Tim Burgess' City View

Pacific Place Garage: To Sell or Not To Sell?

After months of review, my committee made a decision last week to hold legislation that would have authorized the sale of the Pacific Place Garage owned by the City. (We try not to use the term “Pacific Place Garage Sale,” because that sounds like a bargain shopper’s dream and not the sale of a piece of subterranean urban infrastructure worth tens of millions of dollars.) It was not an easy or simple decision, so I thought it would be good to explain the Council’s review process in greater detail. But first, some background.

Auditing the Transportation Capital Program

I asked the City Auditor today to conduct an audit of the Seattle Department of Transportation’s capital investment program and its management of cash balances. I did so after learning that SDOT incurred millions of dollars of unused debt in recent years. In 2011, $112 million remained in its cash balance from bond sale proceeds. Last year, the total was $64 million.

We are $1.8 billion behind on basic street and bridge maintenance projects. It’s very troubling that we have been sitting on so much cash. We sold the bonds. We have the money. We should spend these funds to improve mobility and repair our bridges, streets and sidewalks today. Instead, SDOT is wasting taxpayer dollars on unnecessary interest payments. Until we can determine why this is happening and adopt corrective measures, I will not vote to incur any additional debt for SDOT-managed projects.

Our Fiscal Responsibility and Moral Obligation

We have a fiscal responsibility and a moral obligation to invest in effective programs both for the taxpayers and for the vulnerable who rely on our vital services. The proactive measurement and evaluation of results is what Seattle residents expect and deserve.

To further our efforts to budget wisely and effectively, my committee today unanimously approved legislation (Resolution 31425) calling for the design and funding of evaluations of any new programs in the Mayor’s 2014 budget proposal.

A City Budget Re-Focused on Today's Needs

The following text was sent out this afternoon in my e-newsletter. You can sign up to receive my e-newsletter here.

Tomorrow morning my colleagues and I will take dozens of votes to modify next year’s city budget. It will be the next-to-final step in our eight week process of receiving, evaluating and adjusting the Mayor’s budget proposal.

I’m going to advocate for significant changes that will expand care for our most vulnerable neighbors, enhance transportation mobility by repairing streets and improving the speed and reliability of transit corridors and improve public safety. In essence, the changes I will be advocating for are all about focusing on the basics and paying attention to the urgent, immediate needs we have today.

Budget Crunch Time

The City Council is entering crunch time in our 2013-2014 budget deliberations. Beginning this morning through Friday, we will review Council proposals for specific additions and cuts to the Mayor’s original budget proposal. Late next week, likely either Thursday or Friday, we’ll vote on a final balancing package of budget amendments.

The Council approached our budget work with a sharp focus on effectively addressing the needs of today. We want to make smart investments to deal with the pressing issues we face in a way that is efficient, effective and aligned with our vision for the future.

Before we received the Mayor’s budget proposal in late September, the Council passed Resolution 31404. This legislation established performance standards and questions for the Council to ask (and City departments to answer) so that we know what we’re getting when we invest taxpayer money in new programs.

Over the last six weeks, we have been asking these questions about specific goals and program measures. Sometimes we get satisfactory answers; sometimes, frankly, the answers leave us with only more questions.

2013-2014 City Budget: Listening Closely and Investing Wisely

This afternoon, the Mayor will propose to the City Council how he believes we should spend the nearly $1 billion in our city’s general fund budget. He makes his presentation at 2 p.m. in City Hall. You can attend and be part of the audience or watch it on the Seattle Channel.

As chair of the Council’s Budget Committee, here’s how I will evaluate the Mayor’s proposal:

• Does the budget focus on your priorities and the basic services city government is obligated to provide? Are we getting our core work done on your behalf?
• Does the budget fund programs that work and achieve the desired results? Are we spending wisely and effectively?
• Does the budget reflect our shared values for fairness, opportunity for all, justice and protecting the most vulnerable?
• Does the budget advance our quality of life? Among all the choices we face, are we strategically focused on spending that will do the most good?

The Future of Seattle Center (and Key Arena too)

In its 50^th year, Seattle Center is one of our city’s greatest treasures. And it has suddenly captured a lot of renewed attention because of Chris Hansen’s proposed new sports and entertainment arena in SODO. This attention is a good thing. It focuses the City on the challenges and opportunities we currently face at Seattle Center.

Seattle Center is a place visited by millions of people every year, a mixing place for all ages, cultures, races and interests.

Saving Millions Through Tight Fiscal Management

News today that the three major credit rating agencies—Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch—have reaffirmed Seattle’s high bond ratings confirms that our focused and strong fiscal management approach is the correct strategy.

The excellent ratings validate our actions over the past several years to maintain a solid financial foundation. Despite the sluggish economy and significant budget cuts, the Council and Mayor, along with the Retirement Board of Administration and City employees, worked together to keep our fiscal house in order. The excellent bond ratings strongly affirm the course we have followed.

The City, including City Light and Public Utilities, use debt financing for capital improvement programs and spend approximately $370 million per year to service this debt. High bond ratings translate into lower interest payments that save millions of dollars in debt service payments.