Mayor Katie Wilson proposes $9.1B Seattle budget with public safety boost, no new taxes

Wilson’s first proposed budget, unveiled as the city prepares to enter the 2027–28 biennium, calls for a $9.1 billion spending plan across all city funds in 2027, a 2.2% increase from 2026. The mayor’s office says the plan is designed to close a projected general fund gap while protecting core services and avoiding the cycle of annual budget shortfalls that has followed the pandemic.

"I have made the difficult decision to transmit a budget without major new revenue," Wilson said in an afternoon speech. "Right now, we don't have good options to raise more progressive revenue that don't also come with great risks. Our economy and especially our downtown are fragile. In that context, raising additional revenue through JumpStart is not the right move."

Public safety would receive the largest percentage increase among the city’s service areas under the proposal, rising 13% to about $1.135 billion. The general fund would direct 53% of its roughly $2 billion in spending toward public safety.

The proposed Seattle Police Department budget is $556 million, a net increase of $68 million. It would provide funding for 1,250 officer positions, which budget officials described as 66 more positions than the current funded level. Wilson's office says SPD has roughly 3,000 applicants in its hiring pipeline.

The proposal also includes $346 million for the Seattle Fire Department, $72.6 million for the city’s CARE Department and $14.8 million to continue funding for police-accountability offices.