>>> GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, IT
IS FEBRUARY 28, 2024, THIS IS
THE MEETING OF PARKS, PUBLIC
UTILITIES, AND TECHNOLOGY
COMMITTEE. IT WILL COME TO
ORDER. IT IS 2:01, THE OFFICIAL
RECORD. I'M JOY HOLLINGSWORTH,
CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE. WILL
THE CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLL?
>> COUNCILMEMBER KETTLE?
>> HERE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER RIVERA?
>> PRESENT.
>> COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS?
>> PRESENT.
>> COUNCIL PRESIDENT
HOLLINGSWORTH?
>> PRESENT.
>> AWESOME. WE HAVE THREE ITEMS
ON THE AGENDA. FIRST A PUBLIC
HEARING AND POSSIBLY VOTE ON
THE ORDINANCE REQUESTED BY OUR
WONDERFUL SPU TEAM AUTHORIZING
ECOLOGICAL THINNING. WE HAVE
RECEIVED A BRIEFING ABOUT THIS
BILL LAST MEETING, SO WE WILL
GO OVER THAT. NEXT WE'LL HAVE
AN OVERVIEW BY OUR SEATTLE I.T.
DEPARTMENT AS WELL AND AN
OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENTATION BY
OUR SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES.
THIS IS NOT ON THE AGENDA, BUT
I WANT TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
MY MOTHER. TODAY IS HER
BIRTHDAY AND SHE'S ONE OF THE
FAITHFUL PEOPLE WHO WOULD WATCH
THE SEATTLE CHANNEL, SO HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, RHONDA HOLLINGSWORTH.
WE WILL NOW CONSIDER THE
AGENDA. IF THERE ARE NO
OBJECTIONS, THE AGENDA WILL BE
ADOPTED. HEARING NONE, THE
AGENDA IS ADOPTED. WITH THAT
WE'LL NOW OPEN HYBRID PUBLIC
COMMENT PERIOD, PUBLIC COMMENT
SHOULD RELATE TO THE ITEMS ON
TODAY'S AGENDA OR WITHIN THE
PURVIEW OF THE COMMITTEE.
CLERK, HOW MANY SPEAKERS DO WE
HAVE SIGNED UP TODAY?
>> WE HAVE ONE IN-PERSON
SPEAKER AND ONE REMOTE SPEAKER
WHO IS NOT PRESENT.
>> AWESOME. EACH SPEAKER,
YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO
SPEAK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
CLERK, CAN YOU PLEASE READ THE
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE COMMENT
PERIOD?
>> THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
WILL BE MODERATED IN THE
FOLLOWING MANNER. I WILL CALL
ON SPEAKERS BY NAME IN ORDER IN
WHICH THEY REGISTERED BOTH ON
THE COUNCIL'S WEBSITE OR THE
SIGN UP SHEET AVAILABLE HERE IN
COUNCIL CHAMBERS. WE WILL START
WITH IN-PERSON SPEAKERS FIRST.
IF YOU HAVE NOT REGISTERED TO
SPEAK, BUT WOULD LIKE TO, YOU
CAN SIGN UP BEFORE THE END OF
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. JUST
GO TO THE COUNCIL'S WEBSITE OR
BY SIGNING UP ON THE SIGN-UP
SHEET NEAR THE PUBLIC COMMENT
MICROPHONE. THE ONLINE LINK IS
LISTED ON TODAY'S AGENDA. WHEN
SPEAKING, PLEASE BEGIN SPEAKING
THE AGENDA. AND SPEAKERS WILL
HEAR A CHIME WHEN 10 SECONDS
ARE LEFT OF THEIR ALLOTTED
TIME. SPEAKERS DO NOT END THEIR
COMMENTS IN THE END OF THE
ALLOTTED TIME PROVIDED, THE
MICROPHONE WILL BE MUTED TO
ALLOW US TO CALL ON THE NEXT
PERSON. THE PUBLIC COMMENT
PERIOD IS OPEN. WE WILL BEGIN
WITH THE FIRST PERSON ON THE
LIST. THE FIRST PERSON IS JOHN
CHENEY.
>> CONGRATULATIONS CHAIRWOMAN.
YOU ARE FABULOUS. AND THIS WILL
BE A GREAT COMMITTEE. I WAS
JUST DOING HOUSE VOTES
YESTERDAY, SO TRUST ME, I'M
NOT AT MY BEST. FOR YEARS,
SEATTLE IN KING COUNTY DUMPED
OVER 20 BILLION GALLONS OF
COMBINED SEWAGE, AND OUTFLOW.
INTO THE WATERS OF SEATTLE.
THAT NUMBER HAS BEEN RELEASED
NOW DOO THE MILLIONS. THAT IS
STILL A LOT. THAT IS FOR SURE.
SPU HAS UNDERTAKEN A HUGE
COMPLICATED AND I THINK HOPEFUL
SUCCESSFUL PROJECT WITH THE
SHIP CANAL WATER QUALITY
PROJECT. WE'VE LIVED THROUGH
THE TRAUMA, NOT QUITE, BUT
LIVING THROUGH THE TRAUMA FOR
THIS. I THINK IT WILL MAKE A
SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE.
HOWEVER, MY CONCERN IS THAT
UNFORTUNATELY THE DEPARTMENT
CHOSE, THE CITY CHOSE TO GET TO
A STANDARD, NOT ZERO DISCHARGE,
BUT TO SOME AMOUNT LESS
DISCHARGED. 25% OF THE CURRENT
AMOUNT I BELIEVE IS THE AMOUNT,
WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO BE
DISCHARGED. THAT INCLUDES
CHEMICALS COMING FROM TIRES,
INCLUDES COPPER, WHICH IS
INCLUDED IN THE BREAKS AND
THINGS. I GOES MY QUESTION ARE
WHAT IS THE PLAN TO GET TO
ZERO, WHICH IS WHAT I WOULD
LIKE. THIS IS STUFF IN AND
ADJACENT TO MY HOME. AND I
WOULD LIKE IT TO BE BETTER THAN
WHAT IT IS, SO THANK YOU.
>> OUR REMOTE SPEAKER IS STILL
NOT PRESENT, SO THERE ARE NO
ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS SIGNED UP
ONLINE OR IN PERSON SPEAKING.
>> AWESOME. FOR THE RECORD, I
WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT MR.
JOHN DID REMOVE HIS STANFORD
SWEATSHIRT WHEN I TOLD HIM IT
WAS NOT A GOOD SWEATSHIRT, SO
JUST THANK YOU.
>> JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT ON
FOR THE RECORD. WE WILL PROCEED
TO OUR ITEMS OF BUSINESS. WILL
THE CLERK PLEASE READ THE SHORT
TITLE OF ITEM ONE INTO THE
RECORD, PLEASE?
>> COUNCIL BILL 120725, AN
ORDINANCE RELATING TO THE CEDAR
RIVER WATERSHED AUTHORIZING
FIVE YEARS OF ECOLOGICAL
THINNING IN ACCORDANCE TO THE
CEDAR RIVER WATERSHED HABITAT
CONSERVATION PLAN AND FOREST
MANAGEMENT PLAN, IN SECTIONS
13, TO THE NEEDS AUTHORIZING
THE SALE OF SUCH LOGS PURSUANT
TO APPLICABLE CITY CONTRACTING
AND SURPLUS PROPERTY SALES
PROCEDURES, AND DIRECTING
DEPOSIT OF THE PROCEEDS THERE
FROM TO THE WATER FUND FOR THE
PURPOSES OF THE HABITAT
CONSERVATION PLAN AND FOREST
MANAGEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.
>> AWESOME, THANK YOU. AS THE
PRESIDING OFFICER, I'M OPENING
THE PUBLIC HEARING ON PUBLIC
BILL 120725. AND CLERK, MR.
CLERK, HOW MANY SPEAKERS ARE
SIGNED UP FOR THE PUBLIC
HEARING?
>> WE HAVE ONE IN-PERSON
SPEAKER, JOHN CHENEY.
>> AWESOME. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL
HAVE -- EACH SPEAKER WILL BE
PROVIDED TWO MINUTES. CAN YOU
PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING?
>> SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED IN
ORDER OF REGISTRATION. THE
PUBLIC HEARING REGISTRATION
WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL THE
CONCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC
HEARING. THE SAME RULES APPLY
TO THIS PUBLIC HEARING. A
TEN-SECOND CHIME WILL BE
NOTICED FOR YOUR TIME TO WRAP
UP, MUTED AT THE END OF THE
ALLOTTED TIME. SPEAKERS ARE
ASKED TO BEGIN THEIR COMMENTS
BY STATING THEIR NAME. FIRST
NAME ON THE LIST IS JOHN
CHENEY.
>> MR. CHENEY?
>> MY NAME IS STILL JOHN
CHENEY, BUT HERE I'M WEARING A
DIFFERENT HAT. I WAS FORMERLY
THE MEMBER OF THE RURAL FOREST
COMMISSION. WE SPENT YEARS
WORKING WITH THE COUNTY TO TALK
ABOUT HOW THEY MAINTAINED THEIR
FOREST IN KING COUNTY. AND THEY
MANAGED THE LANDS THAT WERE
GIVEN TO THEM UNDER, FOR THEIR
STORAGESHIP. SEATTLE HAS A
GREAT UNIQUE AMOUNT OF
FORESTLAND, WHICH IS IN THE TWO
WATERSHEDS. AND IT IS A HUGE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CITY TO
MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF WATER
THAT WE WOULD HAVE IN THIS CITY
AND ALSO TO MANAGE THE LANDS
WELL. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT
THE PART OF MY BLOODLINE, WHICH
IS NON-INDIGENOUS CAME HERE AND
TREATED OUR FOREST QUITE BADLY.
THE IDEA WAS THAT THIS WAS JUST
SOMETHING TO BE CUT AND GONE. A
RESOURCE TO BE USED, NOT TO BE
WELL REPLACED. TODAY WE HAVE
BETTER FOREST MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES. THE ABILITY FOR THE
CITY TO MANAGE AND RETURN
REVENUE FROM THE FOREST IS
GOOD. I'M HOPEFUL THAT IS
SOMETHING THE COUNCIL WILL
APPROVE. IT DOES NEED TO BE
DONE IN A WAY, WHICH TRULY
ENHANCES THE QUALITY OF LIFE
FOR THE FOREST ITSELF, FOR BOTH
THE FLOOR. IT CAN BE DONE, AND
WE CAN GET BACK TO A BETTER
PLACE IN THE BALANCE OF THE
NATIVE OF THE NATURAL HABITAT
OF OUR FOREST. SO I'M HOPEFUL
THAT THEY'VE UNDERTAKEN THE
CHARGE WELL AND THEY PLAN TO DO
IT IN A WAY THAT REALLY DOES
BENEFIT THE PUBLIC AND ALL OF
US WHO ARE USERS OF PUBLIC
LANDS. IN THIS CASE, THE USERS
OF OUR PUBLIC WATERS. THANK
YOU.
>> THANK YOU, THAT WAS OUR LAST
REGISTERED SPEAKER TO PRESENT
ON THE PUBLIC HEARING ON
COUNCIL BILL 120725. AND OUR
PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW CLOSED.
BEFORE WE PROCEED TO POTENTIAL
VOTE, WE HAVE MR. BRIAN
GOODNIGHT FROM CENTRAL STAFF.
I'M GOING TO BUTCHER YOUR LAST
NAME AND I APOLOGIZE IN
ADVANCE. AWESOME. FROM SEATTLE
PUBLIC UTILITIES HERE, DISCUSS.
BRIAN, CAN YOU GIVE US A SHORT
VERSION OF THE BILL SUMMARY?
THANK YOU.
>> SURE. THANK YOU, CHAIR,
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS. AS
YOU SAID, THIS ITEM WAS
DISCUSSED AND DESCRIBED IN
DETAIL BY RALPH AND HIS
COLLEAGUE, AMY, AT THE PREVIOUS
MEETING ON FEBRUARY 14. AS A
REMINDER SINCE 2002, THEY
PERIODICALLY COME TO THE
COUNCIL TO REQUEST
AUTHORIZATION TO PERFORM
ECOLOGICAL THINNING IN THE
CEDAR RIVER WATERSHED. THEY
GRANTED THIS AUTHORITY FIVE
TIMES PREVIOUSLY WITH THE MOST
RECENT AUTHORIZATION IN JANUARY
OF 2021. SO THE LEGISLATION
BEFORE YOU TODAY, COUNCIL BILL
120725 WOULD AUTHORIZE SPU TO
PERFORM ECOLOGICAL THINNING ON
APPROXIMATELY 600 ACRES OF
SECOND GROWING FOREST. THE
THINNING WOULD BE PERFORMED IN
ACCORDANCE TO THE WATERSHED'S
HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN. THE
INTENT IS TO HELP IMPROVE
WILDLIFE HABITAT BY REDUCING
FOREST DENSITY AND CREATING
GAPS IN THE CANOPY. ANY REVENUE
FROM THE SALES OF TIMBER
PRODUCTS RESULTING FROM THE
THINNING ARE DEPOSITED INTO THE
WATER FUND. THEY GO TO OFFSET
THE COST OF IMPLEMENTING THE
CONSERVATION AND HABITAT PLANS.
AND SINCE WE JUST CONDUCTED THE
PUBLIC HEARING, WHICH IS
REQUIRED FOR SURPLUSSING THIS
TYPE, AND IF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
ARE COMFORTABLE TAKING ACTION
TODAY, YOU CAN DO THAT AS LONG
AS YOU SUSPEND THE COUNCIL
RULES IN ORDER TO VOTE ON THE
ITEM. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK
YOU.
>> DO ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE
ANY QUESTIONS?
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR. I WILL BE
BRIEF THIS TIME. I JUST WANTED
TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR
PRESENTATION AT THE LAST
COMMITTEE BRIEFING. IT'S CLEAR
YOU HAVE INCREDIBLE EXPERTISE
IN THIS SUBJECT AREA, AND I
FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE VOTING ON
THIS BECAUSE OF YOUR
PRESENTATION AND THE BRIEFINGS
I RECEIVED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
WORK ON THIS AND YOUR SERVICE
TO THIS CITY.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER
STRAUSS. ANY OTHER COLLEAGUES
THAT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
AWESOME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
EVERYONE. UNDER THE COUNCIL
RULE, A BILL CANNOT BE VOTED ON
THE SAME DAY OF A PUBLIC
HEARING UNLESS THE RULES ARE
SUSPENDED AND GIVEN THE RESULTS
OF THE HEARING TODAY, NO
COMMENTS, ONLY SUPPORT. I
RECOMMEND WE SUSPEND THE RULES
BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO ALLOW
US TO VOTE ON THE BILL TODAY
AND REFER TO CITY COUNCIL TO
MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT DELAY. IF
THERE IS NO OBJECTIONS, THE
RULES WILL BE SUSPENDED TO
ALLOW THE COMMITTEE TO VOTE ON
THE BILL THE SAME DAY THE
HEARING WAS HELD. HEARING NO
OBJECTION, THE RULES ARE
SUSPENDED, AND WE WILL PROCEED
WITH THE COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION. BEFORE WE VOTE,
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ON
YOUR STEWARDSHIP AND COUNCIL
MEMBER STRAUSS, FOR YOUR
STEWARDSHIP ON OUR WATERSHED.
IT IS A CRITICAL ASSET FOR THE
HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF OUR
CITY. AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO
THANK THE ORIGINAL CARETAKERS
OF OUR LAND FOR THE SUPPORT OF
SPU. WOULD ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES
LIKE TO COMMENT BEFORE WE TAKE
A VOTE?
>> AND ALL I WOULD SAY, CHAIR,
IF I MAY GIVEN YOUR EARLIER
COMMENT, WE SHOULD FEAR POOR
TREE MANAGEMENT, BUT I WOULD
LIKE TO THINK THE PLAN THAT WE
HAVE HERE IS VERY GOOD BASED ON
THE EXPERIENCE THAT MOST OF US
WILL HAVE AND THE BRIEFING THAT
WAS PRESENTED BEFORE. AND SO
OUR COLLEAGUE HERE CAN PUT A
SWEATSHIRT BACK ON BECAUSE
THERE ARE NO WORRIES THERE.
>> THANK YOU, THAT WAS A DIRECT
SHOT OF OUR STANFORD CARDINALS
THAT ARE VERY FAMOUS FOR THEIR
DANCING TREE DURING HALF TIME
AND ON THE SIDELINE. I WOULD
LIKE TO NOTE. OKAY, I MOVE THE
COMMITTEE RECOMMEND PASSAGE. IS
THERE A SECOND?
>> SECOND.
