The mayor's budget drops $1.45 million in graffiti removal. Kettle's fix would put it back

Seattle would spend $1.45 million less on graffiti removal and prevention next year under Mayor Katie Wilson's proposed budget, and Councilmember Robert Kettle has filed a proposal to restore all of it. The Select Budget Committee takes it up Wednesday.

For residents and small businesses, the money decides how quickly tags come off private walls and storefronts, not only parks and city property. The cut drew sharp criticism from councilmembers when the committee reviewed the Parks budget, The Center Square reported.

What's being cut

According to The Center Square:

• $500,000 a year comes out of Seattle Parks and Recreation's graffiti abatement and prevention money.
• $950,000 in one-time 2026 funding for graffiti cleanup on private property expires at the end of this year and is not renewed.
• After the cuts, Parks would have $3.3 million for graffiti removal and the transportation department $1.6 million.
• The city received about 26,750 graffiti removal requests from January through September 2026.

Parks told the Council that neither reduction should affect services, The Center Square reported, while Council staff warned that private-property cleanup "would be significantly impacted."

Kettle called the cuts "wrong choices," and Councilmember Maritza Rivera criticized them as well, according to the same report.

What our records add: the proposal

Central Staff's Parks proposal packet for the Oct. 28 meeting (agenda item) describes SPR-008, sponsored by Robert Kettle (District 7), with Rob Saka (District 1) and Maritza Rivera (District 4):

• It adds $1.45 million in General Fund money in both 2027 and 2028.
• $500,000 a year would pay for prevention and outreach, such as youth workshops, murals and art supplies, plus unexpected costs like equipment or hard-to-clean sites.
• $950,000 a year would pay for a contract with a community organization, such as Uplift Northwest, to clean graffiti on private property. The Human Services Department has run a contract with Uplift Northwest since summer 2023, with Seattle Public Utilities and Parks paying in varying amounts.
• Based on this year's contract, the packet estimates the money could support about 14,000 site visits a year: roughly 13,000 inspections and 1,000 cleanups. That would add to the work of the Parks Department's Graffiti Rangers, who mainly clean public property.
• With the change, Parks' graffiti budget would rise from $3.3 million to $4.8 million, covering 16 staff ($2.5 million) and $2.3 million for supplies and contracts.

A related proposal. Saka's ARTS-006, in the Arts packet, would spend $150,000 in 2027 and $85,000 in 2028 on a managed "free art wall" pilot in Delridge, with youth workshops, intended to support creative expression "while reducing unauthorized graffiti."

Background

The Council passed a graffiti policy last year that allows fines of up to $1,500 per violation and makes taggers responsible for cleanup costs, The Center Square reported. That policy cited about $6.3 million spent on graffiti removal on public property in 2023 and $5.9 million in 2024. A 2025 Council report found that from 2017 to 2025, 11 percent of graffiti cases ended in guilty verdicts and 62 percent were dismissed, according to the same report.

What's next

• Wednesday, Oct. 28, 9:30 a.m.: Kettle presents SPR-008 at the Select Budget Committee. No votes are taken at these sessions.
• Nov. 4: Budget Chair Dan Strauss's balancing package shows whether it survives. Any member whose item is left out can offer a self-balanced amendment by Nov. 9, meaning it must name a cut to pay for it.