Seattle – Yesterday, Mayor Bruce Harrell signed the City’s 2025-2026 biennial budget into law, totaling $8.5 billion in overall appropriations including $1.9 billion in General Fund.
Responding to a $250 million deficit, the final budget adopted by the City Council includes many of the priority investments areas from the mayor’s proposed budget, which focused on improving public safety, addressing housing affordability and homelessness, uplifting small businesses, and building thriving, healthy communities.
“This budget reflects our continued and steadfast commitment to the residents of Seattle to build a safe, equitable, and thriving city for everyone,” said Mayor Harrell. “As our economy continues to recover from the historically adverse effects of the pandemic, this budget strengthens the essential City services that residents rely upon and drives progress on the urgent priorities of our communities. I am grateful for the ongoing collaboration of the City Council and appreciate the leadership of Budget Chair Dan Strauss to shepherd this process to the finish line. Our efforts now shift to the implementation of these critical investments, and I look forward to the Council’s continued partnership as we work together to build One Seattle.”
“In one of the toughest budget years in recent memory, we’re making record-high investments in the services our community depends on most—including affordable housing and public safety,” said Councilmember Dan Strauss. “Working-class people across our city are facing an affordability crisis. We’re addressing that head on by doubling down on investments in rental assistance, food security, affordable childcare, and more. I want to thank Mayor Bruce Harrell, my Council colleagues, and everyone who showed up to make their voice heard. It’s because of you that these important investments have been made possible.”
The final budget makes a historic investment in affordable housing – $342 million in 2025 and $343 million in 2026 – increases public safety resources across all neighborhoods to keep residents safe, and triples funding to address the opioid crisis and save lives.
Highlights of the 2025-2026 budget include:
- $3.2 million to keep 300 shelter beds open that were previously funded by one-time federal investments and otherwise would have closed.
- $3.5 million to add 23 new positions in the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, expanding services citywide, seven days a week.
- $19.25 million for youth mental health and safety outcomes for Seattle students, advancing the investment strategy announced at the start of the 2024-2025 school year and building on the $12.5 million in ongoing youth investments through the Human Services Department.
- $14.5 million to advance health-focused initiatives to address the fentanyl and synthetic opioid crisis and create pathways to treatment.
- $7.4 million in small business supports, including activating vacant storefronts, supporting access to capital, and more.
- $28 million for Equitable Development Initiative to prevent displacement and support property ownership and capacity building at community-based organizations.
- $1.2 million to more than double Automated School Zone Cameras at 19 school zones to address dangerous speeding and support student safety.
- $3.1 million to establish a Real Time Crime Center to leverage technology to triage and coordinate emergency responses and hire civilian staff to support sworn officers.
- $2.7 million to add firefighter recruits and paramedic students to the Seattle Fire Department.
- $2.5 million to bring new art activations downtown, building on the success of the Downtown Mural Project.
- $2.3 million to expand service hours for the Unified Care Team focused on responding to areas most frequently repopulated with encampments to keep public spaces accessible and welcoming.
- $2 million to increase supportive services for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation on Aurora Avenue and citywide.
- $500K to abate and demolish dangerous vacant buildings with supporting legislation proposed by Mayor Harrell this year to reduce fires and other hazards.
- $350K for a supplemental environmental impact statement to support the One Seattle Plan and identify new housing opportunities in places that already have increased density like Regional and Urban Centers.