Seattle City Council agenda: back to the basics of serving people

By Bob Young
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Following a turbulent year that saw three incumbents unseated, the Seattle City Council adopted a new strategic agenda yesterday aimed at making the nine-member body more responsive to the public.

The council set a back-to-basics theme by stressing it wants to adopt a 2005-2006 budget that maintains core services in the midst of a recession.

The council proposes to preserve these services — such as police and fire protection — in the face of rising labor and health-care costs and minimal revenue growth by reducing spending and perhaps raising additional fees and taxes.

Specifically, it will look at cutting costs by possibly buying prescription drugs for employees in Canada. Revenues might be raised by collecting more "impact fees" from developers, or by asking voters to boost property taxes beyond the 1 percent-a-year increase allowed by Initiative 747, which voters approved in 2001.

The council adopted five other priorities, which call for improved transportation, social services, public dialogue and relations with other governments. In addition, it aims to increase good-paying jobs in the city, particularly in "distressed neighborhoods."

Council President Jan Drago said it was the first time in her 10 years in office that such a strategic agenda had been drawn up. "We've had initiatives and budget priorities, but we've never had this kind of council agenda."

Rookie Councilman David Della said the agenda gives the council a cohesive focus, which could help members deal more successfully with Mayor Greg Nickels, who has strong-armed the fractious body at times in the past two years.

Della and Drago also stressed the agenda was shaped in part by six community meetings the council held in recent weeks.

Drago predicted 2004 will see the council focused on major projects such as monorail oversight and new long-range plans for the Woodland Park Zoo and Magnuson Park, as well as renewal of Seattle's Families and Education Levy.

The current seven-year, $69 million levy pays for such services as teen-health clinics, out-of-school programs, child care and family-support centers.
 
"The monorail will be the biggest project, bar none, for the council this year. ... It will require a massive amount of our time to do due diligence," Drago said.

She said the biggest surprise that came from the agenda-setting effort was the call to strengthen police services in many neighborhoods.

"We heard in no uncertain terms that people are feeling the effects of cuts in police department programs like the 'block watch' and 'business watch' programs," she said.

Drago added that the potentially most significant priority is to improve relations between police and minority communities. "That would be monumental," she said.

The new agenda will be posted on the council's Web site, www.cityofseattle.net/council, next week and updated periodically so that people can check on progress.

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com

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