>> IT'S BEEN MOVED AND
SECONDED. AND THEY RECOMMEND
PASSAGE OF THE BILL. WILL YOU
PLEASE CALL THE ROLE TO PASS
120725.
>> THE COUNCILMEMBER KETTLE?
>> AYE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER RIVERA?
>> AYE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS?
>> YES.
>> COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON?
>> AYE.
>> CHAIR HOLLINGSWORTH?
>> AYE.
>> THE MOTION CARRIES AND THE
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION TO
PASS COUNCIL BILL 120725 WILL
BE SENT TO THE MARCH 5, 2024
COUNCIL MEETING. THANK YOU,
BRIAN AND RALPH, WE APPRECIATE
YOUR HELP. WILL THE CLERK
PLEASE READ AGENDA ITEM 2 INTO
THE RECORD.
>> AGENDA 2, OVERVIEW
PRESENTATION BY SEATTLE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR
BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION.
>> AWESOME, THANK YOU. WE
INVITE OUR BEAUTIFUL AND
PHENOMENAL TECHNOLOGY TEAM TO
THE TABLE. THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE, JIM LOTER AND TEAM. I
KNOW YOU HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY
BEHIND THE SCENES. WE OFTEN
ONLY SEE YOU WHEN WE NEED HELP,
AND WE ARE ASKING, WE CAN'T
GET INTO THE PASSWORD OR OUR
COMPUTER. SO THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE TODAY. PLEASE
INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO JUMP
RIGHT INTO YOUR PRESENTATION.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AND COUNCIL
PRESIDENT NELSON, THANK YOU FOR
HAVING US TODAY. AND MY NAME IS
JIM LOTER. I'M THE INTERIM
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER FOR
THE CITY OF SEATTLE AND THE
DIRECTOR FOR SEATTLE I.T.
PLEASED TO WELCOME THREE OF MY
COLLEAGUES TO THE TABLE HERE
TODAY WHO WILL HELP ME. I'LL
GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE
WILL DO IN SEATTLE I.T. I WANT
TO STATE THAT I HAVE NO
AFFILIATION WITH STANFORD
UNIVERSITY, THOUGH I HAVE
WALKED ACROSS THEIR CAMPUS
ONCE. I HOPE THAT DOESN'T BUY
US ANY HEAT. TRACYE CANTRELL IS
TO MY RIGHT.
>> HI, I'M TRACYE CANTRELL,
CLIENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
DIRECTOR.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, I'M NICOLE
SIMPKINSON. DIRECTOR OF THE
PROJECT DELIVERY DIVISION
WITHIN SEATTLE I.T.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, I'M GREG
SMITH. I'M THE CHIEF
INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER
AND THE DIRECTOR OF SECURITY
AND INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION IN
SEATTLE I.T.
>> AND I WELCOME VIN TANG, OUR
GUY WHO WILL BE ADVANCING
SLIDES AND WHO ALSO HELPED US
PREPARE THIS PRESENTATION. SO
THANK YOU, VIN. YOU CAN TAKE IT
AWAY AND MOVE TO THE FIRST
SLIDE, PLEASE. ALL RIGHT. DO WE
HAVE A SLIDE BEFORE THAT? I
GUESS THAT'S IT. OKAY. SO
SEATTLE I.T. BY THE NUMBERS. WE
WILL JUMP RIGHT IN HERE. WE
PROVIDE I.T. SUPPORT FOR
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS FROM THE
NETWORK ALL THE WAY UP TO THE
END USER DEVICE, WHICH INCLUDES
SERVERS, DATA BASES, OTHER
ELEMENTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE,
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT,
APPLICATION SUPPORT, DEVICE
ENGINEERING, DEVICE SUPPORT,
AND ALL OF THE ANCILLARY AND
RELATED SERVICES THAT GO INTO
KEEPING OUR TECHNOLOGY RUNNING
SAFE AND SECURE. THIS IS THE
SLIDE I WAS EXPECTING. WE
SHUFFLED THINGS AROUND A LITTLE
BIT. AND THAT WAS WHEN I.T.
CONSOLIDATION OCCURRED AND WHEN
THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF WERE
MOVED INTO THE NEW DEPARTMENT
OF SEATTLE INFRASTRUCTURE
TECHNOLOGY. AS I SAID, WE ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL I.T. FOR
CITY EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS.
THERE'S A FEW OTHER BULLETS
HERE THAT I WILL LET YOU READ
AROUND FUNCTIONS THAT PERFORM
THAT TO SUPPORT LEDGE IN
COURTS. AND THAT THEY MIGHT NOT
DO OR THINK THAT THEY WOULD DO
SUCH AS THE SEATTLE CHANNEL.
I'M VERY PLEASED,S COUNCIL
MEMBER HOLLINGSWORTH TO HEAR
THAT YOUR MOTHER IS AN AVID
WATCHER. WE WISH YOU A HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, AND THANK YOU FOR
WATCHING SEATTLE CHANNEL. WE
ALSO, ANOTHER AREA WHERE YOU
MIGHT SEE US COME TO THE TABLE
IS AROUND THE CITY SURVEILLANCE
TECHNOLOGY ORDINANCE. INDEED IN
A COUPLE OF WEEKS. WE WILL HAVE
SOME MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM HERE
TO BRIEF YOU ON THE
SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY
ORDINANCE. SO YOU CAN JUMP BACK
TO THE BUBBLE SLIDE NOW, VIN.
THANK YOU. SO WE HAVE ABOUT A
$278 MILLION OPERATING BUDGET
FOR THIS YEAR AND PLUS $24.5
MILLION IN CAPITAL, WHICH WILL
PAY FOR MAJOR I.T. PROJECTS. WE
COMPLETED 18 OF THOSE LAST
YEAR, AND WE HAVE 22 MAJOR
PROJECTS IN EXECUTION
CURRENTLY. OUR PROJECT DELIVERY
TEAM LED BY NICOLE SIMPKINSON
IS EXTREMELY BUSY. AND WE GET A
LOT OF WORK DONE WITH OUR FTE,
NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS
RESPONDING TO OVER 110,000
SERVICE TICKETS THAT WE
RECEIVED OVER THE COURSE OF A
YEAR. SO YOU CAN MOVE ON TO
SLIDE FOUR NOW, I GUESS. THANK
YOU. OUR TEAMS ARE ORGANIZED
INTO EIGHT DIVISIONS, WHICH ARE
HERE. I WON'T STEP THROUGH ALL
OF THEM, BUT YOU WILL SEE THEIR
SMILING FACE ON HERE AS WELL AS
TRACYE'S AND NICOLE'S, AS
WELL AS OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR
EXECUTIVE TEAM. NEXT SLIDE,
PLEASE. WE ORGANIZE OUR WORK IN
SIX PRIORITY AREAS. SO PEOPLE
IN CULTURE, WE REGARD AS TOP
PRIORITY. MOUNT OTHER FUNCTIONS
THAT WE PERFORM WORK UNLESS
THEY ARE STAFFED BY SKILLED AND
SUPPORTED EMPLOYEES. SO WE TRY
TO RECRUIT AND DEVELOP AND
RETAIN THE BEST PEOPLE FOR THE
JOB. I THINK THAT WE WILL HAVE
THEM IN OUR DEPARTMENT. ON TOP
OF THAT ONCE WE GET HERE, THEY
ARE SUCCESSFUL IN FOSTERING A
CULTURE OF RESPECT,
COLLABORATION, EQUITY, SAFETY,
AND SATISFACTION. I'LL TALK A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR WORK AND
PEOPLE IN CULTURE RELATED WORK
THAT WE ARE EMBARKING LATER ON
IN THE DECK. SECURITY
COMPLIANCE, GREG WILL SPEAK TO
OUR WORK THIS YEAR. AND THAT IS
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN AN AREA
THAT WE HAVE OR ARE DECLARING
THAT WE REALLY DON'T COMPROMISE
ON. WE UNDERSTAND THE SECURITY
SOMETIMES CAN BE SEEN AS
GETTING IN THE WAY, BUT WE ALSO
LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS GETTING
IN THE WAY OF THE BAD GUYS. SO
WE HAVE A SACRIFICE TO MAKE TO
MAKE SURE OUR ASSETS ARE
PROTECTED. WHAT REFERS TO
RUNNING OUR SYSTEM, MAKING SURE
THEY ARE RELIABLE AND THAT THEY
ARE REDUNDANT AND ALWAYS
WORKING. WE HAVE A VERY GOOD
TRACK RECORD OF UP TIME FOR OUR
NETWORKS AND OUR SYSTEMS AND
OUR SERVERS. WE DELIVER
IMPROVED SERVICES. THAT'S
WHERE THEY WILL HIT THE ROAD
AND IF YOU SUBMITTED THEM, THEY
WOULD RESPOND OR FIX THEIR
PROBLEM, THAT WE WILL HAVE OVER
150 DIFFERENT SERVICES THAT YOU
CAN REQUEST AND ANYTHING FROM
ASKING FOR A PIECE OF SOFTWARE
TO CHANGING THE NAME OF YOUR
ACCOUNT TO REQUESTING THE
NETWORK PORT BE ACTIVATED IN
EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. WE HAVE
FUNCTIONS THAT WILL INFORM AND
SUPPORT THEM DIRECTLY. WE
MANAGE THE SEATTLE WEBSITE,
SOCIAL MEDIA, AND DISTRIBUTION
LISTS AND A NUMBER OF PUBLIC
ENGAGE THE PLATFORMS. WE ALSO
SUPPORT THE OPEN DATA PLATFORM,
WHICH WILL PUBLISH THE DATA AND
BASICALLY TO ANYBODY IN THE
WORLD WHO WANTS TO LOOK AT IT.
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE
SEATTLE TELEVISION NETWORK
HANDLES PROGRAMS AND INCLUDING
ALL MEETINGS AND AN ARRAY OF
ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING THAT WILL
FOCUS ON THE CIVIC, ARTISTIC,
COMMUNITY LIFE OF SEATTLE. AND
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, WE
ACTUALLY BUILD AND DEPLOY
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS. THESE ARE
APPLICATIONS. THESE ARE
PROCESSES. THESE ARE THINGS
THAT WILL CONDUCT THE CITY'S
BUSINESS. ANYTHING FROM ISSUING
PERMITS AND LICENSING TO
MANAGING PET ADOPTION AT THE
ANIMAL SHELTER REQUIRES I.T.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. OKAY, SO
I'M GOING TO STEP THROUGH SOME
OF OUR 2023 HIGHLIGHTS AND THEN
I WILL ADDRESS OUR 2024 PLANS
TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT WE
PLAN TO DO HERE IN THE COMING
MONTHS. OUR 2023 STATE OF
PRIORITIES WILL FOCUS ON THE
FIVE AREAS. EACH AREA WOULD
HAVE ABOUT FOUR ACTION ITEMS
UNDERNEATH THEM. I'M PLEASED TO
MONITORING PROGRAM THAT WILL
HELP PREVENT CERTAIN TYPES OF
SENSITIVE DATA FROM LEAKING
FROM THE CITY, ANYTHING FROM
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS TO
CREDIT CARD DATA. AND WE HAVE A
PROJECT IN PLACE FROM THIS YEAR
TO ACTUALLY TURN THAT ON AND
ENFORCE THAT SERVICE. I DO WANT
TO ISSUE AN INVITATION FOR US
TO COME BACK IF IT IS IN THE
INTEREST OF THIS COMMUNITY AND
HE WOULD BE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
WE DID EXTEND AN INVITATION TO
YOU, WHICH COUNCILMEMBER NELSON
IS FAMILIAR WITH AS WELL. I
WANT TO CAM OUT ONE ITEM ON
THIS LIST. OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE ARE
THE NUMBER ONE THREAT TO OUR
CYBERSECURITY FABRIC. AND WE
HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING A SERIES
OF CAMPAIGNS, WHICH YOU WILL
PROBABLY START TO RECEIVE VERY
SOON OF E-MAILS THAT ARE
DESIGNED TO EDUCATE YOU ON HOW
TO AVOID CLICKING ON LINKS THAT
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSE TO AS WELL
AS TRAINING PROGRAMS THAT WE
REQUIRE THEM TO GO THROUGH
EVERY YEAR. IT IS NOT JUST THE
EXERCISE, BUT IT IS THAT
CONTENT THAT THEY NEED TO KNOW
IN ORDER TO BE SAFE. NEXT
SLIDE, PLEASE. AS I MENTIONED,
WE DELIVER SERVICES THAT ARE
USED DIRECTLY BY RESIDENTS.
I'M PROUD OF OUR WORK, WHICH
IS DEVELOPING IN CONJUNCTION
WITH THE PERFORMANCE TEAM.
UNDER A FELLOWSHIP WITH OUR
COLLEAGUES, IT IS AN ATTEMPT TO
PROVIDE AN ACCESS FOR THEIR
DISCOUNT PROGRAMS THAT ARE
USING THE SINGLE I.D. AND
SEEING EVERYTHING THAT WILL BE
DEVELOPED TO THEM IN THAT
SINGLE PLACE. AND IT IS AN
AWARD WINNING PLATFORM. OVER ON
THE DIGITAL EQUITY COLUMN, I'LL
CALL ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT
WE RECENTLY COMPLETED A
TECHNOLOGY IN ADOPTION STUDIES,
THE POPULATION LEVEL SURVEY
THAT ILLUSTRATES WHERE THERE
ARE POCKETS OF NEED IN OUR
COMMUNITY RELATED TO INTERNET
ACCESS, DIGITAL SKILLS, AND
ACCESS TO DEVICES. AND TRACYE
CANTRELL HAS PRINTED COPIES OF
THIS REPORT FOR YOU AND WILL BE
DISTRIBUTED AFTER THE FACT.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. FOR PROJECT
DELIVERY AND SERVICE DELIVERY
IN 2023, AS MENTIONED WE
COMPLETED A NUMBER OF LARGE
I.T. PROJECTS. WE ALSO LAUNCHED
A PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
THAT'S HAD KEEPING TRACK OF
THE ENTIRE CITY'S PORTFOLIO.
THIS WILL ALLOW US
UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS INTO
BUDGETS, TIMELINES, STATUS
REPORTING, AND WE WILL CUT DOWN
ON THE AMOUNT OF TIME WE SPEND
ON PULLING ALL THAT INFORMATION
TOGETHER TO DELIVER TO OUR
STAKEHOLDERS. WE DO A MONTHLY
REPORT OUT ON THE HEALTH OF OUR
PORTFOLIO, SO VERY SHORTLY
YOU'RE GOING TO BE SEEING THAT
TAKE A DIFFERENT LOOK AND FEEL
TO INCLUDE A LOT MORE
INFORMATION. AND THEN I WILL
MENTION THAT HAD OUR SERVICE
DESK, THE ONE THAT HANDLES THE
VAST MAJORITY OF THE INCIDENT
REPORT AND REQUESTS, WE HAD
GOALS LAST YEAR TO REDUCE THE
AMOUNT OF TIME PEOPLE SPEND IN
THE QUEUE. WE GOT THAT DOWN
FROM 11 MINUTES. I'M SORRY, WE
GOT IT DOWN FROM UNDER 10
MINUTES TO JUST OVER THREE
MINUTES. OH, IT IS DOWN HERE.
NO, I'M SORRY. I THOUGHT THERE
WAS DATA RELATED TO THE FIRST
CALL RESOLUTION. WE ARE ALSO
HOPING FOR THE SERVICE DESK TO
BE IN POWER TO RESTORE MORE
ISSUES ON THE PHONE WITH THE
CLIENT INSTEAD OF HAVING TO
ESCALATE THOSE ISSUES. AND THEN
FINALLY HERE ARE SOME AREAS
WE'VE RECEIVED SOME
RECOGNITION IN 2023. I
MENTIONED THE FORM WASN'T AN
AWARD WINNING PROJECT. OUR
DIGITAL ONE WAS A LOOK AT THE
TRAIL BLAZER PROGRAM. OUR
SEATTLE CHANNEL 1 NORTHWEST
EMMY AWARDS. WE ARE A LEADER IN
OUR PERMITTING AND LICENSING
SYSTEM. THE WAY WE DEVELOP THAT
AND USE THAT FOR OUR CUSTOMERS,
BUT THEY ARE NOT ON THE LIST
SPECIFICALLY AND THE AWARD
WINNING WEBSITE. FECTION SLIDE,
PLEASE.
