Councilmember Woo celebrates 2025-26 Budget bids, brings new amendments forward

Today, City Councilmember Tanya Woo(Position 8) announced new Budget amendments to boost spending on drug-diversion services, sanitation, and library services. These amendments follow several successful Budget adds sponsored by Woo, which were unveiled last week in Budget Chair Dan Strauss' balancing package for 2025-26.

"I want to thank Budget Chair Dan Strauss for understanding the unmet needs of our communities," said Councilmember Woo. "We're grateful for his partnership in making these new investments in youth, job training, and neighborhood safety."

Councilmember Woo's office is thrilled to announce the citywide launch of their signature CO-MADE initiative, which stands for Community Organizing, Mutual Aid, and De-Escalation.

• $279K for grassroot neighborhood safety initiative - modeled on Woo's experiences in the CID, the CO-MADE program is a new initiative that will empower neighbors with training and best-practices to support neighborhood-based safety.

Additional key budget wins stewarded by Councilmember Woo's office include:

• $4 million for youth affordable housing - tenant improvements to YouthCare's Constellation Center on Capitol Hill, serving recently unhoused youth.

• $1 million for public safety - expanding drug-diversion services for struggling neighbors; safety ambassadors for commuting children and elders in the CID and Little Saigon; and other safety initiatives. Additionally, Woo's newly proposed amendments will proviso $238K for targeted sanitation services in Little Saigon and bring $100K in additional funds for drug diversion and outreach, all in 2025.

• $500K for young people in the arts workforce - supporting Bumbershoot's Workforce Development program, a tuition free program which supports young adults in the music industry.

• Securing arts program funding and the Admissions Tax fund - retaining Admissions Tax funding within the Office of Arts & Culture and protecting funding opportunities for arts programs.

• $800K for the Duwamish Valley workforce and small businesses - preserving this funding as part of a commitment to sustainability job growth, community resilience, and an equitable clean energy economy.

• $300K to support refugee women - supporting organizations such as Lake City's Refugee Artisan Initiative who support refugee women in overcoming barriers to employment and reducing waste in our economy.

• Support for legacy homeowners - exploring protections for legacy homeowners who are often targeted by predatory real estate speculators by establishing a cease-and-desist program modeled after a similar program in New York State.

• Supporting libraries - Woo's new amendments include a proposal to direct $30K to Seattle Public Libraries, to prevent planned cuts to spending on magazine and newspaper subscriptions, and reference books.

• $5 million for Seattle Chinese Garden improvements - supporting the garden's role as a community hub for festivals, educational programming, tourism, and more.

The Budget Committee as a whole added funds for the Seattle Channel, tiny house villages, food access, tax preparations services, 30×30, tenant protections, as well as several other budget priorities Councilmember Woo has championed this year.

Next Steps

The budget chair's proposal serves as the foundation of the Council's budget deliberations in the weeks ahead. The amendment process will begin on Nov. 13. Additional information on the 2025-26 budget process, including the full committee calendar, can be found on the council website.

The Seattle City Council is the elected legislative branch of the city's government. It's comprised of nine councilmembers serving four-year terms and representing over 730,000 constituents - seven selected by districts and two through citywide positions. For the latest news and information, please visit seattle.gov/council.

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