CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE related to the City’s response to the COVID-19 crisis; amending Ordinance 126237, which adopted the 2021 Budget; changing appropriations to various departments and budget control levels, and from various funds in the Budget; imposing provisos; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts, all by a 3/4 vote of the City Council.
body
WHEREAS, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic, which is particularly severe in high-risk populations such as people with underlying medical conditions and the elderly, and the WHO has raised the health emergency to the highest level requiring dramatic interventions to disrupt the spread of this disease; and
WHEREAS, on February 29, 2020, the Washington Governor issued Proclamation 20-05, proclaiming a state of emergency for all counties throughout the state of Washington in response to new cases of COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, in response to outbreaks of COVID-19 in Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan proclaimed a civil emergency exists in Seattle in the Mayoral Proclamation of Civil Emergency dated March 3, 2020; and
WHEREAS, on March 5, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution 31937 affirming the civil emergency, modifying orders transmitted by the Mayor related to the emergency, and establishing Council’s expectations related to future orders and reporting by the Mayor during the civil emergency; and
WHEREAS, on March 23, 2020, the Governor issued a “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, which, combined with other measures taken to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, effectively closed many businesses in the state of Washington; and
WHEREAS, local companies have reported laying off employees, experiencing substantial 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, the immediate economic impacts from the COVID-19 emergency have been drastic and are expected to last much longer than the civil emergency itself; and
WHEREAS, these impacts are being felt across all industry sectors, including retail, restaurant, hospitality, transportation, logistics, arts, and culture; and
WHEREAS, many people in Seattle continue to struggle with the impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the measures taken to prevent its spread, including unemployment, housing insecurity, and food insecurity; and
WHEREAS, many of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn are being felt disproportionately by Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other communities of color; and
WHEREAS, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for unemployment insurance, health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, many Medicaid programs, or many other social support programs; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle (“City”) recognizes that direct cash assistance to low-income people benefits the greater economy and allows people to make decisions about immediate needs; and
WHEREAS, there remains significant unmet need that is best addressed by providing direct cash assistance to the people of Seattle; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. In order to pay for necessary costs and expenses incurred or to be incurred in 2021, but for which insufficient appropriations were made due to causes that could not reasonably have been foreseen at the time of the making of the 2021 Budget, appropriations for the following items in the 2021 Budget are increased from the funds shown, as follows:
|
Item |
Fund |
Department |
Budget Summary Level |
Amount |
|
1.1 |
General Fund (00100) |
Executive (Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs) |
Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (BO-IA-X1N00) |
$25,000,000 |
|
Total |
$25,000,000 |
Of the funding appropriated to the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (BO-IA-X1N00) Budget Summary Level in the 2021 Adopted Budget, $25,000,000 shall be used (1) for direct financial assistance to Seattle’s low-income households who have experienced the economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 crisis and those disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 public health crisis, and (2) to advise potential recipients of this temporary financial assistance to ensure it will not impact the recipients’ eligibility for, or result in loss of, any other income-tested benefits. Prior to the expenditure of any funds for direct financial assistance, the Executive will partner with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) who have a history of trust and success in reaching historically underserved communities, including immigrant and refugee communities, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, and other communities of color, to provide such assistance, and CBOs who have experience and success in reaching artists and other people who work in the creative industry. The City will prioritize partnering with CBOs that are culturally relevant and historically rooted in, and founded by, communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and have organizational leadership, staff and board composition that reflect the communities they serve, for the purposes of direct grants and/or allocation of grants to communities. CBOs will determine eligibility, including criteria to confirm income eligibility, prioritizing those who experience structural or institutional barriers to accessing support from the government (e.g., language barriers, risk of deportation), and those communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 crises, including artists and other people who work in the creative sector. Requests for documentation of eligibility shall comply with Seattle Municipal Code Section 4.18.015, shall not impose an unnecessary burden on those applying for assistance, and shall not unnecessarily delay the approval and distribution process. Undocumented noncitizens and other noncitizens shall be eligible to receive these funds.
Section 2. Any act consistent with the authority of this ordinance taken after its passage and prior to its effective date is ratified and confirmed.
Section 3. 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 a 3/4 vote of all the members of 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)