>> I'M GOING TO FOCUS IN WHAT
WE HAVE LEARNED IN IN 2024.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. NEXT UP,
PEOPLE IN CULTURAL, I WANT TO
HIGHLIGHT AND REEMPHASIZE WE
TREAT THIS AREA VERY SERIOUSLY,
AND THIS YEAR WE ARE EMBARKING
ON A CULTURE IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM. LAST YEAR WE WORKED TO
IDENTIFY SEVEN AREAS THAT
DESCRIBED OUR FROM STATE AND
THEN DESCRIBE OUR TWO STATES WE
WANT TO MOVE TO. CURRENTLY WE
ARE IN THE MODE OF FOCUSING ON
MOVING FROM STAFF FEELING
OVERLOADED AND OVERWHELMED. TO
FEELING OVERBALANCED. ONCE WE
FIGURE THAT OUT, WE'LL LET YOU
KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO
FEEL THAT WAY AS WELL. I'M NOT
GOING TO DRAIN THIS SLIDE AND
GO THROUGH EVERY POINT HERE,
BUT I WILL LOOP BACK AROUND AT
THE END AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF
THE WORK FORCE EQUITY THAT WE
DO THROUGH THE RACE AND JUSTICE
PROGRAM. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
I'LL HAND THINGS OVER TO GREG
RIGHT NOW. GREG SMITH, OUR
CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY
OFFICER TO TALK ABOUT OUR
SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE WORK.
>> YEAH, THANKS, JIM. BEFORE I
SECURITY ON PRIORITIES, JUST A
BIT OF CONTEST. IT ISN'T A
SECRET THAT THEY ARE AT THE
LIST OR TO BE. THEY HAVE A WIDE
RANGE OF MOTIVATIONS FOR DOING
WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO
WHETHER IT IS FINANCIAL GAIN OR
ACTIVISM OR WORKING FOR THE
STATE. AND YOU CAN FIND A STORY
TOO ALMOST DAILY ESPECIALLY THE
LITERATURE I READ ABOUT THE NEW
CYBERATTACK HITTING ANY KIND OF
ORGANIZATION EVERY DAY. THE
SECURITY PROGRAM, WHICH RESIDES
INSIDE SEATTLE I.T. FOCUSES ON
PROTECTING THE ABILITY TO
DELIVER OUR SERVICES TO
RESIDENTS BY REDUCING THE RISK
OF A CYBERATTACK AT THE CITY AS
WELL AS REDUCING THE LIKELIHOOD
OF MATERIAL IMPACT SHOULD A
CYBERATTACK OCCUR. NO
CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM CAN
GUARANTEE AN ATTACK WON'T
HAPPEN, BUT WE CAN AND WE DO
FOCUS ON RISK REDUCTION AND
PREPAREDNESS. NOT ONLY ON THE
TECHNICAL LEVEL, BUT THE
BROADER AREA SUCH AS THE
ACTIONS AND THE DECISIONS WE
MAY NEED TO MAKE AS LEADERS AND
AS TECHNOLOGIES AS A CYBER
EVENT UNFOLDS. SEATTLE I.T.
PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN
ENSURING WE REMAIN IN FULL
COMPLIANCE TO MAKE SURE WE CAN
BE SURE TO RECEIVE PAYMENT
CARDS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY
BUSINESS LINES. THE FBI EAST
CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION
SYSTEM, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO
ENSURE DATA SECURITY AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND THE NORTH
AMERICAN ELECTRICAL LIABILITY
CORPORATION, WHICH IS MAINLY
MANAGED. BUT THEY HAVE A ROLE
TO PLAY THERE FOR CERTAIN
AMOUNTS. OUR PRIORITY IS WHERE
WE WILL COME THROUGH MAJOR
INFORMATION. WE TWO, INVESTING
FURTHER IN SOUND PROCESSES IN
AWARENESS WORK FOR STAFF OR THE
HUMAN FRONT END IF YOU WILL.
FIRST WE WILL DEPLOY ACCESS
MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES. THIS
IS A CRITICAL CYBERSECURITY
CONTROL TO LIMIT THE TYPE OF
ACCESS TO SYSTEMS, WHICH IF
OBTAINED BY A THREAT ACTOR,
COULD DOT MOST DAMAGE. THIS IS
ALSO CRUCIAL, A CRUCIAL CONTROL
FOR THE CITY TO DEPLOY FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF RETAINING OUR
CYBER INSURANCE COVERAGE.
SECOND, WE'LL DEPLOY A
MANAGEMENT PLATFORM TO IDENTIFY
AND ISOLATE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE
MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT. WE ARE NOW
SEEING EVs, CARS ON OUR NETWORK
AS WELL AS THE SMART LIGHTING
IN THIS BUILDING AND THINGS
LIKE THAT, THAT WE NEED BETTER
VISIBILITY IN ORDER TO PROTECT.
WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT THE
CONTRACT STANDARDS AND THIS IS
TO ENSURE AS WE BRING THESE
TECHNOLOGIES IN, WE ARE
ADHERING TO THE PRINCIPLES AND
POLLS AROUND A.I. TRAINING AND
DEVELOPING THE MUSCLE AND THE
CITY STAFF. AND WE DO THIS WITH
SIMULATIONS. THEY ARE NOT GREAT
WHEN YOU FALL FOR THEM. YOU GET
A BONUS TRAINING OUT OF IT. WE
ALSO HAVE PRIVACY AND SECURITY
TRAINING. NEXT SLIDE. OUR NEXT
PRIORITY IS MAINTAINING
OPERATIONAL INTEGRITY. SINCE
THE TECHNOLOGIES WE DELIVER IN
SEATTLE I.T. UNDERPIN SO MUCH
OF WHAT THE CITY DOES, WE PLACE
GREAT WEIGHT. WE DO THIS BY
ENSURING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND
DEVICES ARE FULLY DOCUMENTED,
UP TO DATE, AND IN A
SUSTAINABLE STATE. A CORE FOCUS
FOR '24 IS THE DRAW DOWN IN
TECHNICAL AREAS. IT'S A TERM
USED IN THE STREETS, BECOMING A
LIABILITY FROM A SECURITY
PERSPECTIVE OR OPERATIONAL
PERSPECTIVE DUE TO THE LOSS OF
VENDOR SUPPORT. OR BECAUSE THEY
ARE SIMPLY BECOMING COSTLY AND
INEFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN. A RATE
SENSITIVE KIND OF ISSUE FOR US
TOO. IN '24, WE'VE GOT A LOT
OF WORK TO DO. WE'RE GOING TO
ESTABLISH TECHNICAL DEBT
REDUCTION PLANS FOR 80% OF OUR
BUSINESS CRITICAL APPLICATIONS.
REPLACE 4,000 PLUS END-USER
COMPUTERS, LAPTOPS, DESKTOPS,
THROUGH OUR PC. AND WHERE WE
COULD NO LONGER APPLY PATCHES.
LOOKING OUT OVER THE COURSE OF
'24 AND '25, WE HAVE 11,000
DEVICES TO UPGRADE TO WINDOWS
11, WHICH WILL BE A HUGE
EFFORT. AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S THE
END OF SUPPORT DATE WITH
WINDOWS 10 IN '25. FINALLY
WE'LL CREATE A SUSTAINABLE
REPOSITORY DATA TO UNDERSTAND
HOW ALL OUR PIECES AND PARTS
RELATE, SO WE CAN BE BETTER AT
INSTANT RESPONSE, SMOOTH OUT
THE ROUGH EDGES OF MANAGING OUR
HYGIENE AND OUR PROCESSES AND
REDUCE THE OUTAGES.
>> AGAIN, I'M NICOLE
SIMPKINSON, THE DIRECTOR OF
PROJECT DELIVERY DIVISION
WITHIN SEATTLE I.T. PROJECT
DELIVERY'S PRIORITIES ARE
FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING AND
ENHANCING BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
FOR OUR CITY'S DEPARTMENTS AND
OUR RESIDENTS. THIS YEAR WE
TARGET INCREASING THE TOTAL
PERCENT OF PROJECTS DELIVERED
WITHIN 15% OF VARIANTS AMONG
THE BASELINE BUDGET AND
SCENARIO. FIRST AND TAY
IDENTIFIED SYSTEMIC REASONS FOR
THOSE VARIANTS AS WELL AS
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE
IMPROVEMENT. WE ARE WORKING ON
THOSE OPPORTUNITIES NOW TO
ACHIEVE THAT TARGET THIS YEAR.
AND ALSO THIS YEAR WILL BE
PUBLISHING AN ONLINE PROJECT
PORTFOLIO DASHBOARD TO INCREASE
TRANSPARENCY, ENSURE GREATER
FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY, AND
SUPPORT DATA DRIVEN DECISION
MAKING. THIS WILL SUPPLEMENT
THE MONTHLY COUNCIL REPORT THAT
JIM MENTIONED TO PROVIDE NEAR
IN A REAL TRANSPARENT WAY. JIM
ALSO MENTIONED 22 MAJOR
PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THE
EXECUTION PHASE. WHEN YOU LOOK
AT OUR TOTAL PROJECTS FROM
INITIATION TO PLANNING, ALL THE
WAY THROUGH TO GO LIVE AND
CLOSE OUT, WE HAVE
APPROXIMATELY 60 ACTIVE
PROJECTS IN OUR PORTFOLIO.
THESE ARE VALUED AT NEARLY $200
MILLION. I WANTED TO TAKE JUST
A MOMENT TO HIGHLIGHT TWO OF
THESE. SO FIRST THE HOUSING
DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
REPLACEMENT WILL MANAGE THE
CITY'S $800 MILLION INVESTMENT
IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND
HOMEOWNER STABILIZATION. THIS
IS IN LINE WITH THE PRIORITY OF
HOUSING. BY THE END OF THIS
YEAR, THE PROJECT WILL SELECT
THE SPECIFIC REPLACEMENT
SOLUTION TO ROLL IT OUT IN NEXT
YEAR. THE SECOND PROJECT IS THE
CUSTOMER SERVICE PAYMENT PLAN
AND OUTREACH SOLUTION. THIS
WILL PROVIDE USER FENDLY MOBILE
SOLUTION FOR UTILITY CUSTOMERS
TO CREATE FLEXIBLE LONG-TERM
PAYMENT PLANS, ALONG WITH THE
ADVANCING EQUITY PRIORITY. THIS
YEAR THIS PROJECT WILL DELIVER
A PRESENT STATE MAPPING,
OPTIONS ANALYSIS AND
FEASIBILITY STUDY, AND A
DETAILED WORK PLAN AND SCHEDULE
TO SUPPORT AN EARLY 2026
DEPLOYMENT. BUT THANK YOU.
TRACYE, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO
YOU.
>> SORRY, SHOULD WE HOLD OUR
QUESTIONS TO THE END IN TERMS
OF HOUSING DEBT AND MANAGEMENT.
IS THAT MEANT TO ENSURE WE,
ACROSS THE CITY, ANYTHING
RELATED TO HOUSING AND HOUSING
AFFORDABILITY AS IN ONE CENTRAL
LOCATION? IS THAT FOR
MANAGEMENT?
>> WE ARE CREATING THAT DATA
BASE.
>> WHEN DO YOU SUSPECT THAT
WILL BE READY?
>> IT IS CURRENTLY PLANNED TO
BE DEPLOYED IN LATE NEXT YEAR.
SO THERE IS A SELECTION PROCESS
THIS YEAR AS WELL AS THE
DETAILED PLANNING. SO WE PLAN
TO DO THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION
THROUGH DEPLOYMENT IN 2025.
>> THANK YOU. CAN YOU EXPLAIN
IT A LITTLE BIT MORE BECAUSE AS
SHE WAS THINKING, IT WAS
DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I THOUGHT.
THIS IS A WAY TO TRACK HOUSING
ASPECTS THAN THOUGHT. WE WERE
DEVELOPING THE SCOPE. WHAT I
WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND IS MAKE
NICOLE AND HER COUNTERPART AND
THE OFFICE OF HOUSING COME BACK
TO ANSWER MORE SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT PROJECT.
IT IS IN A VERY EARLY STATE OF
DEVELOPMENT RIGHT NOW, AND I
WOULDN'T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING
THAT ISN'T TRUE ABOUT THE
SCOPE OF THE PROJECT THAT IS
NOT FINALIZED YET. IS THAT
OKAY?
>> IT IS SPECIFICALLY AROUND
AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITHIN THE
CITY OF SEATTLE. I'LL COME
BACK AND GET THE FULL SCOPE OF
THE PROJECT TO THE COUNCIL.
THANKS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> OKAY, TRACYE, DELIVERING
IMPROVED SERVICES.
>> I'M GOING TO JUMP IN AND
TALK ABOUT SERVICES. SO THIS IS
SOMETHING NEAR AND DEAR TO
SEATTLE I.T. WE DO A LOT AS JIM
REFERENCED, 110,000 AS A YEAR.
HOW DO YOU KEEP UP WITH THINGS.
IT HELPED US IN ONE AREA,
HAVING LOW WAIT TIMES. WE MADE
A GOAL TO HAVE UNDER THREE
MINUTES. OUR GOAL IS TO
CONTINUE THAT. WE KNOW IF YOU
GET HELP QUICKER, THAT MAKES
YOUR DAY GO BEATER. IT MAKES
YOU AN EFFICIENT EMPLOYEE. THE
OTHER THING WE DO AS A SERVICE
ORGANIZATION, WE LOOK FOR AREAS
WHERE WE NEED TO IMPROVE. FOR
EXAMPLE IF WE HAVE SERVICE
REQUEST THAT TAKE FIVE DAYS AND
WE SEE THEY ARE TAKING SIX DAYS
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE
ANTICIPATED. SO WE CONTINUE TO
BECOME A BETTER SERVICE
ORGANIZATION. THE OTHER AREA
THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IS
SOMETHING CALLED FIRST CONTACT
RESOLUTION. JIM MENTIONED IT
EARLIER. IF WE KNOW WE ANSWERED
YOUR QUESTION THE FIRST TIME
YOU CALL. THAT'S A BETTER
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. SO WE ARE
LOOKING TO SEE IF WE COULD MAKE
IN-ROADS THERE TO IMPROVE WHAT
WE HAVE DONE LAST YEAR. AND
CONTINUE BETTER SERVICE IN
2024. AND THEN FINALLY, WE
CAN'T STOP THINGS THAT HAPPEN
THAT MIGHT GO OOPS IN THE
MOMENT. BUT HOW WE COMMUNICATE
IS CRITICAL. SO WHEN WE HAVE A
MAJOR OUTAGE ACROSS THE CITY.
REALLY WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS
INFORM PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY THAT
THE CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE
OCCURRED. OUR JOB WAS TO
COMMUNICATE AS EFFICIENTLY AND
EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE.
THAT'S A BROAD BRUSH VIEW OF
SERVICES. AGAIN, IT'S A REALLY
IMPORTANT AREA FOR SEATTLE I.T.
AND WE KNOW IT MAKES A
DIFFERENCE TO OUR EMPLOYEES.
AND NEXT IS ANOTHER EXCITING
SLIDE. WE COULD SPEND A WHOLE
HOUR ON THIS BECAUSE WE ARE SO
ENTRENCHED IN SERVING OUR
COMMUNITY. SO ONE OF THE THINGS
TO HIGHLIGHT AND I MENTIONED
BEFORE. WE'VE GOT BOOKS HERE.
THE TECHNOLOGY ACCESS AND
ADOPTION REPORT DELIVERED IN
2023. IN 2024 WHAT WE WANT TO
DO IS MAKE SURE WE'RE SHARING
THIS WEALTH OF INFORMATION AND
WE ARE ALLOWING GROUPS TO
CAPITALIZE ON THIS GOOD DATA.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE
VERY EXCITED ABOUT IN 2024. THE
OTHER THING THAT IS A IF THE
ABILITY TO AWARD GRANTS. SOME
OF YOU MAY HAVE. WE HOPE TO
AWARD THESE GRANTS TO ABOUT 15
COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
THE OTHER THING THAT IS NEAR
AND DEAR TO OUR HEART IS
HELPING TO ADVOCATE FOR THE
AFFORDABILITY CONNECTIVITY
PROGRAM, ACP AS IT'S KNOWN.
AND SO WE KNOW THAT FUNDING FOR
THIS PROGRAM IS DIMINISHING. SO
WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP ADVOCATE
OR PROVIDE ALTERNATIVES IS
ANOTHER FOCUS. WE WANT TO HELP
WHERE WE CAN. AND THEN FINALLY,
ACCESSIBILITY IS ANOTHER STRONG
COMPONENT. WE WANT TO BE
ACCEPTABLE. SO THERE ARE FIVE
APPLICATION PROJECTS THAT WE
ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2024
TO ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE
PUBLIC. SO THAT IS JUST A BROAD
BRUSH OF COMMUNITY BASED
INITIATIVES. AND AGAIN IF WE
WANTED MORE DETAIL, WE COULD
SCHEDULE A FOLLOW UP. I'M
GOING TO LET JIM TAKE IT FROM
HERE.
