Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle warned that Mayor Katie Wilson’s proposed budget could put Seattle’s recent public safety progress at risk.
Kettle pointed to a proposed cap of 1,250 police positions and said staffing levels could leave about 1,100 officers deployable by the end of 2028. But, even with those concerns, Kettle applauded Wilson’s proposed budget for not imposing any additional taxes.
“I commend Mayor Wilson for delivering a budget proposal that avoids raising taxes on Seattle residents during a time where affordability is on everyone’s minds, and I appreciate the tough fiscal situation her staff and the city has been thrust into,” Kettle said in a prepared statement. “However, capping our police staffing levels at numbers not seen in over 15 years poses a direct threat to our public safety posture and leaves our deployable force stretched unacceptably thin relative to our city’s growing population.”…