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AN ORDINANCE amending Ordinance 126237, which adopted the 2021 Budget, including the 2021-2026 Capital Improvement Program (CIP); changing appropriations to various departments and budget control levels, and from various funds in the Budget; and adding or modifying provisos.
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WHEREAS, Resolution 31962, adopted by the City Council ("Council") on August 10, 2020, stated that the Council would not support any budget amendments to increase the Seattle Police Department's (SPD) budget to offset overtime expenditures above the funds budgeted in 2020 or 2021; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 126257, introduced after adoption of the 2021 Budget, increased SPD's 2020 budget by $5.4 million; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes that SPD would have had sufficient appropriation authority to cover the $5.4 million had it not overspent its overtime budget, due largely to over-deployment of officers during the largely peaceful demonstrations in the summer of 2020, including a deployment of officers that exceeded $10 million in overtime costs in less than 60 days; and
WHEREAS, the Council anticipates that there will be salary savings in SPD's budget in 2021 due to higher than anticipated attrition that has already occurred in October 2020 and may continue to occur during November 2020 and December 2020 and is continuing into 2021; and
WHEREAS, reducing SPD's 2021 appropriation authority offsets the increased authority provided in 2020 and increases funding for non-congregate shelter services that are modeled after the JustCARE pilot program; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council (Council) finds and declares:
A. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) has experienced an unprecedented number of officer separations over the past eight months, culminating in the separation of 186 officers by the end of 2020. In total, SPD had 135 fewer officers than at the start of 2020, with only 51 officers hired, partly resulting fr...
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