August 4, 2026 Finance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee Meeting
August 4, 2026 Finance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee Meeting
The Finance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee met on August 4, 2026, from 9:31 AM to 12:30 PM in the Council Chamber. Chaired by Dan Strauss, the committee considered five reappointments to the Indigenous Advisory Council, received a progress update on the Tribal Nations Summit commitment areas, and acted on two mid-year budget ordinances: a grant acceptance (CB 121252) and a supplemental budget (CB 121253) with seven amendments. Public testimony was heard on several amendments, and the meeting included significant debate on the budget process and funding priorities.
Consent Calendar
- Reappointment of Suzanne Sailto to the Indigenous Advisory Council for a term to July 31, 2028 – approved unanimously.
- Reappointment of Luther F. Mills to the Indigenous Advisory Council for a term to July 31, 2028 – approved unanimously.
- Reappointment of Derrick Belgarde to the Indigenous Advisory Council for a term to July 31, 2028 – approved unanimously.
- Reappointment of Jeremy Takala to the Indigenous Advisory Council for a term to July 31, 2028 – approved unanimously.
- Reappointment of Jaci S. McCormack to the Indigenous Advisory Council for a term to July 31, 2028 – approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
Twenty-two members of the public registered to speak, with nine appearing in person and seven online after a brief technical pause. Speakers addressed the following:
- Amendment 5 (Trans/LGBTQ+ support): Multiple speakers, including representatives from the Seattle LGBTQ Commission, Traction, and community members, expressed urgent need for $300,000 to support trans and queer community organizations facing a displacement crisis. They described rising numbers of trans refugees arriving in Seattle and called for emergency funding.
- Amendment 2 (Youth homelessness prevention): Casey Trupin from the Raikes Foundation spoke in support of a public-private partnership to bring a proven youth homelessness prevention program to Seattle, citing an 87% stable housing rate after one year in similar programs.
- Amendment 3 (Coyote coexistence): Rubai Aurora from Living Park 2 urged support for $15,000 to develop a coyote coexistence plan with the Woodland Park Zoo, noting increasing human-coyote interactions.
- Amendment 4 (Universal school meals): Several speakers, including a community advocate, expressed gratitude for funding to ensure free school meals for the 2026-2027 school year and highlighted the importance of stable food access for students.
- Amendment 6 (Neighborhood impact framework): Simon Thornton and Peter Kranz spoke in support of expanding the neighborhood safety framework to North Beacon Hill and the Chinatown International District, describing a worsening crisis of drug use, property crime, and public safety concerns.
- General support for Indigenous and tribal relations: One speaker thanked the Duwamish Tribe and called for a tribal seat on the city council.
Discussion Items
Tribal Nations Summit Progress Update
Francesca Murnan (Office of Intergovernmental Relations) and Kolbi Monasmith (Department of Neighborhoods) presented the second part of a briefing on commitments from the 2025 Tribal Nations Summit. Key highlights included:
- Cultural Visibility and Vitality: Progress on the Tribal Interpretive Center along the Seattle Waterfront, the Northwest Native Canoe Center (grand opening fall 2026), and the community-led redesign of Fortson Square in Pioneer Square (now open with a 21-foot carved welcome figure called Grandmother Frog).
- Effective Tribal Relations: City departments continue to engage with tribal governments and the Indigenous Advisory Council, which has advised seven departments on 13 city plans in 2026. An Indigenous Civic Engagement Day is scheduled for September 18, 2026.
- Ongoing Work: Regional center plans for downtown, Northgate, University District, and Ballard incorporate urban native priorities. A food action plan and climate action plan also include tribal engagement. Chair Strauss noted forthcoming amendments to zoning rules for tribal trust land.
- Economic Summit: The Office of Intergovernmental Relations is meeting with the Office of Economic Development to plan an economic summit, a commitment from the previous summit.
- Councilmembers Kettle and Strauss praised the progress, especially the interpretive center and the canoe center, and highlighted the importance of government-to-government relationships.
Mid-Year Grant Acceptance (CB 121252)
The ordinance authorizes acceptance of $44 million in external grants, service contracts, and donations, with $38.4 million appropriated to various departments. Edin Sisic (Central Staff) provided a brief overview. The bill passed unanimously without discussion or amendments.
Mid-Year Supplemental Budget (CB 121253) and Amendments
The supplemental budget increased the 2026 revised budget by $44.7 million and added seven positions. Chair Strauss opened with remarks on the city’s $175 million structural deficit and the need for disciplined budgeting. Vice Chair Rivera raised concerns about using the mid-year process for new discretionary policy, arguing it undermines transparency. Seven amendments were debated and voted on:
- Amendment 1 (Kettle): Adds $50,000 and one FTE assistant city prosecutor for a human trafficking prosecutor cross-deputized with King County. Passed 4-1 (Rivera opposed).
