Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Mayor Ed Murray delivered his 2016 Proposed Budget to the City Council today, and I am pleased to inform you of a few items related to Seattle Department of Neighborhood’s current programs and services.
First, the most notable change to our budget is the increase. Yes, I said increase. Our budget increases by $1.5M. And we are taking capacity building to a whole new level with four additional staff.
Additional Capacity:
- 1 FTE dedicated to outreach and engagement for HALA.
- 1 FTE dedicated to leadership development in the community.
- 1 FTE to staff the Seattle Youth Commission and be point for Participatory Budgeting.
- Plus we’ll have increased capacity for our accounting team as well as program support for PACE, and the Find It Fix It walks.
Second, our budget reflects an increase of $500,000 that is earmarked for Participatory Budgeting, a new program housed in DON, which is a democratic process through which Seattle youth and young adults will decide how to spend part of the City budget.
Lastly, the Mayor’s budget includes funding for a Mobile Service Center. Though not technically in our budget (it’s in FAS’), it is something that has and will continue to have DON’s fingerprints on it! We were asked to do outreach and engagement differently, and this vehicle will allow the city to bring information and services directly to the community.
Please let the Councilmembers know that you support these budget changes by emailing the Council by using the Council website linked below or attending one of the two Council budget hearings scheduled for the following dates:
- October 6, 2015 @ 5:30pm, Seattle City Hall in Council Chamber; and
- October 20, 2015 @ 5:30pm, Seattle City Hall in Council Chambers.
http://www.seattle.gov/council/
Many thanks to you for your continued support of and involvement with our programs and services, and to Mayor Murray for including these proposals as part of his 2016 Proposed Budget.
Thank you.
Kathy Nyland, Director
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
