Advocacy for Georgetown funding gains traction with City; help still needed
- Gazette Guest Writer
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Last week, the Georgetown Business Association (GBA) and Georgetown Community Council (GCC) called on the community to support City funding for Georgetown.
The efforts of the neighborhood--including letter writing and in-person lobbying by community members at an October 28th City Council meeting--are showing results with the City. All three proposed amendments, supported by Councilmember Saka, have passed the first budget hurdle and are in the next round of negotiations. Let's go, community action!
The battle is not over yet: there is still time to write an email to City Council to make your voices heard!
What's New
The amendments are now in the proposed budget, so we are asking the City Council members to ensure that Council Member Saka’s Three Georgetown Amendments remain in Chairperson Strauss’s Balancing Package and appear in the final budget.
The three budget amendments are:
Funding to move into the next phase of fundraising and advocacy for the Georgetown Climate Resiliency Hub & Neighborhood Center
Support outreach efforts for creation of Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) with Georgetown specifically mentioned as a funding recipient
Support for Farmer’s Markets, prioritizing neighborhoods that are Food Deserts with Georgetown specifically mentioned as a funding recipient
Tips:
Your letter does not have to be long or complicated, but it should be UNIQUE! Council members are swamped with form letters, so any personal touch and a unique subject line is very impactful.
You do not have to write in support of all the amendments, but they are each important to the sustainability of Georgetown.
Sample letter is below. Copy and paste, and add a sentence or two about why these amendments are important, or write a totally unique letter. Anything helps!
Where to send your email:
The BEST thing to do is to write an email to each of the Council members (it can be the same letter but personalized with their name).
If you don’t have time to send individual emails, email the entire council at council@seattle.gov
Emails for each City Council member: Sara.nelson@seattle.gov, Bob.kettle@seattle.gov, Maritza.rivera@seattle.gov, Joy.hollingsworth@seattle.gov, Alexismercedes.rinck@seattle.gov, Dan.strauss@seattle.gov, Debora.juarez@seattle.gov, Mark.solomon@seattle.gov
What is a Business Improvement Area (BIA)?
A BIA is an organization with a board made up of property owners, business owners, and community members from a specific neighborhood. The BIA advocates for the needs of the neighborhood and provides services like graffiti abatement, safety improvements, business district marketing and more. BIAs are generally funded by an assessment on commercial properties in the neighborhood. Money collected through the BIA goes directly to support the needs of the neighborhood, and is a sustainable, consistent source of funding that goes directly to the neighborhood.
SAMPLE EMAIL:
Dear Seattle City Council Members,
I am writing to voice my support for three amendments sponsored by Council Member Saka that affect Georgetown. The City’s investment in Georgetown is very important to the sustainability of the neighborhood, and I am asking you to help ensure it will be included in the final budget.
[insert a sentence or two about your unique relationship to Georgetown and why you think the amendments (and the things they stand for) are important]
The amendments are:
Georgetown Climate Resiliency Hub & Neighborhood Center
Outreach efforts for creation of Business Improvement Areas (BIAs)
Farmers Markets, prioritizing neighborhoods that are Food Deserts
These budget amendments are extremely important to the resilience and sustainability of Georgetown, and I hope that you will support them because they are so valuable to our community.
Sincerely,
Name
Feeling stuck? Write things like:
The Farmers Market pilot in Georgetown this fall was a huge win for the neighborhood, a known food desert. This funding would help it continue.
As a person with a growing family I would love to see a Georgetown neighborhood center where I can gather with my neighbors and have a place that offers resources to the community.
A Georgetown Business Improvement Area would help support the unique needs and challenges of our neighborhood and create a consistent source of funding to meet our priorities.
I would love to have a neighborhood center in Georgetown that could help our neighbors in times of need. Warming and cooling centers are really important as the climate changes.
Food access is a critical need in our neighborhood. If you live in Georgetown, you have to leave the neighborhood to get a fresh vegetable. Support for a Farmers Market could change that!
As a neighborhood with many public safety issues, Georgetown would benefit from having a BIA so we can fund strategies that will work specifically for our business owners and residents.
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