentage changes and how Jumpstart allocations and federal grant funding appear in the charts.
Councilmembers noted inflation should be considered when comparing multi-year changes; Noble acknowledged inflation explains a substantial portion of multi-year increases and staff can incorporate an inflation line if requested. Noble said staff will make the report available in Legistar and that central staff are available for deeper, department-level follow-ups during the fast-moving budget window.
What it means
The six-year review is intended to give councilmembers historical context beyond year-to-year comparisons so they can assess longer-term trends in spending, funding sources, and staffing as they review the mayor's budget. The review is informational and will be attached to the budget record for use in upcoming deliberations.
Next steps
Central staff will attach the document to the budget record in Legistar and are available to meet with councilmembers for department-specific questions ahead of the committee's budget work next week.
