Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell released the 2026 Proposed Budget. In this budget, Mayor Harrell continues the investments and bold actions he began four years ago to address the needs of our communities and advance our One Seattle priorities.
Mayor Harrell’s balanced budget proposal is focused on strengthening public safety, creating housing affordability and stability, and supporting healthy, vibrant, and thriving communities amidst headwinds coming from the federal government and economic uncertainty.
With the investments in this budget proposal, we can work together to advance our shared One Seattle vision and an agenda that will inspire the best in our city and keep us moving forward. The proposed budget would continue to deliver positive progress, in addition to optimizing use of limited dollars toward key priorities and driving efficiencies.
For our office, the Mayor’s 2026 Proposed Budget maintains core programs and continues investment in the Future of Seattle Economy framework – the City’s community-driven strategy and guiding policy for economic development and inclusive growth. This budget prioritizes strategies that deliver direct impact and solve economic problems while sustaining the staffing capacity needed to implement them.
Key highlights for OED include:
- Expansion of the Back to Business Fund, which builds on the successful Storefront Repair Fund program to strengthen neighborhood vitality and support small businesses. As announced earlier this year, Back to Business now also includes proactive investments in public safety and security measures for businesses and business districts, in addition to reimbursement for repairs to property damage.
- Launching the place-based investment strategy known as SAIL, in coordination with multiple departments, to address cleanliness, safety, and economic revitalization in targeted neighborhoods. Our 2026 budget also includes funding specifically designated for small business support in Little Saigon, the first neighborhood where the City is piloting this strategy.
- Increasing access to food and household essentials, a multidimensional issue in Seattle. Elements include support for infrastructure improvements and security solutions that make grocery stores throughout Seattle safer for workers and customers, as well as expanding neighborhood grocery options.
- Continuing our innovative work to make it easier, faster and more affordable for small businesses to access commercial space at various points on their business trajectory – from pop-up, to staying in their space, to expansion – and to make capital more affordable for established small businesses seeking to grow.
- Leading an updated assessment of Seattle’s economic fundamentals, our policies and our practices, and recommendations for how the City’s economic development framework should adapt. Our Future of Seattle Economy framework reflected economic conditions coming out of the pandemic, and as the economic context has shifted, it’s critical that we look forward.
NEXT STEPS
Over the next two months, the City Council will review the Mayor’s 2026 Proposed Budget.
Public hearings are on October 7 and November 6. Final adoption of the budget is expected before Friday, November 21. Read more about the Mayor’s proposed budget here. You can direct any questions to MOS_COMMS@seattle.gov.