Seattle Council Tussles Over Bus Tax | Seattle News

Seattle’s transit future hangs in the balance as the City Council debates a sales tax hike to fund better buses — with Mayor’s original 0.15% increase now under fire. Councilmember Bob Kettle’s amendment slashes the tax hike in half to 0.225%, still funding bus service and 22,000 free ORCA passes — while avoiding overlap with existing capital funds. Under the mayor’s plan, $96M would boost transit, $23M for streetcars, and smaller sums for access programs. Council members are racing to finalize a voter-approved package that delivers real service upgrades without overextending the budget — all before November’s ballot. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/dea8460db012e105