Hoping to bridge $200 million budget gap, Seattle City Council makes tough choices

The city of Seattle is finalizing its spending plan for the next two years. The budget process has involved plenty of difficult decisions as the council looks at grim financial projections.

The Seattle City Council started out with a projected $141 million general fund deficit earlier this year. Then Mayor Bruce Harrell delivered his proposed budget in September, which included cuts to many city departments to address the projected shortfall.

The latest revenue forecast was released in early November and showed an additional $82 million gap in the money the city is expected to bring in.

City council budget chair Teresa Mosqueda spoke with Soundside about what's in the city's budget and how the city council intends to make up for budget shortfalls.

"We knew that it was possible that there would be a downturn, but specifically there was a downturn of $64 million in the real estate excise tax," Mosqueda said. "This is funding for projects that are core to our city's infrastructure, capital projects, and transportation."

Mosqueda said that these forecasts have forced realignment to ensure that the council is prioritizing projects currently in the pipeline, like sidewalks, bike lane protection, and housing.

The city council will vote to finalize the budget on Tuesday.