New mayor Ed Murray
  • New mayor Ed Murray

When the Seattle City Council adopts a $4.4 billion dollar 2014 budget on November 25, one item will stand out: a $750,000 funding bump for Seattle’s next mayor, Ed Murray. “This would be in addition to the [mayor’s] base budget of roughly $3.75 million,” explained Ben Noble, director of the city council’s central staff, at the council’s November 8 budget committee meeting.

Why is this line item so unusual? Four years ago, Mike McGinn was elected mayor. That same week, the council cut $524,891 in staff funding for the new mayor’s office. Another $500,000 in staff funding could not “be spent until… the Mayor submits a plan for how policy functions will be organized in the Mayor’s office,” according to the 2010 budget.

Now it’s the opposite story.

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