RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. THE AUGUST 11,
2025 SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL WILL COME
TO ORDER. IT IS 1:32 P.M., I'M
SARA NELSON, PRESIDENT OF THE
COUNCIL. WILL THE CLERK PLEASE
CALL THE ROLL?
>> COUNCILMEMBER SOLOMON?
>> HERE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS?
>> PRESENT, HERE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER HOLLINGSWORTH?
COUNCILMEMBER JUAREZ?
>> HERE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER KETTLE?
>> HERE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER RINCK?
>> PRESENT.
>> COUNCILMEMBER RIVERA?
COUNCILMEMBER SAKA?
>> HERE.
>> AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON?
>> PRESENT.
>> SEVEN PRESENT.
>> AND I'LL NOTE COUNCILMEMBER
RIVERA WAS EXCUSED FROM TODAY'S
MEETING. ALL RIGHT, IF THERE IS
NO OBJECTION, THE AGENDA WILL BE
ADOPTED. ALL RIGHT, HEARING NO
OBJECTION, THE AGENDA IS
ADOPTED. IF THERE'S NO
OBJECTION, THE RULES WILL BE
SUSPENDED TO ALLOW CENTRAL STAFF
TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL. HEARING
NO OBJECTION, THE RULES ARE
SUSPENDED, AND BEN NOBLE, THE
DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL STAFF, WILL
JOIN US AT THE TABLE. YOU'RE
FREE TO BEGIN WHENEVER. GO
AHEAD.
>> THANK YOU. I'M HERE TODAY TO
EXPLAIN -- WELL YOU ARE HERE
TODAY, AND THE REASON YOU ARE
HERE TODAY IS THAT WE MADE SOME
MISTAKES, TECHNICAL MISTAKES, IN
PREPARING THE LEGISLATION THAT
YOU APPROVED LAST WEEK TO SEND
TO THE VOTERS FOR THEIR REVIEW,
THE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD
AFFECT CITY'S RATES. GOOD NEWS
IS YOUR LEGISLATIVE INTENT WAS
VERY CLEAR, AND IT WAS
INCONSISTENT WITH THE MISTAKE IN
VERSION OF THE ORDINANCE. THE
OTHER THING IT IS VERY GOOD,
THERE IS STILL TIME FOR YOU TO
PASS AN ORDINANCE AT TOMORROW'S
MEETING. WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING
TODAY IS TO REFER THAT
CORRECTIVE ORDINANCE TO THE FULL
COUNCIL TOMORROW. LET ME BE VERY
CLEAR ABOUT WHAT IT IS YOU'RE
GOING TO BE DOING TOMORROW, IF
YOU APPROVE THIS CORRECTIVE
ORDINANCE. WHAT YOU WILL BE
DOING IS AMENDING THE ORDINANCE
THAT IS BEING SENT TO THE
VOTERS. WHAT THE VOTERS WILL
SEE, AND YOU'LL BE DOING THIS
BEFORE IT'S SENT TO THE VOTERS.
SO WHEN THEY GET THEIR PACKET IN
THE MAIL THAT DESCRIBES WHAT IS
BEFORE THEM, IT WOULD BE THE
CORRECTIVE VERSION OF THE
ORDINANCE THAT WILL ADDRESS THE
TECHNICAL ISSUES, WHICH I CAN
DESCRIBE IN MORE DETAILS IF YOU
WANT. SO THERE'S NO PROBLEM
HERE IN TERMS OF THE
TRANSPARENCY TO THE VOTERS. THEY
WILL SEE THE RIGHT THING. KING
COUNTY ELECTIONS IS AWARE OF THE
PROCESS WE INTEND TO FOLLOW, AND
IT'S CONSISTENT WITH THEIR
PROCEDURES, SO THEY'RE WILLING
TO ACCEPT THIS CORRECTION. WE'VE
BEEN ABLE TO PRODUCE IT IN THIS
TIMELY WAY. SO WITH REGARD TO
THE ERRORS THEMSELVES, I'M
EMBARRASSED TO TELL YOU MISTAKES
WERE MADE BY COMBINATION OF BOTH
CENTRAL STAFF AND LAW FOLKS
INVOLVED IN REVIEW OF
LEGISLATION DOWN TO THESE
TECHNICAL DETAILS. I AM AMONG
THOSE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED IT IN
THAT PART OF THE REVIEW PROCESS.