>> THANKS, YEAH, I'LL CLOSE US
OUT. JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT
REAL QUICK SOME OTHER WORK THAT
WASN'T CAPTURED ON THE OTHER
SIDES, BUT THAT WE DO DO. THE
I.T. DEPARTMENT MANAGERS AND
THE CITY WIDE PUBLIC RECORDS
ACT PROGRAM. WE PROVIDE
TRAINING AND SERVICES TO ALL
CITY REQUESTS. I'LL CALL OUT
THE FIBER PROGRAM HERE. WE RUN
A MUNICIPAL PROGRAM THAT
DEPLOYS FIBEROPTIC CABLING.
IT'S MAINLY TO PUBLIC AGENCY
BUILDINGS. AND THAT IS A
CONSORTIUM. WE RUN, GREG, DO
YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW HOW MANY
MILES OF FIBER?
>> CLOSE TO 800 MILES.
>> CLOSE TO 800 MILES OF FIBER
THAT WE MAKE AVAILABLE AND
INSTALL ON DEMAND FOR OUR
CONSORTIUM PARTNERS. WE ARE
ALSO INVOLVED IN VERY HEAVILY
WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS IN
THE WIRELESS INDUSTRY. HELPING
THE ROLL OUT OF 5G AND OTHER
TYPES OF NEW NETWORK
INFRASTRUCTURE. EXCUSE ME,
INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CITY.
I'M MENTIONING THESE BECAUSE
THESE AREAS TEND TO GET A LOT
OF ATTENTION, AND THERE ARE
USUALLY A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ABOUT THEM. WE'RE HAPPY TO
COME BACK TO DO A DEEPER DIVE
ON ANYTHING IN THE FUTURE.
FINALLY I WANTED TO TAKE A
MINUTE TO TALK ABOUT OUR RECENT
SOCIAL JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IN
I.T. WE HAVE AN ACTIVE
COMMITTED 30-PERSON TEAM THAT
WORKS IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH
OUR RSJ PROGRAM STAFF AND OTHER
AREAS IN OUR ORGANIZATION ON A
NUMBER OF IMPORTANT INITIATIVES
INCLUDING WORK FORCE EQUITY. WE
IMPLEMENTED A PRACTICE TO
ACQUIRE THE TOOL KIT TO BE
APPLIED IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE
ADVERSE IMPACTS THROUGH VIA THE
DEPLOYMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND
TOOLS. WE CONSIDER
ACCESSIBILITY, WHICH TRACYE
SPOKE ABOUT TO BE A CRITICAL
COMPONENT OF DIGITAL -- OF
DIGITAL EQUITY. AND WE ACTIVELY
STRIVE THROUGH CODE REVIEW AND
TRAINING TO ENSURE OUR DIGITAL
PROPERTIES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND
THOSE WHO USE ADAPTIVE
TECHNOLOGY. WE SET AND EXCEED
EXCESSIVE, USE HE, GOALS, BUT
TO UTILIZE MATERIALS AND I'M
PLEASED WE NEVER MET AND
PROCEED THOSE GOALS EVERY YEAR.
WE HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY WORKING
TO ENSURE OUR RECRUITMENT
HIRING DECISIONS ARE FREE FROM
UNINTENDED BIAS RELATED TO
RACE, GENDER, AND OTHER
PROTECTED CLASSES. WE USE A
COMBINATION OF BOTH TOOLS AND
TRAINING TO REVIEW ELEMENTS OF
THAT PROCESS AND IMPROVE IN A
CONTINUOUS BASIS. EXCUSE ME. SO
FINAL SLIDE, I THINK IT'S THE
LAST SLIDE, WHICH IS JUST THE
QUESTION SLIDE. I'VE LOST
TRACK OF TIME. SO I DON'T KNOW
HOW MUCH TIME WE HAVE. BUT AS I
SAID, WE ARE ALWAYS WILLING TO
COME BACK AND TALK MORE.
>> YOU'RE GOOD. DO ANY OF MY
COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
>> CHAIR, I HAVE WAITED UNTIL
THE END. SO I DO HAVE A FEW
QUESTIONS.
>> ABSOLUTELY. COUNCILMEMBER
KETTLE?
>> ALL RIGHT. THE FIRST
QUESTION REVOLVES AROUND THE
POINT YOU MADE REGARDING
DIGITAL EQUITY FOR ALL AND THEN
AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY
PROGRAM. SO I SAW IT IN THE
BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC. I
UNDERSTAND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
IS OUTSIDE THE CITY GOVERNMENT,
BUT IT REALLY LAID BARE AT THIS
POINT. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THE
REPORT THAT YOU HAVE AND YOU
COULD HAND OUT AFTERWARDS THAT
WILL BE VERY INTERESTING, SO
THANK YOU, AND I'M THINKING
ABOUT THAT TIME PERIOD AS THE
SCHOOL DISTRICT RESPONDED TO
THE PANDEMIC. IT'S NOT A VERY
GOOD WAY I MAY ADD. THAT LEADS
TO THE SECOND PART. PARTNERING,
I MEAN WE'RE IN SEATTLE.
AMAZON IS HERE. MICROSOFT IS
ACROSS THE LAKE IN DISTRICT 7.
I'M SURROUNDED BY GOOGLE,
FACEBOOK, EXPEDIA ALL ACROSS
THE BOARD. THIS KIND OF GOES TO
CYBERSECURITY. I UNDERSTAND ON
THE FEDERAL LEVEL THERE IS A
LOT OF COORDINATION. ARE THERE
PARTNERSHIPS GOING FORWARD WITH
THE DETAILS BETWEEN YOUR
EFFORTS AND WHAT'S GOING ON IN
THE PRIVATE SIDE?
>> A LOT OF OUR PUBLIC IS
WORKING WITH THE PRIVATE
ENTITIES AND THE STATE AND
LOCAL GRANT PROGRAMS THAT WERE
RELEASED BY THE FEDERAL
AGENCIES LAST YEAR. AND MANY
MILLIONS, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
AVAILABLE. ADMINISTERED BY THE
STATE OF WASHINGTON, SO THAT
MEANS WE'LL NEED TO WORK
THROUGH THE STATE TO OBTAIN THE
MONEY AS WE WOULD CONTINUE TO
APPLY FOR THOSE FUNDS. WE HAVE
STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH
AMAZON, MICROSOFT, AND THE
USUAL SUSPECTS THAT WE WOULD BE
ALREADY DOING BUSINESS WITH.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO A LOT OF
BUSINESS WITH US EVEN MORE THAN
WE ALREADY DO. SO WE MEASURE
HOW WE APPROACH THE
RELATIONSHIPS ACCORDINGLY, BUT
YEAH, WE HAVE VERY STRONG
RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM. THEY
RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE A
CUSTOMER THAT THEY WOULD LIKE
TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE A STRONG
PRESENCE WITH AND MAKE SURE
THEY ARE PROTECTING THEIR OWN
BACKYARD.
>> EXCELLENT AND CYBERSECURITY,
PUBLIC SAFETY. I'M STAYING
WITHIN MY COMMITTEE THAT I
CHAIR A LITTLE BIT. THIS IS
WHERE WE WILL BE WORKING IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PUTT. YOUR
POINT ABOUT SURVEILLANCE
ORDINANCE AND IMPACT REPORT.
THAT'S OBVIOUSLY VERY
IMPORTANT TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY
COMMITTEE, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO
GAINING MORE INFORMATION ON
THAT. SEPARATELY, ALSO WITHIN
OUR COMMITTEE, WE HAVE NINE
ENTITIES AND DEPARTMENTS WITHIN
THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. MY
UNDERSTANDING AND MEETING WITH
THOSE NINE ENTITIES AND THE
CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE
MUNICIPAL COURT ARE BOTH GOING
THROUGH CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
SWAPOUTS, PROBABLY THE BEST WAY
TO SAY IT. DO YOU HAVE
ENGAGEMENT IN THAT? HOW DO YOU
FEEL? WHERE ARE WE ON THOSE
TIMELINES? ARE YOU FEELING GOOD
ABOUT IT?
>> TRACYE AND NICOLE HAVE BEEN
WAY MORE CONNECTED TO THOSE
THAN I HAVE, BUT YES, THE
ANSWER IS YES. WE ARE PROVIDING
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO
BOTH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S
OFFICES. IT'S THE HOME GROWN
PRODUCT. AND WITH THE MUNICIPAL
COURT INFORMATION SYSTEM, WHICH
AGAIN IS REPLACING A VERY OLD
PRODUCT. WE HAVE A PROJECT
MANAGER CONTRACTED THROUGH US,
WORKING WITH THOSE
ORGANIZATIONS. AND IN BOTH
CASES, THE HOME DEPARTMENTS,
THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND
THE COURTS ARE CONSIDERED THE
PROJECT SPONSORS OR THE PROJECT
OWNERS OF THOSE PROJECTS. AND
THEY ARE MORE DIRECTLY ENGAGED
WITH THE VENDORS THEY ARE
WORKING WITH. ANYTHING TO SAY
ABOUT HOW WE FEEL? THERE IS A
MILESTONE COMING UP.
>> YEAH.
>> I'M VERY ENCOURAGED. AND IT
IS THE START OF SOMETHING GREAT
FOR THE DEPARTMENTS,
PARTICULARLY WITH THE COURT
SYSTEM. AND HAVING DEALT WITH
THE SYSTEM FOR DECADES.
>> IF I COULD JUST ADD. I MEAN
WE ARE DELIVERING THE
INFORMATION THAT THAT
APPLICATION WILL RIDE ON AS WE
HAVE BEEN DOING THE SECURITY
REVIEWS, WORKING THROUGH THE
WHOLE PROCESS THERE. SO WE ARE
INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THAT
EFFORT.
>> THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR.
HOPEFULLY AT THE SEATTLE
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE
MUNICIPAL COURT ARE WATCHING
RIGHT NOW. TO GET THAT REPORT.
ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE AS A
DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE AS YOU
KNOW, ALL OF US CAN GET
CONSTITUENT INQUIRIES ALL THE
TIME. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WAS
TIMED. BUT I RECEIVED AN E-MAIL
FROM A FORMER CITY EMPLOYEE,
MEMBER OF MY COMMUNITY IN
DISTRICT SEVEN AND QUEEN ANNE
SPECIFICALLY. HE SENT ME AN
E-MAIL, SO I HAVE TO ASK THIS
BECAUSE IT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
IT WAS TITLED, MODERN SOFTWARE
SHOULD BE ONE ELEMENT OF CITY
BUDGET SOLUTION. HE WROTE AS
THE CITY COUNCIL, OR AS THE
COUNCIL WRESTLES WITH CITY
FINANCES, IT MAY BE AN
OPPORTUNE TIME TO TAKE A CLOSE
LOOK AT OPEN GOV SOFTWARE,
WHICH MAKES MANAGING MUNICIPAL,
BUDGETING, SPENDING MUCH EASIER
AND MORE TRANSPARENT THAN THEY
GAVE THE LINK. THE CITY PASSED
ON OPEN GOV A DECADE AGO. AND
THEN HE SAID BIG MISTAKE. AND
THAT WAS JUST TAKING THE
OPPORTUNITIES TO DO IT. TO
RESPOND TO CONSTITUENT
CONCERNS, AND TO ASK THAT
QUESTION IN TERM OF YOUR E
REVIEW.
>> IF OPEN GOV IS THE NAME OF
THE PRODUCT, I'M NOT FAMILIAR
WITH IT. I WOULD BE HAPPEN
HAPPY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT
CONSTITUENT'S MESSAGE IF YOU
WOULD LIKE TO FORWARD THAT TO
ME AND TO HELP THEM CRAFT A
RESPONSE.
>> I WILL DO THAT. THANK YOU.
>> THE LAST THING IS THANK YOU
FOR YOUR SUPPORT TO SEATTLE
CHANNEL OVER THE PAST YEAR. I
HAD A LOT OF INTERACTION WITH
THE SEATTLE CHANNEL. I
APPRECIATE WHAT THEY DO AND IT
IS A SHAME TO THOSE WHO ARE
BEHIND WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT
NOW.
>> THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE IT.
WE APPRECIATE THE RECOGNITION.
THANK YOU.
>> COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON?
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND MY
TAGLINE IS I WATCH THE SEATTLE
CHANNEL FOR FUN. I ALWAYS WANT
TO APPRECIATE THE SEATTLE
CHANNEL. SO ON PAGE 19 AT THE
TOP OR THE SECOND BULLET POINT
IS GENERATIVE AI POLICY AND
RESPONSIBLE AI PROGRAM. DO WE
HAVE A POLICY? I MEAN I KNOW
SOMETHING CAME OUT LAST YEAR.
YOU DON'T HAVE ANY POLICY OR
NO LIMIT OR THE TREE HAS POLICY
ON IT. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT
WAS MADE.
>> I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, YOU
DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO THE
SPECIFICS OF THE POLICY, BUT
WILL IT BE SHARED? IS IT IN
LINE WITH THE STATE OR THE
FEDS? I MEAN CAN YOU CLUE ME IN
ON WHO MADE THE POLICY AND ITS
IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNCIL?
>> ABSOLUTELY. OUR POLICY WORK
AND DATA PRIVACY ACCOUNTABILITY
AND COMPLIANCE ORGANIZATION.
SORRY, I HAD TO BREAK APART THE
ACRONYM THERE IN MY HEAD. AND
FOR GENERATIVE AI SPECIFICALLY
LAST YEAR IN FEBRUARY WHEN THE
NEWS WAS STARTING TO SPREAD AND
WE BECAME AWARE THAT THIS WAS
SOMETHING WE NEEDED TO PAY
ATTENTION TO THAT WE REACHED
OUT TO INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE
CITY WHO HAD AN INTEREST IN
THIS AREA AND ALSO TO OUR
PARTNERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON, AT THE INSTITUTE
FOR AI AND ON OUR COMMUNITY
TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY BOARD AND
ASSEMBLED AN ADVISORY TEAM TO
DO THAT RESEARCH GIVEN THE
CITY'S PRINCIPLES AND OTHER
RISKS. SO THAT TEAM DEVELOPED A
SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS. THE
REPORT IS PUBLISHED ON THE
WEBSITE. SO THEY PUBLISHED BOTH
THE REPORT AND THEN I TOOK THAT
REPORT AND I CRAFTED A POLICY.
AND I ISSUED THAT POLICY
THROUGH OUR CHANNELS IN OCTOBER
OF LAST YEAR I WANT TO SAY. SO
CONSISTENT WITH OUR PRIVACY
POLICY, WHICH HAS BEEN HELD UP
NATIONWIDE. THE POLICY FOCUSES
MORE ON FOLLOWING A SET OF
PRINCIPLES THAN ON A HARD LIST
OF DO'S AND DON'T'S. WE ALSO
RECOGNIZE THAT THE TECHNOLOGY
IS EVOLVING, AND IT IS NEVER A
GOOD PRACTICE TO GET TOO
PRESCRIPTIVE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY
POLICY. AND DENYING AS LONG AS
THEY DON'T INTRODUCE SECURITY
OR OTHER RISKS INTO OUR
SETTING. AND THEN WE FEEL WE
ARE GIVEN PROPER INSTRUCTION
THROUGH THE CITY STAFF TO USE
THAT TECHNOLOGY IN A
RESPONSIBLE MANNER. I CAN
FOLLOW UP WITH THE COMMITTEE
AND PROVIDE DIRECT LINKS.
>> THANKS. I HAD A DIFFERENT
QUESTION. AND YOU SAID THAT IN
2016, THE I.T. DEPARTMENTS AND
THE DEPARTMENTS WERE
CONSOLIDATED AND YOU CAME IN TO
FRUITION? AND SO ARE THERE
STILL DEPARTMENTS THAT HAD
THEIR OWN I.T. SECTIONS LIKE
THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT?
>> IN SOME AREAS, WE'VE
ESTABLISHED AGREEMENTS. AND
THEY MAINTAIN THE I.T. STAFF
SUPPORTING ITS REGULATED
ENVIRONMENT. IT HAS TO BE
MANAGED ACCORDING TO THE RULES
OF THE NORTH AMERICAN ENERGY.
