CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to appropriations for the Human Services Department; amending Ordinance 126237, which adopted the 2021 Budget; modifying a proviso imposed by Ordinance 126298; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
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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 the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); and
WHEREAS, on March 3, 2020, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan proclaimed a civil emergency in Seattle; 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 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 is officially a global pandemic; and
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a national state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, on December 11, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization for a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, which allowed the vaccine to be distributed in the United States. Days later, the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in King County, which were administered to front-line healthcare workers. As of May 3, 2021, the county’s vaccination efforts have resulted in the administration of approximately 1,225,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle has administered more than 230,000 vaccinations, totaling at least 128,000 individuals, 48 percent of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC); and
WHEREAS, working with Public Health-Seattle & King County, as of May 25, 2021, more than 76 percent of Seattle residents have begun the vaccination process, and 60 percent are fully vaccinated; and
WHEREAS, on January 5, 2021, the Governor announced “Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery,” a COVID-19 phased recovery plan. Under this plan, a region in the state may move into a new phase, forward or backward, depending upon whether metrics measuring the region’s community disease levels and health system capacity meet state Department of Health criteria; and
WHEREAS, on March 22, 2021, the Puget Sound region, including King County, moved to Phase 3 of the plan, which permits indoor dining, retail, fitness, and worship services at 50 percent capacity, as well as at-home social gatherings limited in size. Further, on May 21, 2021, the Washington Governor issued Proclamation 20-25.13, amending Proclamations 20-05 and 20-25, memorializing moving all counties to Phase 3 as of May 18, 2021; and
WHEREAS, King County’s Department of Community and Human Services has demonstrated success utilizing hotels to provide non-congregate shelter to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with its funding of the JustCARE program and use of hotels to deintensify and increase social distancing for people utilizing shelters operated by the Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC) and Catholic Community Services; and
WHEREAS, The State of Washington in its 2021-2023 Biennial Budget and 2021 Supplemental Budget has appropriated a total of $10 million to reimburse local governments for expenditures on non-congregate shelter that is in operation prior to June 30, 2021 when those governments are not successful in using federal funds to support those expenditures, and
WHEREAS, additional resources to provide additional non-congregate shelter will help address the needs of people experiencing homelessness and support reopening of businesses and other activities in neighborhoods throughout Seattle; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The restriction imposed by the following budget proviso in Ordinance 126298, which limits spending on the following item, is modified as follows:
“Of the appropriation in the 2021 budget for the Addressing Homelessness Budget Summary Level (HSD-BO-HS-H3000) in the General Fund (00100) and notwithstanding powers provided to the Mayor by Section 3 of the Proclamation of Civil Emergency dated March 3, 2020, (($12,000,000)) $9,000,000 is appropriated solely to provide non-congregate shelter in hotel rooms, tiny home villages, and non-congregate enhanced shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness ((who are at increased risk for contracting or having severe outcomes from COVID-19 using a competitive procurement process and obtaining federal approval or pre-approval for the program, if necessary,)) and may be spent for no other purpose, and $3,000,000 is appropriated solely to increase funding in 2021 for the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program (LEAD) and may be spent for no other purpose.”
Section 2. Statement of Intent. By establishing this Section 2, the Council expresses the following policy intent:
A. The Council requests that the Human Services Department expend these funds expeditiously to provide critical services to people experiencing homelessness and to support reopening activities throughout Seattle. In doing so, the Department should, either directly or in collaboration with King County, enter into a contract with a homelessness or human services agency for the agency to acquire access to hotel rooms to operate as emergency shelter and provide the supportive services and outreach for individuals who would utilize the shelter, similar to the models piloted by JustCARE and CoLEAD.
B. The Council will consider an interfund loan through future legislation to support these expenditures if deemed necessary to ensure that expenditures and revenues are balanced before the end of 2021.
Section 3. Any act consistent with the authority of this ordinance taken after its passage and prior to its effective date is ratified and confirmed.
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 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.
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President ____________ of the City Council
Approved / returned unsigned / vetoed this ________ day of _________________, 2021.
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Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2021.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)