The Newsfeed: Seattle Mayor taps payroll tax to balance city budget

Cascade PBS City Hall Reporter Josh Cohen breaks down what Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed usage of Jumpstart funds means for the city.

The Seattle City Council is now weighing an $8.3 billion city budget proposal from Mayor Bruce Harrell that will mostly spare the city from steep program and staffing cuts. 

Mayor Harrell’s proposal will redirect money from the Jumpstart Payroll Expense Tax to the general fund to close the City’s roughly $250 million budget gap next year and in 2026.   

The Jumpstart tax is collected from high-income earners and goes toward investments in affordable housing, small-business assistance, Green New Deal climate programs and the Equitable Development Initiative. 

Newsfeed host Paris Jackson sat down with Cascade PBS reporter Josh Cohen, who follows city politics, to hear his breakdown of Mayor Harrell’s budget proposal. 

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