CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE amending Ordinance 126237, which adopted the 2021 Budget, including the 2021-2026 Capital Improvement Program (CIP); changing appropriations within the Transportation Benefit District Fund; revising project allocations for certain projects in the 2021-2026 CIP; and lifting a proviso.
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WHEREAS, the Seattle City Council formed a Transportation Benefit District in 2010 and imposed a $20 annual vehicle license fee that went into effect in 2011 for transportation purposes; and
WHEREAS, the annual vehicle license fee was increased to a total of $80 per year after Seattle voters approved a six-year measure called Proposition 1 in 2014 that expired at the end of 2020; and
WHEREAS, Seattle voters approved a new Proposition 1 in November 2020 that relies solely on sales tax, thereby leaving only a $20 annual vehicle license fee in effect; and
WHEREAS, after the State Supreme Court struck down statewide Initiative 976’s prohibition on Transportation Benefit District authority to collect vehicle license fees, the Council passed Ordinance 126234, increasing Seattle’s annual Vehicle License Fee from the $20 established in 2010 to $40 in 2021 as pursuant to RCW 36.73.065 and 82.80.140; and
WHEREAS, in Ordinance 126234, the Council expressed its intent that by April 1, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) develop a spending plan for the additional $20 Vehicle License Fee through a “transparent, inclusive, and public stakeholder engagement process that includes input from the Move Seattle Levy Oversight Committee, the city’s transportation boards and commissions, transit equity organizations, and community organizations, particularly those organizations representing communities that are disproportionately reliant on transit, and labor unions whose members are impacted by transportation investments, including Ironworkers, Building Trades, and Laborers”; and
WHEREAS, the proviso in Council Budget Action BLG-042-B-001 specifies that, “Of the appropriation in the 2021 budget for the General Purpose BSL in Finance General, $3.6 million is appropriated solely for transportation purposes and may be spent for no other purpose. Furthermore, none of the money so appropriated may be spent until authorized by future ordinance. Council anticipates that such authority will not be granted until the Seattle Department of Transportation has presented a spending plan for the additional vehicle license fee revenue after conducting a transparent, inclusive, and public stakeholder engagement process”; and
WHEREAS, SDOT convened two meetings with representatives of the above-mentioned stakeholder groups, as well as members of the Transportation Equity Workgroup, hearing a desire for new VLF-funded infrastructure improvements that prioritize safety and accessibility for pedestrians in the most marginalized communities while also supporting training and employment opportunities in the trades; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation submitted the described spending plan to the City Council in conjunction with this ordinance, in accordance with BLG-042-B-001; and
WHEREAS, the Council wishes to implement the described spending plan for 2021; and
WHEREAS, following the unexpected closure of the West Seattle High Bridge in March 2020, the Council requested that the City Auditor review the Department of Transportation’s spending and practices for maintaining the City’s vehicle bridges; and
WHEREAS, the City Auditor’s report on bridges identified maintenance needs for bridges ranked as “poor” and “fair” condition under the Federal Highway Administration ranking criteria, to maintain facilities such as the 2nd Avenue South Extension Bridge, University Bridge, Ballard Bridge and Magnolia Bridge in working condition; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation highlighted the need for replacing aging components on moveable bridges to the Council and in media reports; and
WHEREAS, transportation corridors of regional significance, such as the Ballard Interbay Regional Transportation corridor, rely on Seattle bridge infrastructure to transport goods and people; and
WHEREAS, the Council may wish to consider bond financing as part of its deliberations on the 2022 Budget; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The restrictions imposed by the following budget proviso, which limits spending on the following item, are removed because the conditions set forth in the proviso have been satisfied and they are no longer restrictions for any purpose:
|
Item |
Department |
2021 CBA |
Proviso |
Budget Summary Level |
|
1.1 |
Finance General |
BLG-042-B-001 |
“Of the appropriation in the 2021 budget for the General Purpose BSL in Finance General, $3.6 million is appropriated solely for transportation purposes and may be spent for no other purpose. Furthermore, none of the money so appropriated may be spent until authorized by future ordinance. Council anticipates that such authority will not be granted until the Seattle Department of Transportation has presented a spending plan for the additional vehicle license fee revenue after conducting a transparent, inclusive, and public stakeholder engagement process.” |
BO-FG-2QD00 - General Purpose |
Section 2. Appropriations for the following items in the 2021 Budget are modified as follows:
|
Item |
Department |
Fund |
Budget Summary Level/BCL Code |
Amount |
|
2.1 |
Finance General |
Transportation Benefit District Fund (19900) |
General Purpose (19900-BO-FG-2QD00) |
($3,600,000) |
|
2.2 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
Transportation Benefit District Fund (19900) |
Maintenance Operations (19900-BO-TR-17005) |
$250,000 |
|
2.3 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
Transportation Benefit District Fund (19900) |
Mobility Operations (19900-BO-TR-17003) |
$725,000 |
|
2.4 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
Transportation Benefit District Fund (19900) |
Major Maintenance/Replacement (19900-BC-TR-19001) |
$1,350,000 |
|
2.5 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
Transportation Benefit District Fund (19900) |
Mobility Capital (19900-BC-TR-19003) |
$1,275,000 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
$0 |
Section 3. Project allocations in the 2021-2026 Adopted Capital Improvement Program, which are backed by revenues, are modified as follows:
|
Item |
Department |
Fund |
Budget Summary Level/BCL Code |
CIP Project Name |
2021 CIP Allocations (All Funds) |
|
3.1 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
Transportation Benefit District (19900) |
Major Maintenance/ Replacement (19900-BC-TR-19001) |
Sidewalk Safety Repair (MC-TR-C025) |
(($3,757,917)) $4,257,917 |
|
3.2 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
Transportation Benefit District (19900) |
Mobility Capital (19900-BC-TR-19003) |
Vision Zero (MC-TR-C064) |
(($3,531,320)) $4,656,320 |
|
3.3 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
Transportation Benefit District (19900) |
Mobility Capital (19900-BC-TR-19003) |
SDOT ADA Program (MC-TR-C057) |
(($16,936,621)) $17,086,621 |
|
3.4 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
Transportation Benefit District (19900) |
Major Maintenance/ Replacement (19900-BC-TR-19001) |
Structures Major Maintenance (MC-TR-C112) |
(($1,560,000)) $2,410,000 |
These modifications shall operate for the purposes of decreasing or increasing the basis for the limit imposed by subsection 4(c) of Ordinance 126237.
Section 4. The Seattle Department of Transportation Director is directed to provide to Council a list of transportation projects that could be funded by $100 million of bond financing in 2022. At a minimum, the list shall include a title, short description, and cost estimate for each project. The list should identify the anticipated schedule of capital expenditure by project to inform when bond issuance would be necessary. The project list shall identify a minimum of $75 million of bridge maintenance and bridge repair projects. The project list shall be delivered to Council in writing by September 30, 2021.
Section 5. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its approval by the Mayor, but if not approved and returned by the Mayor within ten days after presentation, it shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Section 1.04.020.
Passed by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2021, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of _________________________, 2021.
____________________________________
President ____________ of the City Council
Approved / returned unsigned / vetoed this ________ day of _________________, 2021.
____________________________________
Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2021.
____________________________________
Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)