SO AMONG THE HUMANS THAT HAVE
FAILED IN THE SITUATION, I JUST
WANT TO BE VERY DIRECT ABOUT
THAT. BUT WE ARE GOING TO DO THE
AFTER ACTION AND FIGURE OUT HOW
WE DID WHAT WE DID, WHAT WE DID
WRONG, BUT FORTUNATELY IT'S A
SIMPLE FIX, AND THAT ORDINANCE
BEFORE YOU TODAY, IDEALLY
APPROVE TOMORROW WILL IMPLEMENT
THAT FIX. SO THAT'S REALLY THE
SUM TOTAL OF IT, BUT I'M HAPPY
TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
>> I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL
JUST -- YOU SAID CORRECTION AND
ERROR MANY TIMES. WHY DON'T YOU
SAY BRIEFLY WHAT IT IS FOR THE
PUBLIC.
>> ABSOLUTELY. SO THE WAY THE
PROPOSAL TO VOTERS IS
ESTABLISHED, THEY WOULD BE
APPROVING ONE SET OF RATES TO
RUN FROM THE BEGINNING OF '26,
WHAT WAS SUPPOSE TO RUN UNTIL
THE END OF 2032, AND THEN THEY
WOULD FALL BACK TO A LOWER
LEVEL. IF YOU RECALL, THE RATES
FOR THE FIRST SEVEN-YEAR PERIOD
ARE SET UP, SO THEY PAY FOR THE
LOST REVENUE ASSOCIATED WITH
ESTABLISHING A $2 MILLION
THRESHOLD BEFORE THE TAX KICKS
IN. AND ALSO TO RAISE ADDITIONAL
REVENUE. AFTER THAT INITIAL
PERIOD, RATES FALL BACK TO A
LEVEL THAT'S NEEDED TO PAY FOR
THE $2 MILLION EXEMPTION, BUT
NOT TO RAISE ADDITIONAL REVENUE.
IT'S THE DATE OF THAT FALLBACK
THAT WAS WRONG IN THE ORDINANCE
YOU APPROVED, IT SAID 2029, IT
NEEDS TO SAY 2032. IF IT
DOESN'T, THAT COULD END UP IN A
SITUATION WITH OUR RATES FOR A
PERIOD. SO TRULY AN ERROR AS
DESCRIBED, TRULY A TECHNICAL
ONE. THE TITLE OF THE PROPOSAL
TO THE BALLOT AND ALL OF YOUR
LEGISLATIVE DELIBERATIONS, IT
WAS CLEAR WHAT THE INTENT WAS,
AND THAT WAS IMPORTANT IN TERMS
OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT THE
CORRECTION. SO IT'S THE SAME
DATE GETTING CORRECTED IN FOUR
DIFFERENT PLACES, ESSENTIALLY,
BUT THAT'S THE LEVEL OF
TECHNICALITY, BUT HUGELY
IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF ITS ACTUAL
IMPACT. ON THE TAX POLICIES AND
THE TAX RATES.
>> OKAY. SO TODAY WE ARE
APPROVING THE INTRODUCTION AND
REFERRAL CALENDAR TO BE ABLE TO
WORK ON THIS? BECAUSE WE CAN'T
VOTE AND REFER SOMETHING ON THE
SAME DAY?
>> EXACTLY. THE REQUIREMENT FOR
ORDINANCES IN PARTICULAR IS THEY
NOT BE REFERRED AND VOTED UPON
AT THE SAME MEETING, SO AGAIN,
SPECIAL MEETING TODAY, IN ORDER
FOR YOU TO REFER THIS CORRECTIVE
ORDINANCE FOR A VOTE TOMORROW.
>> OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
THIS EXPLANATION, DIRECTOR
NOBLE. I APPRECIATE YOU, YOU
RECOGNIZING THE ERROR. BUT I
WILL ALSO SAY LAST WEEK THERE
WAS AN OBJECTION WHEN I
CHARACTERIZED OUR APPROVAL OF
THIS PROPOSAL AS RUSHED. I MEAN,
WHAT WE DID IN A VERY SHORT
AMOUNT OF TIME WAS RESTRUCTURE
CURRENT TAX POLICIES FOR A
BALLOT MEASURE, WHICH HAS
EXTERNALLY IMPOSED BY THE KING
COUNTY DEADLINES. SO I JUST
WANTED TO NOTE, I RECOGNIZED YOU
WERE UNDER, CENTRAL STAFF WAS
UNDER A LOT OF STRAIN. THIS ALSO
HAPPENS TO BE A TIME OF THE YEAR
THAT IS OUR MOST BUSY BECAUSE
COMMITTEES ARE SCRAMBLING
LEGISLATION IN OUR PIPELINES
BEFORE RECESS, AND THEN BEFORE
BUDGET. AND THIS YEAR WE ALSO
HAVE THE COMP PLAN UPDATE, WHICH
IS TAKING A LOT OF TIME. YOUR
STAFF HAS PREPARED A HUNDRED OR
SO OR OVER A HUNDRED AMENDMENTS
TO THAT LEGISLATION. SO JUST
WANTING TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS
A LOT TO DO WITH THE LAST
MINUTE, AND WE KNEW WE WOULD BE
HAVING PROBABLY SOME -- THAT THE
REVENUES WERE COMING IN UNDER
PROJECTION. WE COULD SEE THE
WRITING ON THE WALL THAT WE
COULD BE FACING SOME FEDERAL
BUDGET CUTS AS WELL, WHICH THIS
LEGISLATION OR THIS PROPOSAL IS
INTENDED TO ADDRESS. SO JUST
WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR YOUR STAFF'S HARD
WORK, AND ALSO WE'RE VERY
FORTUNATE THAT KING COUNTY
ELECTIONS ALLOWED US TO GET THIS
IN, THIS TITLE IN AFTER THE
DEADLINE, SO THANK YOU KING
COUNTY AS WELL.
>> I APPRECIATE YOUR GRACE AND
THANK YOU. JUST FOR
CLARIFICATION, IT'S NOT THE
TITLE, THE TITLE IS THE ONE
THING THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE
CHANGED. LET ME JUST SAY ONE
MORE THING. ON A PERSONAL LEVEL,
I WORRY THIS ISSUE ENDS UP BEING
A DISTRACTION FROM WHAT I REGARD
AS THE REALLY AMAZING WORK, TOM
MIKESELL PUT INTO THIS. YOU ALL
EXPRESSED YOUR THANKS, BUT
IMPORTANT FOR ME TO ACKNOWLEDGE
I FAILED HIM AT THIS. I WAS MORE
INVOLVED IN THE REVIEW PROCESS.
HE WAS REALLY CRANKING THROUGH
ON THE POLICY SIDE, THE LEGAL
SIDE, THE TECHNICAL SIDE. SO
REALLY TREMENDOUS WORK. I WANT
TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE
THAT EVEN IN THESE
CIRCUMSTANCES. BUT AGAIN,
APPRECIATE YOUR GRACE. IT WAS A
COMPLICATED PIECE OF
LEGISLATION. THERE WERE COMPLEX
AMENDMENTS MOVING AROUND AT THE
LAST. BUT FORTUNATELY WE HAVE A
FIX. IF THERE'S ANY FURTHER
QUESTIONS I CAN'T ANSWER TODAY
OR HERE IN MY OFFICE, AT ANY
POINT, I'M HAPPY TO DO SO.
>> THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU ALSO
TO TOM MIKESELL, VERY MUCH. ALL
RIGHT. NOT SEEING ANY OTHER
COMMENTS. SO WITH THAT, IF
THERE'S NO OBJECTION, THE
INTRODUCTION AND REFERRAL
CALENDAR WILL BE ADOPTED.
HEARING NONE, THE INTRODUCTION
AND REFERRAL CALENDAR IS
ADOPTED. SO THIS IS A SPECIAL
CITY COUNCIL MEETING. SO IS
THERE ANY FURTHER BUSINESS TO
COME BEFORE THE COUNCIL? ALL
RIGHT. SEEING NONE, WE'VE
REACHED THE END OF TODAY'S
AGENDA, AND THE CITY COUNCIL
WILL MEET AGAIN TOMORROW, AUGUST
12 AT 2:00 P.M. HEARING -- AND
WE WILL BE HAVING OUR COUNCIL
BRIEFING MEETING SHORTLY AFTER
THIS AT 2:00, WHICH IS WHEN IT
OFFICIALLY STARTS NORMALLY. SO
HEARING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, WE
ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU,
EVERYONE.