Prop. 1 hasn't passed yet, but the Council's budget already counts on it. Here's where members want the money

Seattle voters have one week left to decide Proposition 1, the Seattle Transit Measure, which would raise the city's transit sales tax from 0.15 percent to 0.3 percent for 10 years, KNKX reported. The current measure expires in April 2027, according to the Council's measure page.

The city's 2027 budget is being written as if it passes. Wednesday's Council proposals for the Seattle Department of Transportation show members already planning how to spend part of it, which tells voters what the money could look like in their neighborhoods.

We explained the measure itself in Prop. 1 on your ballot, including the Council's 9-0 vote to send it to voters.

What our records add: the budget's bet on the measure

Central Staff's SDOT proposal packet for the Oct. 28 meeting (agenda item) says the mayor's 2027 proposed budget "assumes passage" of the measure and includes an estimated $44.9 million in the Transit Operations Program for bus service.

Two proposals would set aside pieces of that money, called provisos, which limit what a sum can be spent on. Neither adds General Fund cost, but each would leave less for other transit spending:

SDOT-001: $400,000 for a Golden Gardens summer transit pilot. Sponsored by Dan Strauss (District 6), with Robert Kettle and Alexis Mercedes Rinck. There is no direct public transit to Golden Gardens, one of the city's largest parks. The 2026 budget set aside $500,000 for a service that ran every 30 minutes, seven days a week, from late June through August, connecting to the Ballard bus stop at 15th Avenue NW and NW Market Street. The packet estimates it actually cost about $350,000.

SDOT-010: $640,000 for the Waterfront Shuttle. Sponsored by Robert Kettle (District 7), with Eddie Lin and Strauss. King County Metro is running a two-year waterfront shuttle pilot that requires partner money. In 2026, Seattle paid $500,000 through the Office of Economic Development, and money from the FIFA local organizing committee made the shuttle free to riders. This item would pay Seattle's share for the second year, so Metro and the city can judge demand for 2028 and beyond.

A related study. SDOT-007S, from Lin with Rob Saka and Dionne Foster, asks the transportation department to study a shuttle from Rainier Beach to Lake Washington Boulevard on days the boulevard is closed to cars, with a report due April 1, 2027. It names Golden Gardens and the Waterfront Shuttle as possible case studies.

If Prop. 1 fails. The packet does not say what would happen to these provisos. Both are written against the Seattle Transportation Benefit District fund, which is where the transit measure's money goes.

Other transportation items Wednesday

The same packet includes Saka's $7 million a year for district traffic safety projects and $1.25 million for pothole repair, and provisos from transportation levy money for pedestrian safety in Leschi and Madison Park ($400,000, Joy Hollingsworth) and safety projects on Rainier Avenue South ($500,000, Lin). See Saka's budget package, item by item.

What's next

• Nov. 3: Election Day. Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 or placed in a drop box by 8 p.m., according to King County Elections.
• Oct. 28: the SDOT proposals are presented at the Select Budget Committee.
• Nov. 4: Budget Chair Strauss's balancing package. The Council's final budget vote is planned for later in November.