CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE amending Ordinance 126000, which adopted the 2020 Budget; changing appropriations to the Human Services Department, the Executive Department’s Office of Economic Development, and budget control levels, and from various funds in the Budget, for the purpose of providing financial assistance to small businesses; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
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WHEREAS, on March 3, 2020, Mayor Durkan proclaimed the existence of a civil emergency in the City of Seattle due to confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 in the Seattle area; and
WHEREAS, Public Health - Seattle & King County issued guidance recommending that people at higher risk of severe illness should stay home and away from large groups of people as much as possible, including public places; and
WHEREAS, this guidance is appropriate for public health reasons, but it has economic impacts on small businesses and workers in Seattle; and
WHEREAS, local companies have recently reported laying off employees, experiencing 50 percent revenue losses, dealing with lost business due to fear and stigma, and seeing major declines in foot traffic as tens of thousands of employees are being asked to work from home; and
WHEREAS, these impacts are being felt across all industry sectors, including retail, restaurant, hospitality, transportation, logistics, arts and culture, and many more; and
WHEREAS, the economic impact may have long-term, dynamic, and unpredictable local and regional consequences, necessitating the City to act and plan accordingly; and
WHEREAS, a number of City departments have convened meetings with partners to strategize immediate interventions for affected local small businesses and displaced workers; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council wish to redirect City resources to aid small businesses; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The appropriations for the following items in the 2020 Budget are modified as follows:
|
Item |
Fund |
Department |
Budget Summary Level |
Amount |
|
1.1 |
Human Services Fund (16200) |
Human Services Department |
Supporting Affordability & Livability (BO-HS-H1000) |
($1,416,298) |
|
|
General Fund (00100) |
Executive (Office of Economic Development) |
Business Services (BO-ED-X1D00) |
$1,416,298 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
$0 |
Section 2. Any act consistent with the authority of this ordinance taken prior to its effective date is ratified and confirmed.
Section 3. The Council requests that the Office of Economic Development (OED) prioritize racial equity as OED develops a process to award grants from the Small Business Stabilization Fund. Additionally, the Council requests that OED provide a report regarding the distribution of grants from the Small Business Stabilization Fund to the Chair of the Community Economic Development Committee by July 31, 2020. The report should include, but not be limited to: the total number of applicants and, of those applicants, the number that were eligible; the number of eligible applicants and total grant award amounts by City Council district; the number of applications received from and total grant amounts awarded to business owners with limited English proficiency; a description of OED’s outreach efforts to businesses owned by immigrants and refugees, including any translated materials; and a description of the process OED used to determine which businesses received grant awards.
Section 4. 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 _________________________, 2020, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of _________________________, 2020.
____________________________________
President ____________ of the City Council
Approved by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2020.
____________________________________
Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2020.
____________________________________
Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)