AND SIMILARLY OUR COLLEAGUES AT
SPU, WHO YOU WILL BE HEARING
ABOUT SHORTLY. THEY HAVE
ANOTHER PROTECTED OPERATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT THAT
THEY MAINTAIN WITH THEIR OWN
I.T. STAFF. IN A LOT OF
DEPARTMENTS, THERE ARE DATA
ANALYSTS AND SCIENTISTS, IN
SOME ORGANIZATIONS THEY MIGHT
BE CONSIDERED I.T. STAFF. BUT
WE REGARD THE WORK OF USING AND
REPORTING ON CITY DATA TO BE
SOMETHING THAT IS A
DEPARTMENTAL FUNCTION. SO THEY
ARE IN CITY DEPARTMENTS. SO
THOSE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES I
WOULD THINK OF. AND I WILL NOTE
THAT OUR CITY FINANCE OFFICE,
OFFICE OF CITY FINANCE, OCF. IT
IS RUNNING THE CITY'S HR
SYSTEM REPLACEMENT PROJECT. TO
IMPLEMENT THE PRODUCT WORK DAY.
AND THEY HAVE A WHOLE TEAM OF
I.T. PROFESSIONALS THERE THAT
MANAGE THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM,
PEOPLE SOFT, AND THAT WILL
EVENTUALLY MANAGE THE WORK DAY
SYSTEM. SO THAT IS IN THE
OFFICE OF CITY FINANCE. SO
THERE ARE EXAMPLES LIKE THAT
THROUGHOUT THE CITY. [
CAPTIONERS TRANSITIONING ]
I KNOW THEY WANTED TO BE A
PART OF THE CONTRACT THAT
COVERED THE MUNICIPAL COURTS.
WE CAN TALK OFF-LINE ABOUT
THAT. THAT'S I THINK THAT DOES
RING THE BELL THAT WE WERE
WORKING ON SOMETHING WITH THEM.
>> IT'S JUST A LOT OF YOUR
WORK, THESE THINGS GO OUT OF
DATE ALL THE TIME. IT IS JUST A
REVOLVING DOOR OF NEW NEEDS,
RIGHT? THAT'S ABSOLUTELY,
THAT IS OUR LIFE, RIGHT? THANK
YOU, COUNCIL PRESIDENT.
>> ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL
COMMENTS?
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER
HOLLINGSWORTH. I DON'T KNOW IF
THERE IS INFORMATION YOU CAN
SHARE OR MAYBE THIS IS THE
COUNCILMEMBER . THE CHAIR
INDULGES ME PERHAPS FOR A
FUTURE MEETING. I WOULD LIKE
TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT AND INTERNET FOR
ALL. WE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE
DETAILED INFORMATION. I, FOR MY
PART, WOULD LOVE SOME DETAILED
INFORMATION. WHEN YOU TALK
ABOUT THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
AND THE BUSINESS SOLUTION SIDE,
WHAT ARE THOSE SIX D PROJECTS
AND WHAT WOULD THEY DO? I
WOULD JUST LIKE TO HEAR MORE
ABOUT THAT THOSE ARE A LOT OF
PROJECTS, YOU GUYS ARE DOING A
LOT OF WORK. BY THE WAY, THANK
YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION FROM A
GREAT PRESENTATION. IT JUST
LEADS ME TO WANT TO ASK MORE
QUESTIONS AND GET MORE
INFORMATION. SO, IF THERE IS A
WAY TO GET MORE INFORMATION
FROM EITHER THAT YOU CAN EMAIL
TO US, OR PERHAPS WE CAN TALK
ABOUT HOW WE GET THAT
INFORMATION FOR PERHAPS A
FUTURE MEETING, THAT WOULD BE
GREAT.
>> EITHER AND BOTH. THERE IS A
LOT OF INFORMATION ON THE
INTERNET FOR ALL OUT ON THE
WEB, DASHBOARDS, DATA,
BACKGROUND, STORIES, ET CETERA
THAT I CAN SEND TO THE
COMMITTEE. AND AGAIN, WE ARE
ALWAYS HAPPY TO COME TO
COMMITTEE AND PRESENT ON OUR
GREAT WORK WE LOVE LEAVING
PEOPLE HUNGRY FOR MORE, AND WE
LIKE COMING BACK TO THE TABLE
TO SHOWCASE WHAT WE ARE WORKING
ON. AND AS NICOLE MENTIONED,
WE DO DO A REPORT OUT EVERY
MONTH ON SOME PROJECTS, BUT WE
WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO GIVE
YOU DIRECT ACCESS TO THE WHOLE
PORTFOLIO AT SOME POINT, SO
YOU CAN SEE AT A GLANCE WHAT
YOU'RE WORKING ON, BUT WE WILL
ALSO PREPARE THAT INFORMATION
FOR YOU, TOO.
>> THAT WOULD BE GREAT, BECAUSE
I CAN SAY I KNOW CONSTITUENTS
HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT
I.T., THERE IS JUST SO MUCH IN
THIS SPACE, AND IT IS JUST
REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE
WELL INFORMED AS WE COMMUNICATE
CONSTITUENTS ON WHAT DOES I.T.
DO? IT DOES A LOT. AND WE KNOW
THAT CONTRACTS ABSOLUTELY. AS I
OFFERED TO COUNCILMEMBER
KETTLE, IF YOU DO GET
CONSTITUENT CORRESPONDENCE THAT
HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, I'M
ALWAYS HAPPY TO READ THAT AND
WORK ON PREPARING A RESPONSE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS? I THINK THAT
PRESENTATION WAS PHENOMENAL,
THANK YOU, OUR BEAUTIFUL I.T.
DEPARTMENT. BEAUTIFUL I.T.
DEPARTMENT. BEAUTIFUL.
REMEMBER THAT. MORE BEAUTIFUL
THAN THE STANFORD SWEATSHIRT.
WILL THE CLERK PLEASE READ
AGENDA ITEM THREE INTO THE
RECORD?
>> AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE,
OVERVIEW PRESENTATION BY
SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES
BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION.
>> AS THEY ARE COMING UP HERE,
I HAVE HAD A PHENOMENAL TIME
GETTING TO LEARN ABOUT OUR
SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES AND
EVERYTHING THEY DO AND I LOVE
INTERESTING FACTS, AND ONE OF
THE FACTS THEY BROUGHT TO US
WAS THAT IF YOU LIVE IN
DISTRICT 3, WHEN YOU FLUSH YOUR
TOILET, IT TAKES BETWEEN 30
MINUTES TO AN HOUR TO GET TO
THE WEST POINT -- AM I WRONG?
I SAW BRIAN LOOK AT ME LIKE, I
DON'T KNOW. YEAH, THAT'S
RIGHT. FOR IT TO GET TO THE
WEST POINT TREATMENT FACILITY.
AND I ALSO KNOW THAT WE SEND A
TON OF OUR GARBAGE, EIGHT MILE
LONG GARBAGE SIX DAYS A WEEK TO
-- AND HOPEFULLY I AM CORRECT,
TO OREGON. AND I WAS REALLY
HAPPY TO HEAR THAT OREGON HAS
BEEN GETTING OUR TRASH, SO --
ANYWAYS, THOSE ARE MY JOKES FOR
TODAY.
>> WE ARE PAYING THEM
HANDSOMELY, THOUGH.
>> THEY ARE GETTING PAID WELL.
GENERAL MANAGER CEO ANDREW LEE
OF OUR WONDERFUL SEATTLE
PUBLIC UTILITIES AND TEAM,
PLEASE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. SHARE
HOLLINGSWORTH'S, VICE CHAIR
NELSON, AND MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE, THANK YOU FOR
ALLOWING ME TO PRESENT AN
OVERVIEW OF SEATTLE PUBLIC
UTILITIES TODAY. MY NAME IS
ANDREW LEE. I HAVE WORKED AT
SPU FOR 13 YEARS, INCLUDING
THE LAST 2 1/2 YEARS AS THE
GENERAL MANAGER AND CEO. I
HAVE WORKED IN THE INDUSTRY OF
WASTEWATER FOR ABOUT 25 YEARS,
ALSO HAVING WORKED ACROSS THE
LAKE AT THE CITY OF BELLEVUE,
AND THEN DOWN SOUTH IN SAN
FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES
COMMISSION AND FOR TWO PRIVATE
ENGINEERING CONSULTING FRIENDS.
I WAS DEBATING ABOUT WHETHER
TO SHARE THIS, BUT I AM A
GRADUATE OF STANFORD, SO GO,
CARDINALS. TWO DEGREES THERE,
AND DEFINITELY LOVE THEIR TEAM.
SO -- LET'S WE LOVE YOU,
THOUGH. WE LOVE SAN FRANCISCO.
>> THANK YOU. WE CAN GO TO THE
NEXT SLIDE. I'M GOING TO
START OFF BY SHARING A LITTLE
BIT OF THE STORY HERE. WE
ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC EVERY
ONCE IN A WHILE, AND WE DID AN
ONLINE CHAT ROOM WITH THE
PUBLIC JUST TO ENGAGE THEM ON
WHAT THEY KNEW ABOUT SEATTLE
PUBLIC UTILITIES AND THE
SERVICES WE PROVIDE, AND I HAVE
DONE THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
ENGAGEMENTS OVER THE YEARS
MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT IT
TYPICALLY STARTS OFF WITH
PEOPLE IN THE PUBLIC SAYING,
BOY, REBELS ARE REALLY, REALLY
HIGH. THEN IT PROCEEDS TO WHAT
EXACTLY DO YOU DO, SPU? DO YOU
PROVIDE ELECTRICITY, GAS, WHAT
EXACTLY ARE YOU RESPONSIBLE
FOR? THEN AS WE START TO GO
INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE
SERVICES WE PROVIDE, THE
CONVERSATION STARTS TO SHIFT,
AND IT SHIFTS TO, WELL, WE HAD
NO IDEA YOU GUYS WERE DOING ALL
OF THIS AMAZING WORK IN OUR
COMMUNITY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT,
AND YOUR VALUES ARE SO ALIGNED
WITH OUR VALUES OF PRESERVING
AND PROTECTING OUR WATER
RESOURCES, PRESERVING AND
CLEANING THE CITY, TAKING CARE
OF THE ENVIRONMENT, AND PEOPLE.
AND AT THE END OF THESE
CONVERSATIONS, IT TYPICALLY
FINISHES OFF WITH , I AM SO
SUPPORTIVE OF THE WORK YOU ARE
DOING. AND SO, I'M REALLY
EXCITED TO SPEND THIS TIME
SHARING WITH YOU ABOUT OUR
WORK, BECAUSE AGAIN, IT IS
QUITE ENGAGING. WE HAVE
INCREDIBLE STAFF THAT DO
INCREDIBLE WORK AND IT IS A
REALLY EXCITING ORGANIZATION.
JUST A FEW KIND OF TIDBITS
ABOUT US, WE ARE THE FOURTH
LARGEST CITY DEPARTMENT WITH
ABOUT 1400 EMPLOYEES AND WE ARE
14% OF ALL CITY EMPLOYEES. OUR
BUDGET IS THE SECOND LARGEST
CITY BUDGET AT $1.3 BILLION,
20% OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET,
AND WE HAVE THE SECOND-LARGEST
CAPITAL PROGRAM AT $294
MILLION, 26% OF THE CITY'S
CAPITAL BUDGET. YOU KNOW, I
TALK ABOUT THIS EVERY ONCE IN A
WHILE, I RAN INTO A CONTRACTOR
ONCE, IT WAS ACTUALLY DURING
THE LAST RECESSION, AND I ASKED
HIM, HOW IS YOUR BUSINESS
GOING? AND HE SAID, OURS IS
NOT AFFECTED BY THE RECESSION,
AS WE HAVE A NEED TO HAVE
BUSINESS, NOT A NICE TO HAVE
BUSINESS. THAT IS TRUE OF US,
WE ARE A NEED TO HAVE BUSINESS
FOR THE MOST PART. WE ARE
ABSOLUTELY MEASURED BY OUR
ABSENCE OF AREAS. YOU KNOW, AS
LONG AS HER WATER TURNS ON,
YOUR GARBAGE IS PICKED UP IN
YOUR TOILET FLUSHES, PEOPLE
DON'T GENERALLY NOTICE US.
BUT AS SOON AS ANY OF THOSE
SERVICES ARE MISSING, WE BECOME
PEOPLE'S NUMBER ONE PRIORITY
VERY, VERY QUICKLY. NEXT SLIDE.
OUR CORE MISSION IS ON THE
LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THIS SLIDE
AND OUR FOUR PRIMARY SERVICES
ARE SHOWN ON THE RIGHT-HAND
SIDE. WE HAVE A SHORTHAND
STATEMENT THAT WE USE TO
SUMMARIZE OUR REVISION AND THAT
IS BEING COMMUNITY CENTERED,
ONE WATER, ZERO-BASED BETA
COMMUNITY CENTERED MEANS WE
PRIORITIZE OUR COMMUNITY AND
EQUITY IN ALL OF OUR WORK, AND
WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF
SERVING PEOPLE. ONE WATER IS
THE VISION THAT ALL WATER HAS
VALUE, SO WHETHER IT IS WATER
IN OUR LAKES, WATER IN OUR
DRINKING WATER, PIPES,
STORMWATER, OR EVEN WASTEWATER,
WE SEEK TO PRESERVE IT,
PROTECTED, AND CLEAN IT.
SECOND, ELIMINATING WASTE. IT
POINTS TO A FUTURE WHERE
PRINCIPLES LIKE CIRCULAR
ECONOMY, PRODUCER
RESPONSIBILITY, AND REUSE ARE
THE DRIVERS BETWEEN HOW WE
PURCHASE AND USE OF RESOURCES.
UNDERLYING OUR SPU PRIMARY
SERVICES, OUR FORMAT
PRINCIPLES, THE FIRST ONE IS
DELIVERING EQUITABLE, ESSENTIAL
SERVICES. THE NEXT ONE IS
STEWARDING THE ENVIRONMENT AND
HEALTH, THEN EMPOWERING OUR
CUSTOMERS, COMMUNITY, AND
EMPLOYEES. I WILL TALK A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE IS IN THE
NEXT FEW SLIDES. CLIMATE
ACTION, THANK YOU. CLIMATE
ACTION IS CENTRAL TO THE WORK
THAT WE DO AND A TREMENDOUS
DRIVER BEHIND OUR WORK. TOWARD
THAT END UP IN OUR CLIMATE
ACTION ADAPTATION WORK IS
GROUNDED IN A HOLISTIC AND
INTEGRATED APPROACH TO
MANAGING BOTH OUR WATER AND OUR
WASTE CYCLES IN WAYS THAT
CENTER EQUITY AND CLIMATE
JUSTICE, AND ULTIMATELY BUILD
RESILIENCE AND STEWARD OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. ALL OF
OUR SPU EMPLOYEES FRANKLY
CONTRIBUTE TO THIS MARKET,
WHETHER THEY ARE ENGINEERS,
SCIENTISTS, OPERATIONS STAFF,
FINANCE STAFF, WE ARE ALL VERY
COMMITTED TO WORKING FOR THE
CLIMATE. I HAVE LISTED OFF THE
THREE PRINCIPLES ON THE LEFT,
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CLIMATE
ACTION, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
FOCUSING ON JUSTICE. THIS IS
JUSTICE FOR FRONT-LINE
COMMUNITIES, HELPING TO ADDRESS
RACIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH INEQUITIES . WE KNOW
THAT CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS
CERTAIN COMMUNITIES MORE THAN
OTHERS. ADAPTATION IS A KEY
PRINCIPLE. WE HAVE TO ADAPT
CONTINUOUSLY TO CHANGES IN THE
ENVIRONMENT. SOME OF YOU MAY
HAVE SEEN AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE
SNOWPACK AND THE DECREASE IN
SNOWPACK, THAT IS AN ADAPTATION
THAT WE HAVE. JUST LAST
DECEMBER, WE HAD HUGE FLOODS,
DECEMBER 2022. THAT IS ANOTHER
THING WE ARE ADAPTING TO, AS
WELL AS CHANGING WEATHER
PATTERNS. AND ALL OF THAT
REQUIRES A VERY, VERY ADAPTIVE
MANAGEMENT STRATEGY. LASTLY,
WE ALSO FOCUSED ON MITIGATION.
