Finance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee Special Meeting - May 15, 2026

The Seattle City Council's Finance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee held a special meeting on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 2:03 PM in Council Chamber, City Hall. The meeting lasted approximately 40 minutes. The committee unanimously recommended confirmation of Dwight D. Dively as Director of Finance, and received briefings on two budget ordinances: the 2025 budget exceptions bill (CB 121208) and the 2026 budget carry forward bill (CB 121209). No votes were taken on the budget bills; they will return for further discussion and a vote at a future meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Alberto Alvarez criticized the council for threatening to ban a public commenter (Howard Gale) for criticizing politicians. Alvarez demanded a written apology from the council and urged an end to rules that allow “vindictive members” to ban people for statements they dislike. He asserted the council has a legal obligation to uphold First Amendment freedoms.
• Davita Ingram (self-identified as part of the Embrace Caucus) attempted to share open comment about upzoning in the comprehensive plan. Chair Strauss clarified that public comment should relate to agenda items or the committee's purview (finance, native communities, tribal governments). Ingram was not redirected to another topic and concluded her remarks.

Discussion Items

Appointment of Dwight D. Dively as Director of Finance (Appt 034681)

• Dwight D. Dively, Acting Director of the Office of City Finance, and Mark Ellerbrook (Mayor's Office) presented the appointment for a term ending December 31, 2029. Dively is a former City budget director with 32 years of prior service.
• Councilmember Kettle welcomed Dively and noted King County's loss is Seattle's gain. He asked why Dively would take on the daunting task. Dively responded that his entire career has been in public service, and he was drawn to the opportunity to improve services and finances for residents.
• Councilmember Saka expressed confidence in Dively's ability, citing their earlier conversation covering policy, budget, and bond structuring. Saka said the council is “incredibly lucky” to have Dively.
• Chair Strauss asked Dively what the City is doing well and what needs improvement. Dively praised the Seattle City Employee Retirement System for vastly improved investment analysis. He identified as needing improvement: excessive decentralization (“federated government”), inadequate central oversight, underutilized risk management (enterprise risk management), and outdated payment systems (e.g., requiring checks for large tax payments). He outlined goals to modernize payment acceptance, strengthen central quality assurance, and develop his team so that they can succeed after his tenure.
• All councilmembers expressed strong support for Dively's confirmation.

Budget Bills Briefing (CB 121208 and CB 121209)

• Aly Pennucci (City Budget Director) and Edin Sisic (Council Central Staff) presented the two ordinances:
  • CB 121208 (2025 Budget Exceptions): Provides retroactive budget authority for overspending in 2025 that did not align with the adopted budget. Total request: $8.1 million. Major components: $5.9 million for higher-than-projected healthcare claims; other items include a $2,000 accounting error at SDOT and higher City Light tax payments. Pennucci noted that exceptions have declined from tens of millions in 2018–2021 to $1.8 million in 2024; the increase this year is largely due to unavoidable healthcare costs, which are covered by a $131 million fund balance.
  • CB 121209 (2026 Carry Forward): Requests $138 million to carry forward unspent appropriations from 2025 into 2026. Highlights include $5 million from the General Fund and $37 million from the JumpStart Payroll Expense Tax fund for the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), and $17.5 million for the judgments/claims fund. An additional $2.2 billion in capital and grant-funded appropriations automatically carry forward. Sisic noted that these are in addition to the automatic carryforwards.
• Councilmember Kettle asked for more detail on public safety-related items (e.g., CARE, CPC, Fire, Law Dept., City Attorney, Municipal Court, OEM, SPD) and appreciated the memo as a “to-do list” for his team. Pennucci and Sisic agreed to provide additional information.
• No further questions from other members; Chair Strauss noted the budget bills will be revisited for a vote at a later meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Appointment of Dwight D. Dively (Appt 034681): The committee voted 4-0 (Strauss, Hollingsworth, Kettle, Saka in favor; Rivera excused) to recommend that the full City Council confirm Dively as Director of Finance for a term ending December 31, 2029.
• Budget Bills (CB 121208 and CB 121209): No vote was taken. The committee received the briefing and will continue discussion at a future meeting. The next regularly scheduled committee meeting was canceled, so further action will occur at a later date.