The $930 million Move Seattle Levy was the most ambitious city transportation levy in the U.S. in 2015, but it also overpromised on what it could feasibly deliver for those dollars. The result is that Seattle has completed a lot of great work while also failing to meet the goals promised to voters, especially for transit but also for walking and biking.
Now, nine years later, Mayor Bruce Harrell is proposing a larger eight-year, $1.35 billion transportation levy to replace the Move Seattle Levy when it expires at the end of this year. That is a 45% increase in total, but a 63% (24% when adjusted for inflation) increase per year since the new levy will be in effect for one fewer year. Though most spending categories would see increases in the new levy, some increases outpace others, and other increases do not keep up with inflation. You can see more details and provide public feedback via the city’s online engagement website.
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Disability Rights Washington and a coalition of other organizations are holding an Earth Day rally 2 p.m. Saturday (April 20) at Jimi Hendrix Park calling for “more housing and better transportation” from Seattle’s transportation levy and comprehensive plan.
The 2015 and 2024 levy proposals break out their funding levels slightly differently, so it’s a bit difficult to compare them directly. I created a spreadsheet that combines categories that seem to cover similar work to get an idea of where the bulk of the increases will go. The Move Seattle Levy figures come from this spending proposal document (PDF) and the Harrell levy figures from from this summary document (PDF). My spreadsheet includes one sheet with the numbers for each as stated and another in which I attempted to combine funding pools to make it easier to compare the changes:
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