SO, I WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THIS, BUT ESPECIALLY IN
OUR SOLID WASTE UTILITY AND ALL
OF OUR UTILITIES, WE ARE
FOCUSED ON MITIGATING CARBON
POLLUTION, AND WE ARE ACTUALLY
AT THE CORE OF THAT. IT IS
INTERESTING, ONE OF THE MAJOR
SOURCES OF CARBON INTO THE
ENVIRONMENT IS ACTUALLY FOOD
WASTE, AND MOST FOLKS DON'T
THINK ABOUT THAT. THEY THINK
ABOUT CARS AND ELECTRICITY, BUT
NOT FOOD WASTE. IT IS SOMETHING
WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS INFLUENCE
OVER AND A TREMENDOUS
OBLIGATION TO REDUCE. GO TO THE
NEXT SLIDE. I AM GOING TO
SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME
TALKING ABOUT OUR THREE MAJOR
SYSTEMS, OUR DRINKING WATER,
DRAINAGE, AND SOLID WASTE
SYSTEM, AND I'M GOING TO START
OFF EACH OF THE SLIDES WITH
SORT OF AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE
UTILITY IS. THE DRINKING WATER
SYSTEM STARTS OFF WITH ABOUT
100,000 ACRES OF WATERSHED
ACTUALLY. AND IF ANY OF YOU
ARE EVER INTERESTED, I AM HAPPY
TO TAKE YOU TO OUR WATERSHEDS
AND WE CAN DO A TOUR OF THOSE
BEAUTIFUL FACILITIES, BEAUTIFUL
AREA. WE MAKE SURE THAT THESE
WATERSHEDS ARE FREE OF
AGRICULTURAL, INDUSTRIAL, AND
RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES. WE
ACTUALLY OWN AND CONTROL THE
MAJORITY OF OUR WATERSHEDS IN
BOTH CASES. WHAT THAT MEANS IS
THERE IS LITTLE OPPORTUNITY FOR
CONTAMINANTS TO ENTER THE
WATER. AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT
ALL THE CONTAMINANTS THAT ARE
SPREADING IN OUR ENVIRONMENT
AND ALL THE MAN-MADE CHEMICALS,
WE ARE ACTUALLY IN A VERY, VERY
FAVORABLE SITUATION BECAUSE WE
CONTROL THE LAND THAT THE RAIN
IS FALLING ON. RAIN WATER THAT
FALLS IN THESE WATERSHEDS
FLOWS INTO TWO LARGE
RESERVOIRS, THE CEDAR AND THE
TOLD. THOSE STORE ANNUALLY AND
REFILL OUR DRINKING WATER. AND
THEY END UP SERVING BOTH
PEOPLE, AS WELL AS FISH,
BECAUSE WE RELEASE A CERTAIN
AMOUNT OF THAT FLOW INTO THE
RIVERS DOWNSTREAM FOR FISH. I
AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT OUR
RESERVOIRS ARE BOTH FULL OF
WATER RIGHT NOW, AND SO, YOU
MIGHT RECALL LAST YEAR, WE
ACTUALLY DECLARED A WATER
SHORTAGE, CONTINGENCY AND
ACTIVATION OF OUR CONTINGENCY
PLAN, BUT LARGELY BECAUSE OF A
SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF RAIN AND
SNOW IN THE LAST SEVERAL
MONTHS, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
CALL OFF THAT SHORTAGE
CONTINGENCY PLAN ACTIVATION AND
WE ARE IN A VERY GOOD
SITUATION. OUR RESERVOIRS ARE
CLOSE TO 100% FULL RIGHT NOW,
WHICH IS REALLY GREAT. SNOWPACK
IS A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN WE
WOULD LIKE IT TO BE, IT IS
ABOUT HALF OF WHAT IT NORMALLY
IS, BUT WE WERE ALSO EXPECTING
THAT, WE MANAGE OUR RESERVOIRS
ACCORDINGLY TO MAKE SURE WE ARE
GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH WATER OVER
THE SUMMER. AND THANKS TO
CAREFUL PLANNING, IT LOOKS LIKE
WE ARE IN A FAVORABLE SITUATION
RIGHT NOW, BUT WE ARE ALWAYS
GOING TO CONTINUE TO PAY
ATTENTION TO IT. WE HAVE TWO
STATE-OF-THE-ART TREATMENT
FACILITIES THAT WERE
CONSTRUCTED IN THE EARLY
2000'S. THEY TREAT ABOUT 250
MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER
DAY. THEN FROM THE TREATMENT
PLANTS, TRANSMISSION PIPES
CARRIED OUT WATER TO IN TOWN
RESERVOIRS WHERE IT IS STORED
BEFORE BEING DELIVERED TO
CUSTOMERS HOMES. WE HAVE
STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY
THAT ACTUALLY ALLOW US TO
CONTROL WATER FLOW AND
PRESSURE, BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW,
OUR CITY IS NOT FLAT.
DEPRESSIONS AND HILLS, SO WE
HAVE TO WORK AROUND THE
SIGNIFICANT ELEVATION CHANGE TO
PROVIDE WATER TO EVERYONE. AND
WE HAVE TEAMS OF WATERPIPE
WORKERS WHO RESPOND TO BREAKS,
ENGINEERS WHO WORK ON PROBLEM
SOLVING, PLANNERS, ET CETERA.
WE TEST OUR WATER EVERY SINGLE
DAY, 365 DAYS PER YEAR, TO MAKE
SURE WE HAVE THE HIGHEST WATER
QUALITY, AND THAT INCLUDES
ABOUT 30,000 WATER SAMPLES.
THIS IS A HIGHLY REGULATED
ENVIRONMENT AND WE CONTINUE TO
EXCEED STATE AND FEDERAL WATER
QUALITY STANDARDS, AND WE ARE
PROUD TO HAVE SOME OF THE BEST
DRINKING WATER IN THE NATION.
I SHARE WITH PEOPLE THAT MY
KIDS, WHENEVER WE TRAVEL, NO
MATTER WHERE IT IS, THEY
COMPLAIN ABOUT THE DRINKING
WATER. AND IT IS BECAUSE THEY
ARE SO USED TO DRINKING SEATTLE
WATER, WHICH FRANKLY, IT IS THE
BEST IN THE COUNTRY. OUR
WHOLESALE AREA IS ACTUALLY MUCH
BROADER THAN JUST THE CITY OF
SEATTLE. SO, WE ARE SPLIT INTO
BOTH A WHOLESALE SERVICE AREA
AND A RETAIL SERVICE AREA. THE
HOTEL SERVICE AREA ON THIS
GRAPHIC IS SHOWN IN KIND OF THE
PEACH COLOR, AND THEN THE
RETAIL SERVICE AREA IS SHOWN IN
THE YELLOW. SO, THE RETAIL
SERVICE AREA INCLUDES THE CITY
OF SEATTLE, LAKE FOREST PARK,
AND SOME PARTS OF
UNINCORPORATED KING COUNTY. AND
THESE CUSTOMERS RECEIVE A BILL
DIRECTLY FROM SEATTLE PUBLIC
UTILITIES. THE OTHER HALF IS
THE SUBURBAN WATER DISTRICTS
AND CITIES THAT PURCHASE THEIR
WATER FROM US, BUT THEY SEND
OUT WATER AND THEY MANAGE THEIR
OWN DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS IN
THE PIPES WITHIN THEIR CITIES,
ULTIMATELY, BUT THEY ARE
DELIVERED SEATTLE DRINKING
WATER. ALSO SHOWN ON THIS MAP
IN THE GREEN ARE THE TWO
WATERSHEDS. YOU CAN SEE THE
LARGER WATERSHED IS TO THE
SOUTH, THE CEDAR RIVER, LOCATED
AROUND NORTH BEND AREA. THE
SMALLER WATERSHED IS TO THE
NORTH OF TOLD, AND BOTH OF
THOSE END UP SUPPLYING ALL OF
OUR WATER. ABOUT TWO THIRDS IS
COMING FROM THE CEDAR, 130 IS
COMING FROM THE TOLD. GO TO THE
NEXT SLIDE. I MENTIONED OUR
VISION OF BEING COMMUNITY
CENTERED EARLIER, AND OUR
DRINKING WATER STAFF ARE
WORKING IN COMMUNITY EVERY
SINGLE DAY. IN SEATTLE, BUT
ALSO THROUGHOUT OUR REGION.
OUR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
STAFF, LIKE I MENTIONED,
RESPOND TO MAIN BREAKS AND
BEAKS 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN
DAYS A WEEK. THEY ALSO PERFORM
IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS SUCH AS
WATER MAIN FLUSHING TO KEEP THE
WATER CLEAN AND THE PIPES
CLEAN, CHECKING AND REPAIRING
HYDRANTS AND MAINTAINING ALL
THE EXPENSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE,
WHETHER THAT BE UPON STATIONS,
VALVES, ET CETERA. I MENTIONED
WE HAVE A TEAM OF WATER QUALITY
INSPECTORS WHO WORK WITH
CUSTOMERS, SO THEY ACTUALLY
VISIT CUSTOMER HOMES TO ENSURE
THE WATER REMAINS GREAT FROM
THE SOURCE ALL THE WAY TO THE
TOP. AND WE HAVE A TEAM OF
OUTREACH AND EDUCATION STAFF TO
CONNECT PEOPLE WITH THE SOURCE
OF THEIR DRINKING WATER. THEY
OFFER TOURS OF THE WATERSHEDS,
ESPECIALLY TO SCHOOLS AND OTHER
GROUPS, AND IMPLEMENT
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS THROUGH
TIPS, TOOLS, AND REBATES YEAR
ROUND. GOING TO SHIFT NOW TO
OUR DRAINAGE AND WASTEWATER
SYSTEM. OUR DRAINAGE AND
WASTEWATER SYSTEM IS OUR
SECOND MAJOR LINE OF BUSINESS,
AND THE SLIDE IN FRONT OF YOU
SPLITS IT INTO KIND OF THE
DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE AND
WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE. THE
REALITY, HOWEVER, IS THESE TWO
SYSTEMS ARE VERY, VERY
INTEGRATED, WHICH I'M GOING
TO DESCRIBE IN THE NEXT SLIDE.
OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM CONSISTS OF
A COLLECTION OF RAINWATER AND
MELTING SNOW THAT RUNS OFF FROM
ROOFTOPS, LAWNS, STREETS,
SIDEWALKS, AND PARKING LOTS.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, AT ONE
POINT IN TIME, 30 OR 40 YEARS
AGO, WE THOUGHT THAT STORMWATER
WAS VERY CLEAN, BUT THE
REALITY IS IT IS NOT CLEAN. AS
IT RUNS OFF ACROSS THESE HARD
SERVICES, IT PICKS UP
POLLUTANTS SUCH AS OILS,
GREASE, METALS. IT CARRIES THEM
FROM THROUGH THE CITY IS SYSTEM
OFTENTIMES WITHOUT TREATMENT.
IT CARRIES THEM OUT TO OUR
LEAKS BUT WE HAVE BOTH FORMAL
DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AND INFORMAL
DRAINAGE SYSTEMS. THE FORMAL
SYSTEMS INCLUDE OUR STORM DRAIN
PIPES, THE INFORMAL SYSTEMS
INCLUDE DITCHES AND CULVERTS,
AND WE ARE GOING TO SHOW A MAP
OF THE PROPORTIONS, BUT
GENERALLY SPEAKING, OUR DITCHES
AND CULVERTS ARE GOING TO BE
NORTH OF 85th STREET AND THE
CITY, AND PORTIONS OF WEST
SEATTLE, AND SOME AREAS AROUND
THERE. ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO, THE
CITY OF SEATTLE PIONEERED WHAT
WAS CALLED THE GREEN STORMWATER
INFRASTRUCTURE, YOU MAY HAVE
HEARD THE TERM GSI, WHICH IS AN
EFFORT TO REALLY RESTORE OUR
AREA BACK TO ITS NATURAL
HYDROLOGY. YOU CAN IMAGINE, AN
URBAN ENVIRONMENT NOW, THE WAY
WATER FLOWS, IS VERY DIFFERENT
FROM THE WAY THE WATER FLOWED
1000 YEARS AGO, WHEN IT WAS ALL
FOR ESTATE. BUT THE GREEN
STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE IS AN
EFFORT TO, AGAIN, GOT US BACK
TO THOSE HISTORICAL FLOW
PATTERNS AS MUCH AS WE CAN. WE
NOW HAVE OVER 10 ACRES OF GSI
THROUGHOUT OUR CITY, AND ARE
CONTINUING TO MAKE EFFORTS TO
MANAGE 750 MILLION GALLONS OF
STORMWATER THROUGH THESE
NATURAL NATURE-BASED
SOLUTIONS. SHIFTING TO THE
RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE
WASTEWATER SYSTEM, THIS SYSTEM
MANAGES ALL THE LIQUID AND
SOLIDS THAT FLOW INTO OUR
SHOWERS, OUR TOILETS, AND OUR
SINKS. 75 YEARS AGO, MUCH OF
THIS WASTE WATER FLOWED
DIRECTLY TO OUR WATER BODIES,
UNTREATED. AND THAT SPURRED ON
THE VOTER APPROVED CREATION OF
METRO IN THE LATE 1950s, WHICH
RESULTED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
TREATMENT PLANTS, AND
ULTIMATELY, ONE OF WHICH IS
WEST POINT. SPU, WE OBVIOUSLY
PLAN AND OPERATE MORE THAN
1900 MILES OF ADVANCED
INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAPTURES
AND TRANSPORTS OUR RUNOFF AND
WASTEWATER. THE WASTEWATER
SYSTEM IS ACTUALLY DUALLY
OWNED, AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT
FACT. PART OF THE WASTEWATER
SYSTEM, THE SMALLER PIPES AND
PUMP STATIONS ARE ACTUALLY
OWNED AND OPERATED AND
MAINTAINED BY THE CITY OF
SEATTLE. THE BIGGER PIPES AND
THE TREATMENT PLANT, WEST POINT
AND THE BIGGER PUMP STATIONS
ARE OWNED AND OPERATED BY KING
COUNTY. SO, WE ACTUALLY
CONTRACT WITH KING COUNTY, AND
I WILL TALK ABOUT THIS WHEN I
TALK ABOUT RATES BUT WE PAY
KING COUNTY A SUBSTANTIAL SUM
OF MONEY TO TREAT AND
ULTIMATELY DISPOSE OF OUR
WASTEWATER. ABOUT, I WOULD SAY
GREATER THAN 95% OF OUR
WASTEWATER IS TREATED AT WEST
POINT ONLY A SMALL PORTION
GETS TREATED DOWN SOUTH AT THE
SOUTH PLANT IN RENTON. I
SHOULD NOTE HERE THAT LIKE
DRINKING WATER, WASTEWATER AND
STORMWATER ARE BOTH HEAVILY
REGULATED. SO, WE HAVE TWO
PERMITS, NATIONAL DISCHARGE
POLLUTION PERMITS. WE ALSO
HAVE A WASTEWATER CONSENT
DEGREE, WHERE THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE AND EPA. WE HAVE
BEEN MAKING GOOD PROGRESS ON
OUR PERMITS, AS WELL AS OUR
CONSENT DECREE. I AM GOING TO
TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE PROJECTS,
WHICH IS ACTUALLY REFERENCED BY
THE GENTLEMAN, THANK YOU FOR
MENTIONING THE WATER QUALITY
PROJECT. BUT LATER THIS YEAR,
WE ARE GOING TO BE COMING TO A
POTENTIAL MODIFICATION TO THE
CONSENT DECREE. JUST A LITTLE
BIT OF A PRIMER ON THAT.
SHIFTING TO OUR SERVICE AREA,
GENERALLY SPEAKING, OR SERVICE
AREA IS THE CITY OF SEATTLE. WE
HAVE ACTUALLY THREE DIFFERENT
TYPES OF SYSTEMS. THIS IS WHY
IT IS SO COMPLEX. ONE THIRD OF
OUR SYSTEM IS SHOWN IN THE
PURPLE. IT HAS A SEPARATE
WASTEWATER PIPE AND A SEPARATE
STORMWATER PIPE. AND SO, WE
CALL THIS A SEPARATED SYSTEM.
AND THIS IS GENERALLY HOW
NUMEROUS CITIES ARE BUILT
TODAY. ABOUT A THIRD OF OUR
CITY, AS SHOWN IN THE GREEN IN
THE MAP, HAS BOTH A WASTEWATER
PIPE AND ALSO A DRAINAGE
NETWORK, BUT THE DRAINAGE
NETWORK WASN'T BUILT UNTIL
LATER. AND SO, THIS HAPPENED
GENERALLY IN THE 1980s AND
1970s , WHEN THEY STARTED TO
SEPARATE OUT THE ROADWAYS. AND
SO, THE STORM WATER THAT FALLS
ON THE ROADWAYS GOES INTO THE
STORMWATER SYSTEM, BUT THE
STORM WATER THAT FALLS ON
PEOPLE'S PRIVATE PROPERTY IS
GOES INTO THE WASTEWATER
SYSTEM, SO IT IS A MIXTURE.
LASTLY, THE LAST THIRD OF THE
CITY IS THE YELLOW ONE, WHICH
IS WHAT IS CALLED A COMBINED
SEWER SYSTEM, THAT IS WHERE ALL
OF THE WASTEWATER AND STORM
SISTER GOES INTO A SINGLE PIPE.
