Nice reporting.

Seems like an odd time for the mayor to do this, right before the election. She could wait three days and representatives wouldn't be looking over their shoulder, wondering about the political ramifications. Either this is a dickish move by Durkan, or a clueless one. Either way, it is clear that Seattle is going to get a better mayor quite soon (no matter who wins).

Well, it's really expensive for cops to live in mansions outside of Seattle, so they need hiring bonuses, see ...

@1 I'd wager on the first one. Durkan had to know this was DOA with the current council and she has shown throughout her term she doesn't mind getting petty. I could easily see her doing this the weekend before the election to throw some mud in the eye of Gonzales and Mosqueda. If Gonzales ends up winning it will be interesting to see how cooperative the Durkan administration is during the the transition.

@1 & @5 I know conspiracy theories are all the rage these days, but my money is on Durkan simply trying to get this to the council before they wrapped up CBAs. Waiting until after the election would impose an even greater burden on SCC.

As you might imagine, rather than some ad hoc process, the development of Seattle's budget follows a pretty detailed schedule: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7214861-2020-Budget-Process-Memo-091420.html

Bonuses for lateral applicants are now proposed as higher than for new applicants??

I see Lisa went as a ghost for Halloween. Oof.

@10 and 11 There also might be a shorter probationary period for lateral hires - after which the new hire can work independently of a training officer.

I sure don't understand why cops need to be REWARDED with cash bonuses, for shooting people in the back.