- Amendment 2 (Strauss/Foster): Proviso $200,000 in HSD for a youth diversion and prevention program, matched 1:1 by the Washington Acceleration Fund. Passed unanimously.
- Amendment 3 (Kettle): $15,000 to Woodland Park Zoo for a coyote coexistence plan. Passed 4-1 (Rivera opposed).
- Amendment 4 (Strauss): Reallocates $3.6 million from Northgate Commons project (Seattle Housing Authority) to restore universal school meals for the 2026-2027 school year. Passed unanimously.
- Amendment 5 (Strauss/Rink): Reallocates $300,000 from Northgate Commons to HSD for emergency shelter, food, and support for LGBTQ+ community organizations. Passed unanimously.
- Amendment 6 (Lynn): Would have added funding for neighborhood impact framework expansion to North Beacon Hill. Withdrawn after late revisions and procedural concerns.
- Amendment 7 (Hollingsworth): Redirects $250,000 from SPD’s CCTV camera expansion to community violence interruption ambassadors on Capitol Hill/First Hill. Passed 3-1-1 (Kettle no, Saka abstain).
- Final bill as amended: Passed 4-1 (Kettle opposed). Chair Strauss announced he would request a rules suspension to bring the bill to the August 11 full council meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Indigenous Advisory Council reappointments approved unanimously; forwarded to full council.
- CB 121252 (Grant acceptance) passed unanimously; forwarded to full council.
- CB 121253 (Supplemental budget) as amended passed 4-1; Chair Strauss will request a rules suspension for consideration at the August 11 full council meeting.
- Amendments to CB 121253: Amendment 1 (human trafficking prosecutor) passed 4-1; Amendment 2 (youth homelessness prevention) passed unanimously; Amendment 3 (coyote coexistence) passed 4-1; Amendment 4 (school meals) passed unanimously; Amendment 5 (LGBTQ+ support) passed unanimously; Amendment 6 (neighborhood framework) withdrawn; Amendment 7 (violence interruption ambassadors) passed 3-1-1.
- Councilmember Kettle voted against the final bill and stated he would vote no at full council, potentially requiring a two-week delay unless rules are suspended.
- Several councilmembers expressed expectations that the mayor move forward with CCTV camera expansion and that the City Budget Office work to ensure ongoing funding for Northgate Commons and other priorities.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. The August 4th, 2026 Finance Native Communities and Tribal Governments Committee will come to order. It is 9 31 a.m. I'm Dan Strauss, Chair of the Committee. Will the clerk please call the roll? Councilmember Kettle. Here. Yes. Oh, sorry. Here. Councilmember Saka. Okay. Vice Chair Rivera. Present. Chair Strauss. Present. Um Sokka present. No. Okay, that's four. Saka's excused until Saka's excuse. There are four present. Thank you. We have four presidents. We also have Councilmember Lynn joining us. I know that we will likely have Councilmember Rink and Councilmember Foster joining us a little bit later. And just noting that Councilmember Saka is excused until he arrives. With that, we have a busy meeting agenda today. We have five appointments to the Indigenous Advisory Council. And we have the second part of our presentation about Seattle's progress on the tribal nation summit commitment areas. We will also have our second briefing and potential vote on the mid-year supplemental budget, as well as the amendments to it. If there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted. We will now open the hybrid public comment period. Public comments should relate to the items on today's agenda and within the purview of the uh select within the purview of this committee. Clerk, how many people spikers are signed up in person and remotely? Currently, we have nine in-person speakers signed up, and there are zero remote speakers. Wonderful. We will have two minutes per person for public commenters today. I understand that we'll have some translation uh some uh sign language interpretation here, and so we will extend the time there for you. But with that, if I could have the sign-up sheet. I think everyone here is familiar, but here we go. Uh speakers will have two minutes to speak, and we'll start with the in-person speakers first. Public comment will be up to 60 minutes. Speakers will be called in the register in the order in which they registered. Uh you will hear us chime when you have 10 seconds left, and the public comment period is now open. We'll begin with the first speaker on the list. I have Hannah Ziff, Simon Thornton, Chris Curtin, Lee B. B. Miller, uh, Josh Fries, Dear Kabuta, Isla Zinkis, Taylor Farley, and Peter E. So if you all want to line up, we'll we use both uh microphones here. The taller one is the better one over here.
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