IN BOTH THE COMBINED, THE PART
OF THE SYSTEM, AND THE GREEN
PART OF THE SYSTEM, WE HAVE
WHAT ARE CALLED COMBINED SEWER
OVERFLOWS. AND SO, YOU CAN
IMAGINE THAT THE RAINWATER, IT
EXCEEDS THE CAPACITY OF THE
WASTEWATER SYSTEM EVERY SO
OFTEN, AND INSTEAD OF BACKING
UP INTO PEOPLE'S HOMES, THE
SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED TO HAVE
EARLIEST POINTS INTO THE WATER
BODIES. HENCE WHY WE HAVE A
CONSENT DECREE, WHICH IS THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AS WELL AS
EPA, WANT US TO REDUCE THE
SEWAGE OVERFLOWS DOWN TO WHAT
WAS MENTIONED, WHICH IS ONE
OVERFLOW PER SITE PER YEAR. I
WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THIS WITH SOME OF OUR PROJECTS.
IN COMMUNITY, WE HAVE A NUMBER
OF WORK THAT WE HAVE OPERATIONS
AND MAINTENANCE TEAMS WORKING
24/7 TO CLEAN AND REPAIR AND
REPLACE OUR DRAINAGE
INFRASTRUCTURE. I MENTIONED
SOUTH PARK EARLIER, THIS IS THE
TEAM THAT ACTUALLY RESPONDED TO
THE FLOODS IN DECEMBER 2022.
THEY ARE ALWAYS ON CALL AND THE
PLACE A HUGE PRIORITY ON
PROTECTING OUR CUSTOMERS. WE
HAVE A SPILL RESPONSE PROGRAM
AS WELL THAT RESPONSE TO SPILLS
IN THE ROADWAYS AND ALSO INTO
THE LAKES. IN OUR WATER
BODIES. AND THEN WE HAVE OTHER
PROGRAMS LIKE INSPECTIONS,
BACKFLOW PREVENTION, OUR FATS,
OILS, AND GREECE, WHICH ARE
PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM PUTTING
TOO MUCH OIL AND GREASE INTO
THE SEWER SYSTEM THAT CLOGS IT.
OUR RAINWATER PROGRAM THAT
OFFERS REBATES ON NATURAL
DRAINAGE SYSTEMS ON PRIVATE
PROPERTY, AND THINGS OF THAT
SORT. OKAY, I'M GOING TO SHIFT
NOW TO OUR LAST MAJOR SYSTEM,
WHICH IS OUR SOLID WASTE
SYSTEM. AND THIS IS A SYSTEM
THAT MANAGES OUR GARBAGE, OUR
RECYCLABLES, AND OUR ORGANICS.
THIS IS REQUIRED SERVICE FOR
ALL SECTORS, RESIDENTIAL, MULTI
FAMILY, AND COMMERCIAL. AS YOU
ARE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH
FOOD-BASED, RECYCLABLES ARE
NOT ALLOWED IN OUR GARBAGE
STREAM. THE FLOW OF MATERIALS
AND MANAGEMENT INVOLVES SEVEN
SERVICE CONTRACTS, STARTING
WITH CURBSIDE COLLECTION. I
WILL POINT THIS OUT, OF OUR TWO
MAJOR SERVICE CONTRACTORS ARE
ECOLOGY AND WN, FORMALLY WASTE
MANAGEMENT. WE ALSO HAVE
CONTRACTS FOR RECYCLING,
COLLECTION OF COMPOST AND
PROCESSING OF THE COMPOST
MATERIALS, AND THEN WE HAVE
CONTRACTS TO HAUL ALL OF THE
GARBAGE, THE SOLID WASTE DOWN
OVER TO THE LANDFILLS IN
OREGON. THE PRICING STRUCTURE
FOR THE SERVICE IS
PAY-AS-YOU-GO OR PAY AS YOU
THROW, ACTUALLY, I SHOULD SAY.
WHICH HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT OF
REDUCING WASTE OVERALL.
MATERIALS THAT ARE COLLECTED BY
THE CONTRACTORS ARE GENERALLY
TRANSFERRED TO OUR TWO
TRANSFER STATIONS WHICH WE OWN
AND OPERATE, BEFORE THEY GO TO
EITHER COMPOSTING OR TO
RECYCLING OR TO OUR LANDFILLS
IN OREGON. GOING TO THE NEXT
SLIDE. OUR SERVICE AREA IS
SHOWN HERE. AND GENERALLY
SPEAKING, IT IS THE ENTIRE
CITY. YOU CAN SEE THE AREA
THAT IS ECOLOGY, WHICH IS SHOWN
IN THE GREEN, SERVICED BY THEM,
AND ALSO THE AREAS SERVICED BY
WN OR WASTE MANAGEMENT. OUR
CUSTOMERS ARE LISTED ON THE
BOTTOM LEFT. OUR GUIDING
PRINCIPLES ARE REALLY
IMPORTANT, WE HAVE A STRONG
GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR
DECREASING WASTE. AND
HISTORICALLY, THAT ACTUALLY
CAME ACROSS AS PRIMARILY A
RECYCLING GOAL, BUT OUR GOAL ON
THIS HAS ACTUALLY SHIFTED TO
JUST WASTE REDUCTION, THERE. I
AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT SEATTLE
ACTUALLY HAS ONE OF THE LOWEST
PER CAPITA RATES FOR WASTE
GENERATED OF ANY MAJOR CITY IN
THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS
PRETTY EXCEPTIONAL. WE ARE
WORKING AND ACTIVELY KIND OF
CREATING A CIRCULAR ECONOMY.
WHERE WASTE IS ULTIMATELY JUST
REDUCING CARBON POLLUTION ,
DECREASED AS RAPIDLY AS
POSSIBLE, BUT ALSO LOOKING TO
CREATE MORE PRODUCER
RESPONSIBILITY. THIS IS WHERE
THE PRODUCERS OF GOODS ARE
ACTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
FULL LIFE CYCLE OF THOSE GOODS,
INCLUDING THE COST OF DISPOSAL.
ALSO, I SHOULD MENTION, WE
HAVE TWO HAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLD
WASTE FACILITIES WHERE WE
ACCEPT HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
THERE. GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE ON
SOLID WASTE. A NUMBER OF
CUSTOMER PROGRAMS, WE HAVE GOT
RECYCLING, COMPOSTING PROGRAMS,
BULK WASTE, FOOD-BASED
PREVENTION, AS I MENTIONED, A
HUGE SOURCE OF CARBON
REDUCTION, AND HOUSEHOLD
HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL.
AGAIN, A LOT OF THIS IS FOCUSED
ON EDUCATING OUR CUSTOMERS,
BECAUSE UNLIKE OUR WATER
SYSTEM, OR WASTEWATER SYSTEMS,
WE ARE COMPLETELY RELIANT ON
OUR CUSTOMERS TO PUT THE RIGHT
THING IN THE RIGHT PLACE, THE
RIGHT THEN. AND OFTENTIMES, IT
IS VERY CONFUSING, SO WE HAVE
A LOT OF GUIDANCE AND EDUCATION
ON THAT. OKAY, JUST A FEW MORE
SLIDES. YOU KNOW, CAPITAL
PROJECT DELIVERY IS A HUGE
PORTION OF OUR WORK. I
MENTIONED $250 MILLION PLUS A
YEAR. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT WE ARE
MANAGING VERY PROACTIVELY TO
DELIVER ON OUR REQUIREMENTS.
I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS A
LITTLE BIT MORE LATER, OUR
BIGGEST DRIVER IN TERMS OF
DOLLAR AMOUNT FOR OUR CAPITAL
PROGRAM IS REGULATORY
COMPLIANCE. AND OUR BIGGEST
CAPITAL PROGRAM OF OUR ENTIRE
CAPITAL PROGRAM IS A SHIP CANAL
WATER QUALITY PROJECT. IT IS A
PROJECT THAT WAS MENTIONED .
THIS IS AN AMAZING PROJECT,
ACTUALLY, I WILL SAY. IT IS A
TUNNEL PROJECT AND A PUMP
STATION PROJECT AND SOME
SMALLER INFRASTRUCTURE LINES.
BUT HERE IS THE BENEFIT, WHICH
IS RIGHT NOW, WE OVERFLOW ABOUT
40 TO 60 TIMES OF SEWAGE INTO
LAKE UNION AND INTO THE SHIP
CANAL. THAT IS 40 TO 60 DAYS
EVERY SINGLE YEAR. IT IS OUR
WORST AND MOST FREQUENT
OVERFLOWING SITE IN THE CITY,
AND AT THE END OF THIS PROJECT,
THAT WILL BE ONE TIME PER YEAR.
YOU MAY WONDER WHY ONE TIME,
WHY NOT ZERO? THERE IS ALWAYS
GOING TO BE A LARGER STORM.
UNFORTUNATELY. AND THERE IS A
LITTLE BIT OF A COST MANAGEMENT
HERE , AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
THOSE STORMS KIND OF GO LIKE
THIS. THEY ARE EXPONENTIALLY
BIGGER WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO
CAPTURE THE WATER. AND SO, IT
IS OPTIMIZED TO AGAIN CAPTURE
ON A LONG-TERM BASIS, SO THERE
IS AN AVERAGE OF ONLY ONE
OVERFLOW SITE PER YEAR, WHICH
IS GENERALLY GOING TO BE DURING
THE BIGGEST STORM PER YEAR. WE
FEEL VERY CONFIDENT, THAT IS
THE STANDARD THAT HAS BEEN
ADOPTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
ECOLOGY, AND IT IS ONE OF THE
HIGHEST STANDARDS I AM AWARE OF
IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES. I
HAVE WORKED IN SAN FRANCISCO, I
AM FAMILIAR WITH CONSENT DECREE
PROGRAMS IN BOSTON,
INDIANAPOLIS, ATLANTA, AND THIS
IS THE HIGHEST STANDARD I HAVE
SEEN ANYWHERE. IN ADDITION, WE
HAVE OTHER PROJECTS SOUTH PARK
DRAINAGE, WE HAVE HABITAT
PROJECTS, HAVE A LOT OF ASSET
MANAGEMENT PROJECTS TO REPLACE
AGED INFRASTRUCTURE. THAT IS
OUR SECOND HIGHEST CATEGORY OF
SPENDING, WHICH IS REPLACING
AGED WATER MAINS, SEWER MAINS,
THINGS LIKE THAT. THEN WE HAVE
A NUMBER OF OTHER PROJECTS TO
KIND OF ENHANCE OUR SYSTEM AS
WELL. OKAY. THIS IS A VERY,
VERY SMALL PORTION OF OUR CITY
, OF OUR OVERALL PROGRAMMING
BUDGET, BUT IT IS AN IMPORTANT
ONE. AS YOU KNOW, THE VAST
MAJORITY OF OUR WORK IS FUNDED
BY UTILITY RATES, BUT OUT
PORTFOLIO DOES INCLUDE FIND
WORK, MOST OF WHICH IS
DEDICATED TO THIS, WHICH IS
CLEAN CITY SERVICES. THIS
INCLUDES A DIVERSE ARRAY OF
SERVICES, MOSTLY TO DEAL WITH
LATER IN PUBLIC PLACES, THINGS
LIKE SHARKS, NEEDLES, ILLEGAL
DUMPING. WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE
THAT JUST DUMP THAT TV ON THE
SIDE OF THE ROAD , WE WILL COME
AND PICK IT UP. AND OTHER
HAZARDS THAT PREVENT RISKS TO
RESIDENTS. WE WORK PROMPTLY TO
RESOLVE THOSE CONCERNS AND MAKE
SURE SEATTLE REMAINS HEALTHY
AND CLEAN. OUR CLEAN CITY
BUDGET, I MENTIONED WE HAVE A
$1.3 BILLION BUDGET. A LITTLE
BIT LESS THAN 1 1/2% OF OUR
BUDGET, BUT STILL, A VERY
IMPORTANT PART OF OUR WORK.
>> CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION
ABOUT THIS PAGE? I AM SORRY.
GRAFFITI. COUNCILMEMBERS HERE A
LOT ABOUT OUR CONSTITUENTS.
I'M LOOKING AT THE LINE THAT
IS TALKING ABOUT 800,070 FEET
OF GRAFFITI ABATEMENT. BUT IT
ALSO SAYS UNDER THAT, 42%
INCREASE. THAT WAS JUST IN ONE
YEAR. IS THAT BECAUSE OF THE
INJUNCTION? TO WHAT DO YOU
ATTRIBUTE THAT INCREASE?
>> YEAH, GRAFFITI INCREASED
SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE PANDEMIC
ACTUALLY, SO I AM GOING TO
GUESS THAT THIS DATA WAS
PROBABLY SHOWING AN INCREASE
BETWEEN ROUGHLY 2020 -- SORRY,
PRIOR TO 2020 AND POST 2020, SO
WE DID SEE A SHARP INCREASE IN
THAT. SO, YEAH. BOTH ON THE
PUBLIC SIDE, AS WELL AS THE
PRIVATE SIDE, SIGNIFICANT
INCREASE.
>> OKAY, AND DO YOU CLEAN
GRAFFITI ON PRIVATE PROPERTY?
>> YEAH, WE ASSIST WITH IT.
SO, WE ARE BOTH THE ENFORCER OF
GRAFFITI, BUT GENERALLY, WE
RECOGNIZE THAT WHEN PEOPLE GET
GRAFFITI ON THEIR PRIVATE
PROPERTY, THEY ARE ALSO
VICTIMS, RIGHT? SO, WE HAVE
THE GRAFFITI ORDINANCE THAT
REQUIRES IT TO BE CLEANED UP
IN A CERTAIN TIMELINE, BUT WE
ALSO GO OUT OF OUR WAY TO OFFER
SUPPORT TO THEM. SO, WE OFFER
PAINTS, MATERIALS, IN SOME
CASES, WE OFFER SOME OF THE
LABOR AS WELL.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YEAH. OKAY. I WOULD BE
REMISS IF I DIDN'T TALK ABOUT
OUR BILL. SO, WE DO HAVE A
UTILITY BELT THAT IS COLLECTED
ACTUALLY ON A BIMONTHLY BASIS.
OUR SERVICES COST A TYPICAL
SINGLE FAMILY HOME ON A ABOUT
$222 PER MONTH, BUT SINCE
THESE SERVICES ARE BILLED
BIMONTHLY, THAT NUMBER
INCREASES TO ABOUT $445 EVERY
TWO MONTHS. AS YOU CAN SEE,
ABOUT 28% OF THIS GOES TOWARDS
OUR CAPITAL WORK, WHICH I
MENTIONED EARLIER, EXTREMELY
CAPITAL-INTENSIVE. ABOUT 27%
POST OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
COSTS LIKE THE CLEANING, LIKE
THE CONTINUOUS KIND OF
OPERATION OF OUR
INFRASTRUCTURE. ABOUT 15%
ACTUALLY GOES TO TAXES AND FEES
THAT WE PAY INTO THE CITY
GOVERNMENT, SO WE PAY TAXES AND
FEES TO THE GENERAL FUND, AND
OUR TWO BIGGEST CONTRACTS, THE
FIRST ONE IS KING COUNTY, A
SIGNIFICANT CONTRACT TO TREAT
OUR WASTEWATER. AND THE SECOND
CONTRACTS ARE THOSE FOR OUR
SOLID WASTE COLLECTION AND
DISPOSAL. GOING TO THE NEXT
SLIDE, I HAVE KIND OF HOVERED
OVER THIS, BUT KEY DRIVERS, A
NUMBER OF THEM, AFFORDABILITY
IS OBVIOUSLY HUGE IN TERMS OF
HOW WE THINK ABOUT RATE. AGING
INFRASTRUCTURE IS SIGNIFICANT.
