Seattle City Council to debate upcoming budget

Seattle's mayor has proposed a nearly $19 billion budget for the next two years. City Council will hold a final budget vote in late November. But first, later this week, they will start making some key decisions. FOX 13's Sean Chitnis has the latest on the push and pull between council members and Mayor Katie Wilson as they try to land in a budget they can agree on. Heading into this week we've seen the back and forth between the mayor and city council members including on the issue of funding for the Seattle Fire Department. Now late last week we got to hear from the public, many people speaking out on a variety of issues. All of this as a council briefing scheduled for Monday has been cancelled, one of many that was on the calendar cancelled as of now. Public comment sessions had people expressing concerns about everything from How to help the homeless, The cost for renters in the city, funding for police, supporting the arts, and even the issue of cuts for the fire department. Now, early last week, Council Member Dan Strauss, who is the chair of the council's budget committee, released a proposal that includes $5 million to take on gender-based violence. It also calls for more than $350 million for housing. $7 million would go to safe routes for schools. Strauss' plan also calls for reversing cuts to the fire department. outlined by Mayor Katie Wilson. She has said budget restraints are necessary. Her proposed budget included cutting around seven million dollars in overtime pay for the Seattle Fire Department, but some council members said that funding is non-negotiable. The fire chief also said those funding cuts would require layoffs and affect service as well as response times. Strauss's plan keeps the more than seven million dollars in funding for the 2027 budget and for for the following year to cover overtime for for the fire department. Now, the Budget Committee is set to have the first vote on this budget at the end of the week on Friday. Reporting in Seattle, Sean Chitnis, Fox 13 News.