Foster's housing slate goes beyond $10 million: a $1 rental fee shift, Do Not Solicit fines and a 50 percent JumpStart target

Councilmember Dionne Foster released her full set of housing proposals for the 2027-2028 budget on Tuesday, in a Council news release. The headline item, $10 million more for the Office of Housing, has drawn the most attention. The rest of the slate would change smaller rules that touch renters, homeowners and affordable housing providers directly.

"Seattle needs more affordable homes, and we need to keep people in the ones they already have," co-sponsor Alexis Mercedes Rinck said in the release. Foster said the city ends up diverting JumpStart money "when we fail to plan for long-term spending."

We have covered two pieces already: the $10 million ask and the JumpStart carry-forward amendments. Here is what the Central Staff packets show about the others.

1. A fee shift on rental registration

Seattle landlords pay a per-unit fee to cover enforcement of the city's rental agreement rules, Chapter 7.24 of city code. The mayor's permit fee bill, CB 121310, would set that fee at $11 per unit every two years. It is still in committee.

Foster's amendment, according to the construction and inspections packet, would exempt buildings with units funded by the Office of Housing, since those units already have their rental agreements monitored under city regulatory agreements. To make up the difference, the fee on all other units would rise by $1, to $12 every two years. Central Staff calls it budget-neutral. The units would still have to follow every rental rule, the release says. Co-sponsors: Eddie Lin and Debora Juarez.

2. Do Not Solicit fines for anti-displacement help

In August the Council created a Do Not Solicit list for homeowners who don't want unsolicited offers to buy their homes. That bill, Foster's CB 121259, passed 9-0 at the Aug. 4 meeting, and set penalties of $1,000 for a first violation and $2,000 for repeat violations within 12 months.

Right now, any penalty money goes to the General Fund and can be spent on anything, according to a draft ordinance in the Civil Rights packet. Foster's bill would direct it to homeowner anti-displacement programs: legal aid, estate planning, home repair and retention help, and enforcement of the list. Co-sponsors are Joy Hollingsworth and Rinck. No dollar estimate is given, since the list is new.

3. A 50 percent JumpStart target

Foster's release says the proposed budget gives housing and the Equitable Development Initiative 36 percent of annual JumpStart revenue. Her statement of legislative intent would direct the City Budget Office to plan to set aside 50 percent each year.

A statement of legislative intent is a request, not a binding appropriation. Its text has not yet appeared in a posted packet; the City Budget Office is on Thursday's agenda.

The rest of the slate

• $10 million one-time for the Office of Housing, $7 million for rentals and $3 million for homeownership, per the housing packet. Co-sponsors: Lin and Rinck.
• A reporting request on the effects of the mayor's $65 million cut to this year's JumpStart housing budget, with quarterly updates and a September 2027 deadline. It also states the Council's intent that the JumpStart Revenue Stabilization Account cover prior housing awards if needed.
• Carry-forward amendments so unspent 2026 and 2027 JumpStart housing money rolls into later years. Central Staff notes this would not undo the $65 million reduction.
• A dedicated fund for any money the city recovers from the $13 million in police overpayments, for affordable homeownership and multifamily housing. See our story on that proposal.

What our records add

Foster is the prime sponsor of 12 of the 94 budget proposals posted for Oct. 27 and 28, by our count, fourth behind Strauss (18), Saka (16) and Hollingsworth (14). Most of hers are in housing, the City Attorney's office and the Department of Neighborhoods. She chairs the Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee, which would receive the Office of Housing reports her proposal requests.

What's next

• Thursday, Oct. 29: the Budget Office and Police proposals, where the JumpStart target and overpayment fund would likely appear.
• Nov. 4: Budget Chair Dan Strauss releases his balancing package, which decides what stays.
• Nov. 9: deadline for self-balanced amendments to his package.