Seattle City Council is wrapping up its work for the year. Below are a few of the pieces of legislation that the Seattle Metro Chamber has been tracking:
Ending premium pay for grocery workers
This legislation was adopted by the Council last January and required that stores pay an additional $4 per hour to grocery workers in Seattle. Businesses no longer need to provide premium pay 30 days after the legislation is approved by the mayor.
Quick and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines is the best and most effective way to ensure the safety of grocery workers and all front-line employees. With nearly 80% of all Seattle residents over the age of 5 vaccinated, we support ending the premium pay requirement for grocery workers.
You can find the letter we sent to the Full Council here.
Ultimately it passed unanimously by the council on Dec. 13.
Changing the name of “Single-Family” Zones to “Neighborhood Residential” Zones
This name change has taken multiple pieces of legislation, and we have voiced our support for each. You can see our most recent letter to the Full Council supporting this change here.
“Single-family” is not reflective of today’s neighborhoods and communities. The City’s currently designated single-family areas already have multi-family dwellings that were constructed before single-family zoning codes were put in place.
Homelessness is at its core a housing problem. Seattle declared homelessness a state of emergency in 2015 and faces a huge dearth of affordable housing. This legislation might only be a name change, but it is an important step toward addressing the historic and ongoing harmful impacts of exclusionary zoning.
Ultimately it passed unanimously on Dec. 13.
Rule Changes
At the end of every year, Seattle City Council takes up a resolution amending Council rules. Notable changes this year include:
- Council Briefing will move from 9:30 a.m. on Monday to 2 p.m. on Monday. As a result, Full Council meetings will move from Monday at 2 p.m. to Tuesday at 2 p.m.
- Council Briefings will no longer be mandatory; it will be up to the Council president to hold or cancel the meeting.
- Councilmembers can now abstain on resolutions that, at the discretion of the council president, do not pertain materially to Seattle. See more information from SCC Insight.
Multiple amendments were brought forward at the Dec. 13 Full Council meeting. The new rules were passed unanimously by the council.
