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Seattle council sends $479.8 million library levy to August ballot after unanimous amendment vote
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Summary
Seattle City Council voted unanimously April 14 to amend and send a roughly $479.8 million library levy renewal to voters, with council members framing the measure as an investment in services, seismic work and digital access even as some voiced affordability concerns.
A majority of the Seattle City Council voted April 14 to send a renewed library levy to the August 4 ballot after adopting a technical amendment that updated the levy total to roughly $479,760,000.
The council adopted amendment A to council bill CB121181 by an 8–0 roll-call vote before voting to pass the measure as amended, also by 8–0. Eric McConaughey of central staff confirmed the corrected figure on the dais.
The measure would authorize the city to levy property taxes for up to seven years to sustain investments in library hours, collections, technology, programming, maintenance and a seismic retrofit of one facility. Yasmin Mehdi, president of the Seattle Public Library Board of Trustees, told the council she was “really here to thank you for all your work on the library levy proposal” and described libraries as “lifelines” that provide free tools and resources.
Council members framed the vote in different terms during floor debate. Council member Foster said the median homeowner would pay about $191 a year under the amended levy and urged council members to make that context clear for voters. “That breaks down to about $16 a month,” Foster said. Council member Rivera, who sponsored the technical amendment, said the levy had been adjusted after a series of amendments and that the updated figure needed to be reflected in the ballot language.
Several council members acknowledged concerns about affordability. Rivera noted that while $191 per year may appear modest, combined with other levies and taxes it adds to the overall tax burden for homeowners and renters alike. “When you combine all the taxes together … it starts to add up,” she said. Council member Strauss and others emphasized the constraints of state levy rules and the need to press for reforms in Olympia to avoid repeated ballot asks.
With the council vote, the amended levy will be placed on the August 4 ballot for voter consideration. The council recorded the bill as passed and the chair signed the ordinance for transmittal to the ballot process.
The next procedural step is for the city to finalize ballot materials and for campaigns and public education to proceed ahead of the August election.
