CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE authorizing the loan of funds from the Construction and Inspections Fund to the General Fund.
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WHEREAS, on November 2, 2015, the Mayor proclaimed a civil emergency to address the homelessness crisis in the City of Seattle; and
WHEREAS, on November 3, 2015, the City Council adopted Resolution 31630, ratifying and confirming the Mayoral Proclamation of Civil Emergency; and
WHEREAS, the civil emergency to address the homelessness crisis is still in effect today; and
WHEREAS, the City imposed a new payroll expense tax through Council Bill 119810 on the largest businesses that will provide new revenues to allow the City to make immediate cash assistance available to those households most impacted by the COVID-19 civil emergency; and
WHEREAS, the City intends to make $14 million of community and research investments through Amendments 33 and 34 to Council Bill 119825; and
WHEREAS, the City is contemplating a series of cuts and provisos are intended to require the City to lay off 100 sworn officers in 2020; and
WHEREAS, the City intends to maintain a hiring freeze in 2021 and beyond, leading to significant budget savings in 2021 and beyond; and
WHEREAS, the City anticipates repaying the interfund loan principal and interest using 2021 General Fund revenues that are expected to be available from a reduction to the Seattle Police Department's (SPD) budget attributable to laying off 100 sworn officers in 2020 and then continuing a hiring freeze through at least the end of 2021; and
WHEREAS, in the unlikely event that there are not sufficient 2021 savings from SPD's budget, the City intends to allocate an additional amount from the 2021 City Payroll Tax revenues to fully repay the interfund loan principal and interest; and
WHEREAS, regarding use of the proceeds of these interfund loans for an emergency response to the COVID-19 civil emergency, the City Council has determi...
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