Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson unveiled a $9.1 billion 2027–2028 budget proposal prioritizing public safety, including a $68 million increase for the Seattle Police Department, while avoiding new taxes and tapping existing revenue streams.
Mayor Katie Wilson’s proposed $9.1 billion budget for Seattle’s 2027–2028 fiscal year centers on bolstering public safety with a $68 million boost for the Seattle Police Department (SPD), while avoiding new taxes and relying on existing revenue. The plan, unveiled as the city enters its biennial budget cycle, aims to close a projected $175 million general-fund deficit in 2027 and a $150 million gap in 2028, with a $15.1 million surplus forecast for 2028. Komonews reported the details, which include $556 million for SPD—a net increase of $68 million—and $346 million for the Seattle Fire Department, $72.6 million for the CARE Department, and $14.8 million for police-accountability offices.
Mayor Wilson Releases 2027-2028 Proposed Budget, Prioritizing Stability, Safety
The proposal allocates $1.135 billion to public safety, a 13% increase, with 53% of the $2 billion general fund directed toward the sector. SPD’s budget of $556 million includes funding for 1,250 officer positions, 66 more than the current level, though the department has 3,000 applicants in its hiring pipeline. Komonews noted that the plan also includes $500 million for affordable housing, $183.5 million for homelessness response, and $57 million for food security programs. Wilson emphasized avoiding city reserves, stating, We live in Seattle. There is always rain in the forecast,
Komonews reported.
Wilson’s budget relies on $90 million in spending reductions and transfers, including a $65 million one-time transfer from the 2026 Office of Housing budget and higher-than-expected JumpStart payroll-tax revenue. The plan also reduces 128 full-time-equivalent positions, 113 of which are vacant, with 15 filled roles eliminated. Departments like the Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts and the Office of Sustainability and Environment face cuts, while the Seattle Fire Department’s overtime budget is trimmed.
The budget proposal would give more than $550 million to the police, including $58 million to hire 66 more police officers. The mayor did propose reducing funding for recruitment marketing and incentives for police, and continues to hold vacant
positions for eight 911 dispatchers and 14 unarmed crisis responders at the Community Assisted Response and Engagement, or CARE, Department. Seattle City Council Budget Committee Chair Dan Strauss criticized those reductions, though he said he hadn’t been able to go “line by line” through the proposal yet. We can’t hire new police officers if we’re not recruiting them,
Strauss said. I also see that she’s cut a number of CARE Department people, and I don’t understand how that supports our public safety approach.
Mayor Katie Wilson proposes $9.1B Seattle budget with public
Seattle City Council Budget Committee Chair Dan Strauss criticized the proposal, calling it $25 million worse for the deficit due to new investments in tiny house villages. You can’t fix a problem that’s taken 10 years to create in one budget cycle,
Strauss told Kuow. He also questioned cuts to the CARE Department, stating, I don’t understand how that supports our public safety approach.
Advocates like Elle Cree of the Stone Soup Crew group condemned the focus on policing over services, arguing, “We do not need more enforcement. A spokesperson for Amazon commended Wilson for making use of existing resources, Kuow reported. Former City Council President Sara Nelson called the budget the starting point but warned that the devil’s in the details as the Council reviews it.”
Seattle Mayor Wilson’s first budget proposal adds cops, trims
The budget faces scrutiny over its reliance on JumpStart revenue, a payroll tax used for homeless services and housing. Wilson’s office acknowledged the fragility of the city’s economy, stating, Our economy and especially our downtown are fragile. In that context, raising additional revenue through JumpStart is not the right move.
Komonews quoted the mayor.
City officials project a $15.1 million surplus in 2028, with smaller surpluses in 2029 and 2030, though the plan includes $175 million in spending reductions. The Council will amend the proposal before adopting it by December, with debates likely over public safety funding, department cuts, and the role of JumpStart revenue. Kuow noted that Wilson’s team found a way around the city’s massive budget shortfall without proposing any new taxes.
The final approval, expected by December, could reshape public safety priorities and departmental funding. Kuow reported that the devil’s in the details as the Council moves forward.