MORE THAN TWO THIRDS OF OUR
SYSTEM IS GREATER THAN 80 YEARS
OLD, SO WE ARE CONTINUOUSLY
NEEDING TO REPLACE IT. WE HAVE
STRONG REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS,
AND THAT I WOULD BE REMISS IF I
DIDN'T MENTION EQUITY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. OUR CITY
STILL HAVE POCKETS THAT ARE
UNDERSERVED. LIKE SOUTH PARK,
WE ARE WORKING REALLY, REALLY
PROACTIVELY TO MAKE SURE WE
ADDRESS THOSE AREAS AND PROVIDE
THEM WITH THE SERVICE WE ALL
EXPECT ACROSS OUR CITY. ONE OF
THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE TO
ADDRESS THE HIGH COST OF
UTILITY COSTS IS OUR UTILITY
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, AND WE
ACTUALLY HAVE ONE OF THE MOST
GENEROUS UTILITY SYSTEM
PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE
PROVIDE 35,000 DIFFERENT
ACCOUNTS WITH UP TO $23
MILLION IN REDUCED BILLS. THAT
HAD AN AVERAGE ANNUAL BENEFIT
OF ABOUT $700 PER ACCOUNT , AND
IT IS ABOUT A 50% DISCOUNT ON
THE WASTEWATER, STORM WATER
BILL, AND A 60% DISCOUNT ON
THEIR SEATTLE BILL. IT IS A
SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT. WE HAVE
AN EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM, THESE ARE MORE FOR
SITUATIONS WHERE PEOPLE FIND
THEMSELVES, WHERE THEY CAN'T
PAY A SINGLE BILL. ON AN
ONGOING BASIS. LAST YEAR, WE
OFFERED MORE THAN $1.5 MILLION
IN EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO MORE
THAN 1100 CUSTOMERS FOR PAST
DUE BILLS. THAT IS $980
ANNUALLY. BOTH OF THESE
PROGRAMS ARE INCOME QUALIFIED,
SO FOLKS NEED TO DEMONSTRATE
AND SUBMIT INCOME SORT OF
DOCUMENTATION FOR THESE
PROGRAMS. AGAIN, WE ARE
ACTIVELY SEEKING, BECAUSE THESE
PROGRAMS ARE FUNDED PRIMARILY
BY OUR RATE BASE, SO OTHER
CUSTOMERS ARE PAYING FOR THESE
PROGRAMS. HOWEVER, WE ARE
ACTIVELY ADVOCATING WITH BOTH
THE STATE AND THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT FOR THERE TO BE
STATE AND FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO
ASSIST WITH THIS. SO, DURING
COVID FOR EXAMPLE, THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT STOOD UP A WATER
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR
LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS, WHICH IS
A COROLLARY TO THE OTHER
PROGRAM FOR ELECTRIC UTILITIES,
AND WE ARE HOPING THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT WILL EVENTUALLY
STAND UP FOR WATER UTILITIES ON
A FULL-TIME BASIS. GOING TO THE
LAST SLIDE, RATESETTING. AND
SO, OUR RATES, THERE ARE TWO
HALVES OF THIS SLIDE, AND
RATES, THERE ARE TWO WAYS WE
ENGAGE WITH COUNCIL ON RATES
PAID ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, WE
ACTUALLY EVERY SINGLE YEAR, WE
COME WITH A DIFFERENT UTILITY
PACKAGE AND A THREE YEAR RATE
INCREASE. SO, FOR DRINKING
WATER, THAT LAST RATE PROPOSAL
WAS IN 2023. AND THE RATES
WERE SET FOR '24, '25, AND
'26. THIS YEAR, WE WILL BE
COMING WITH A THREE-YEAR RATE
PROPOSAL FOR DRAINAGE AND
WASTEWATER, SO THAT WILL MOST
LIKELY BE IN THE SUMMER OF '24,
THE NEXT YEAR WILL BE FOR SOLID
WASTE. AT THE SAME TIME, WE
HAVE WHAT IS CALLED OUR
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN, WHICH
IDENTIFIES OUR PRIORITIES, BUT
IT ALSO IDENTIFIES OUR SIX
YEAR RATE PROTECTION. SO, THE
LAST STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
WAS ADOPTED IN 2021, AND OUR
NEXT STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN,
WE UPDATE THEM ON A THREE-YEAR
BASIS, SO OUR NEXT STRATEGIC
BUSINESS PLAN WILL BE COMING
TO THIS COMMITTEE THIS YEAR,
2024. AGAIN, THAT WILL INCLUDE
OUR RATE PROJECTION FROM 2025
THROUGH 2030. I WILL BE HAPPY
TO PRESENT THAT TO YOU. AT
THIS POINT, I HAVE COVERED A
LOT OF GROUND, SO I'M JUST
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
THAT YOU MAY HAVE. OH, AND I
APOLOGIZE, I DIDN'T GET A
CHANCE TO INTRODUCE THE TWO
FOLKS SITTING NEXT TO ME. I
SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT AT THE
BEGINNING. TO MY RIGHT, ANDREW
GREENHILL, OUR CHIEF OF STAFF,
HE JUST RECENTLY JOINED US FROM
TUCSON, ARIZONA, HAPPY TO HAVE
YOU ON BOARD, ANDREW. THEN BOB
HENNESSY, OUR COUNCIL LIAISON
AS WELL. THAT'S AWESOME,
THANK YOU, ALWAYS HAPPY TO HEAR
ABOUT ANOTHER TO SONY AND.
THEY ARE DOWN. IS THERE ANY
OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS?
>> I DO.
>> COUNCILMEMBER RIVERA.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH , NICE TO
SEE YOU, DIRECTOR LEE. I HAVE
A QUESTION ABOUT THE
RATESETTING. DOES THE STATE
SET -- EXCUSE ME, RATESETTING
INCLUDED RESIDENTIAL AND
BUSINESS?
>> OF BOTH, YEAH. THAT'S
THANK YOU.
>> AWESOME, WE WILL RECOGNIZE
COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS, THEN WE
WILL GO TO COUNCILMEMBER
KETTLE. X I AM ENDEAVORING TO
KEEP MY REMARKS BRIEF, DESPITE
THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT YOUR
DEPARTMENT DOES. I REFER TO
YOUR DEPARTMENT SOMETIMES AS
THE JUST DO IT DEPARTMENT, AND
I'M TALKING ABOUT, YOU HAVE
OUR WATER SUPPLY, CREATE
ELECTRICITY OFF OF THAT WATER
SUPPLY, YOU GET THAT WATER
FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO OUR
HOMES, YOU DO THE STORM WATER
EMERGENCY RESPONSE DOWN IN THE
DUWAMISH, THAT WAS INCREDIBLE.
AND I WATCHED YOU DO THAT
EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIME AND
TIME AND TIME AGAIN WITHOUT
MAKING A BIG SHOW ABOUT IT,
BECAUSE YOU JUST DO IT. YOU
KNOW, YOU HELP MY RESIDENCE
AND RESIDENTS OF OUR CITY WITH
GARBAGE ISSUES -- THERE ARE
SUCH A HOST OF THEM. FROM
BEING BROKEN INTO TWO BEING
MISUSED. YOU HAVE GOT THE
LARGEST MEGA PROJECT GOING ON
IN OUR CITY, I WOULD LOVE TO
GET DOWN AND CHECK IT OUT FOR
ANOTHER TOUR AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE. WE WORK WITH OUR
TRANSFER STATIONS AND
REBUILDING OUR TRANSFER
STATIONS. THE ONE I USE IS DOWN
THERE IN WALLINGFORD AND IT IS
JUST -- YOUR WORKERS, YOUR
EMPLOYEES ON THE WEEKENDS ARE
PLEASANT, THEIR JOYFUL. EVERY
TIME I INTERACT WITH SPU, IT
IS A POSITIVE INTERACTION. AND
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SINKHOLES
THAT I HAVE SEEN , WHEN I FIRST
GOT ELECTED, PEOPLE WOULD JOKE
WITH ME ABOUT HOW MANY TIMES A
SINKHOLE WOULD BE PASSED OVER,
BUT WHEN IT REALLY HAD A
PROBLEM, YOU CAME IN AND FIXED
IT WITHIN 48 HOURS, RIGHT?
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO, THEY
JUST DO IT DEPARTMENT.
>> COUNCILMEMBER KETTLE?
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR
HOLLINGSWORTH AND THANK YOU,
COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS FOR NOT
TAKING TOO LONG. [ LAUGHTER ]
>> THAT WAS FOR YOU, TOO, AS
WELL. [ LAUGHTER ]
>> DON'T WORRY, THE PUTT
COMMITTEE MEETING TODAY WILL
NOT GO AS LONG AS MY PUBLIC
SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING WENT
YESTERDAY, WHICH IS KIND OF
WHAT SHE IS REFERRING TO. USING
THAT TIE IN WITH THE PUBLIC
SAFETY COMMITTEE, YOU KNOW,
ONE OF THE THREE MAIN MISSION
AREAS FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY
COMMITTEE IS EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS. GETTING READY FOR
THE BIG EARTHQUAKE , THEN
POTENTIALLY A TSUNAMI AS WELL.
AND THAT IS A CONCERN FOR OUR
DISTRICT AND THE CITY OVERALL.
YOU KNOW, IT KIND OF COMES UP
WITH THE AGED SYSTEMS, LIKE IN
QUEEN AND WHICH IS AN OLDER
PART OF THE CITY, THERE IS A
LOT OF AGED INFRASTRUCTURE, AND
YOU REFERENCED THAT. HOW BIG
OF A CONCERN IS THAT FOR YOU
WITH RESPECT TO THE EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS ANGLE? THE
EARTHQUAKE, THE BIG EARTHQUAKE
WESTON.
>> IT IS A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN
FOR US. AND SO, I WILL START
OFF WITH KIND OF MITIGATION AND
RESILIENCY WORK. WE ACTUALLY
HAVE A VERY ACTIVE WATER MAIN
KIND OF RESILIENCY, OR WATER
SEISMIC PROGRAM, TO BOTH KIND
OF RETROFIT AND REPAIR AGED
TANKS, AGED PUMP STATIONS, AND
AGED WATER MAINS. THE TWO
BIGGEST CONCERNS ARE OBVIOUSLY
GOING TO BE GETTING WATER TO
OUR REGION. BOTH OF OUR WATER
RESOURCES ACROSS FAULTS.
FORTUNATELY, THOUGH, THEY COME
FROM DIFFERENT FAULTS. SO,
GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE ARE
IMAGINING, WITH THE EXCEPTION
OF THE CASCADIA'S ABDUCTION
ZONE EVENT, ONE OF THE
EARTHQUAKES WILL AFFECT ONE
SIDE OF OUR CITY MORE THAN
ANOTHER SIDE. BECAUSE WE HAVE
TWO SOURCES OF SUPPLY, THAT IS
A VERY GOOD THING FROM A
RESILIENCY STANDPOINT WE
IMAGINE WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE
TO GET AT LEAST ONE SOURCE
OVER. ASIDE FROM THAT, THE
BIGGEST RISK AREAS ARE GOING TO
BE AREAS THAT ARE LIQUEFACTION
PRONE, MOSTLY IN THE DUWAMISH
AREA. WE EXPECT THERE TO BE A
SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF WATER
MAIN BREAKS, ESPECIALLY IN THE
DUWAMISH, AND WE WILL BE
ACTIVELY KIND OF RESPONDING TO
THOSE BREAKS AND FIXING THEM
AND REPAIRING THEM AS THEY
OCCUR. BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE AN
ACTIVE PROGRAM. WE ARE PUTTING
THINGS LIKE SEISMIC RESILIENT
PIPE, A DUCTILE IRON PIPE THAT
WAS INVENTED IN JAPAN, THAT HAS
A JOINT THAT CAN MOVE. TO DATE,
I BELIEVE JAPAN, THEY HAVE HAD
A NUMBER OF EARTHQUAKES THERE,
THEY HAVE HAD QUITE A REALLY
GOOD TRACK RECORD OF THERE NOT
BEING BREAKS ON THOSE
PIPELINES, SO WE ARE ACTIVELY
PUTTING IN SOME OF THOSE
PIPELINES, ESPECIALLY IN OUR
LIQUEFACTION PRONE AREAS. BUT
THIS IS A HUGE AREA OF
INTEREST TO US AND I WOULD BE
HAPPY TO GO INTO MORE DETAIL
ABOUT THAT WITH YOU IF YOU
WOULD LIKE.
>> MAYBE FROM THE COMMITTEE
PARTNERSHIP, I SHOULD ADD,
SINCE I AM IN DISTRICT 7, WE
ARE DEFINITELY FOLLOWING THAT
CATEGORY AS WELL. ALSO, RELATED
TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE,
AS YOU MAY KNOW, WE HAVE A
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR
ADDRESSING THE PERMISSIVE
ENVIRONMENT UNDERLYING A LOT
OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY
CHALLENGES, AND PILLAR FOUR IS
GRAFFITI, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR
WORK ON THAT, AND TO RAMP UP
WHEN AND WHERE POSSIBLE, AND TO
REALLY LOOK AT THE VARIOUS
NEIGHBORHOODS, BECAUSE IT
VARIES UPON NEIGHBORHOOD, SO
YOUR SUPPORT IN THAT AREA IS
INTERESTING. AND IT IS GOOD TO
KNOW THAT THERE IS NOT JUST
ONE CONSENT DECREE. AS I WAS
THINKING ABOUT FROM MY
COMMITTEE PERSPECTIVE, BUT
ALSO, THIS COMMITTEE HAS ONE AS
WELL. SEPARATELY, YOU KNOW,
AND NOW A GOOD SEATTLEITE, I
LOOK TO COMPOST AND RECYCLE, I
CLEAN MY RECYCLING, EVEN HERE
IN CITY HALL. AND I BRING UP
-- BECAUSE THAT WAS AN ISSUE
WHERE CHINA WOULD STOP TAKING
RECYCLING, ARE THERE ANY
CONCERNS REGARDING THE QUESTION
OF CLEAN RECYCLING? IS THAT A
CONCERN FOR YOU?
>> YEAH, WE HAVE HAD TO ADJUST
OUR MARKETS SINCE CHINA CLAMPED
DOWN, SO WE HAVE DIVERSIFIED
THOSE MARKETS, BUT FORTUNATELY,
STILL, I WANT TO SAY ABOUT 80
TO 90% OF WHAT WE ACTUALLY
RECYCLE GETS INTO AN ACTUAL
REUSE STREAM. AND SO, IT IS
NOT A SITUATION WHERE WE ARE
ACTUALLY STILL LANDFILLING THE
MAJORITY OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE
PUTTING INTO THE RECYCLING, WE
HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND
ADDITIONAL MARKETS TO SUPPORT
THE SALE OF THOSE MATERIALS.
>> ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE,
I GOT A GREAT TOUR FROM FORMER
CITY COUNCILMEMBER ROB JOHNSON,
TALKING ABOUT THE RECYCLING OF
CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA. I JUST
WANTED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO
THAT, BECAUSE THAT IS AN
INCREDIBLE EFFORT AND A MODEL
FOR THE REST OF THE CITY, TO
INCLUDE GETTING CLEAN WATER OFF
THE ROOF, ONE ROOF, IF YOU
WILL. FOR THE ZAMBONI DURING
THE CRACKING GAMES. DESPITE
EARLY RESISTANCE, THEY FOUND
THAT IS THE BEST FOR THAT
KRAKEN GAMES ARE CLIMATE PLEDGE
ARENA, AND IT IS DEFINITELY A
MODEL FOR OUR FUTURE EFFORTS
THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND MY
ONE LAST THING IS, AS A BLOCK
WATCH ACCOUNT FOR MY
NEIGHBORHOOD, I WAS OUT THERE
DURING THE FREEZE, SO I WANTED
TO THANK YOUR TEAMS IN THE
UPPER CLEAN AND NORTHWEST PART
I WON'T GO INTO MORE DETAILS,
BECAUSE WE DID HAVE A BIG BREAK
AND CALLED IT IN AND THEY CAME
ON SITE TO ADDRESS THAT DURING
THE FREEZE IN MID-JANUARY. SO,
THANK YOU. TO YOUR TEAM FOR
THEIR EFFORTS IN THAT, THANK
YOU VERY MUCH.
>> I WILL LET THE STAFF KNOW
THAT YOU SAID THAT, APPRECIATE
THAT.
>> ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I ALSO
WANT TO THANK MY FAVORITE
HENNESSY, BOB. I DON'T KNOW
IF YOU'RE SICK OF ME YET, BUT
I KNOW WE HAVE BEEN SENDING
CONSTITUENT EMAILS AND STOP AND
YOU HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY
RESPONSIVE, SO THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR THAT, REALLY
APPRECIATE THAT. YOU ALL DO
PHENOMENAL WORK, THEY JUST DO
IT DEPARTMENT, THANK YOU ALL
FOR BEING HERE AND GIVING US
THAT PHENOMENAL PRESENTATION,
SO THANK YOU. IF THERE IS NO
OTHER BUSINESS, HEARING NONE,
THAT CONCLUDES OUR FEBRUARY
28th MEETING OF PARKS , PUBLIC
UTILITIES, AND TECHNOLOGY. OUR
NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING IS
SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH
13th AT TWO P.M. AND HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, RHONDA HOLLINGSWORTH,
I LOVE YOU. IF THERE IS NO
FURTHER BUSINESS, THIS MEETING
BELLIGERENT, THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> [ EVENT CONCLUDED ]
>> [ MUSIC ]