Photo Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Mat Hayward/Getty Images
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is proposing a 0.1% sales-tax increase, largely to grow the city's team of civilian 911 responders.
The big picture: The tax would raise an estimated $39 million per year for public safety measures, and is part of a larger budget plan Harrell is rolling out this month.
Zoom in: The bulk of the money — $24.5 million — would go toward the city's Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, which deploys a team of civilian crisis workers who respond to calls alongside police.
Harrell said his plan would double the number of CARE responders who are available to assist with behavioral health calls around the city, while also adding 911 dispatchers.
Additional money would go toward expanding the Seattle Fire Department's overdose response team; supporting drug treatment programs; hiring more firefighters; and boosting a criminal diversion program that steers people toward services instead of jail.
What's next: The sales tax hike would need to be approved by the City Council before it could take effect.
