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Saka's 20-amendment budget package, item by item: about $10.8 million in 2027, most of it for street safety

The District 1 councilmember announced the package Monday. Council proposal packets show where 16 of the items stand, what each costs and who co-signed.

By Seattle Politics staffUpdated

District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka announced a 20-amendment package for Mayor Katie Wilson's 2027-2028 budget on Monday, covering street safety, potholes, West Seattle business districts, a veterans shelter and parks in Alki and South Park, according to a Council release. "A tight budget should sharpen our priorities, not weaken our commitment to neighborhoods," Saka said in the release.

The release describes six of the items. Using the Council's own proposal packets, we found 16 of Saka's items with their price tags. That matters because every addition has to be paid for with a cut somewhere else in a budget the mayor balanced with one-time money, as The Center Square reported.

What our records add: the items and their costs

Counting the General Fund cost shown in each Central Staff packet, the 16 items add about $10.8 million in 2027 and $8.5 million in 2028. Most of it is one item.

Transportation (SDOT packet, Wednesday)

  • SDOT-003: $7 million a year, ongoing, for the District Project Fund, which pays for neighborhood-scale traffic safety projects chosen by district councilmembers. The Council created it in the 2025-2026 budget with $7 million a year. Co-sponsors: Joy Hollingsworth and Robert Kettle.
  • SDOT-004: $1.25 million in 2027 to reverse a cut to pothole repair staff, which the packet says would otherwise hurt the city's goal of responding to pothole reports within 72 hours. Co-sponsors: Hollingsworth and Maritza Rivera.

Parks (Parks packet, Wednesday)

  • SPR-005: Alki Community Center programming ($175,000 a year), traffic monitoring cameras ($50,000) and public space improvements ($275,000) in Alki.
  • SPR-006: longer hours and programming at South Park Community Center ($175,000 a year) and $275,000 for public space improvements in South Park.
  • SPR-002: $325,000 in 2027 and $300,000 in 2028 for Roxhill Park.
  • Two report requests (SPR-003S and SPR-005S) on Delridge youth recreation projects and year-round programming at Alki.

Business districts (Economic Development packet, Wednesday)

  • OED-001: $500,000 a year for cleaning and physical improvements in West Seattle business districts.
  • OED-003: $200,000 to attract commercial tenants in Pioneer Square.
  • OED-016: $200,000 for sports events promotion.
  • OED-015S: a report on grocery access in North Delridge.

Arts (Arts packet, Wednesday)

  • ARTS-006: $150,000 in 2027 and $85,000 in 2028 for a free, managed art wall pilot in Delridge, meant in part to reduce unauthorized graffiti. The release put this at $235,000.
  • ARTS-007 ($20,000 a year, community music programs) and ARTS-008 ($100,000 a year, art instruction in West Seattle).

Fire and public safety

  • SFD-004S: a report on firefighter recruitment and hiring (Fire packet).
  • DON-004: $115,000 a year for community safety coordination in SODO, which was on Tuesday's list.

Not yet posted: the West Seattle veterans shelter, which Saka described to KOMO as a "brand new, purpose-built, professionally operated homeless shelter," would most likely fall under Human Services, whose packet for Thursday had not been posted Tuesday morning. Saka also filed an amendment to a separate bill on the Transportation Fund's interfund loan, asking for yearly repayment reports and an explanation of why the fund's cash balance went negative.

Small differences. The release lists $14 million over two years for the District Project Fund and $1.3 million for potholes. The packets show $7 million in each of 2027 and 2028, and $1.25 million for potholes.

How it compares

Saka is the prime sponsor of 15 of the 58 items on Wednesday's agenda, more than any other member. Across the Council, members filed about 170 changes, KUOW reported. Saka co-sponsored several of Tuesday's items from colleagues, including Rinck's $3 million Highland Park public market proposal and Hollingsworth's Central District and Southeast Seattle reinvestment program, as we reported in Councilmembers filed 36 budget changes for Tuesday.

Saka chairs the Council's transportation committee. On Monday, the full Council passed two of his traffic safety bills; see our update.

What's next

  • Wednesday, Oct. 28: Saka's transportation, parks, arts and economic development items are presented at the Select Budget Committee.
  • Thursday, Oct. 29: Human Services and other departments (meeting).
  • Nov. 4: Budget Chair Dan Strauss's balancing package shows which items survive.