Seattle councilmember seeks to restore $7M in fire department overtime cut by mayor

Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera is proposing to restore $7 million in annual overtime funding for the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) that Mayor Katie Wilson cut from her proposed 2027-28 budget.

Rivera’s budget amendment, co-sponsored by Councilmembers Bob Kettle and Rob Saka, aims to prevent potential impacts to emergency response times, firefighting, and crisis response services.

Days after Wilson released her budget in September, Kenny Stuart, SFD union spokesperson, called the mayor’s move dangerous.

“We simply cannot stand by and let people wait for help. If this budget takes effect, people will wait longer for help when they call 911 during an emergency,” Stuart said. “The mayor’s proposed budget cuts are dangerous and ill-advised. We simply cannot stand by and let people wait for help. If this budget takes effect, people will wait longer for help when they call 911 during an emergency.”

Rivera said Fire Chief Harold Scoggins warned during budget briefings that the proposed cuts could harm department operations.

“When our residents have an emergency and call 911, they need that help as soon as possible,” Rivera said in a statement. “We cannot afford to create any delay.”

The overtime funding helps the department maintain staffing for emergency calls, including fires and medical emergencies. Seattle Fire also operates Health One, which responds to people experiencing behavioral health crises and other social service needs, and Health 99, which responds to overdoses.

Rivera said she does not want the department forced to consider planned service outages or reduced staffing because of budget constraints.

Seattle Councilmember Bob Kettle weighs in

Kettle added during a Wednesday budget hearing, “This is the one that has to happen, and because it’s so dire, again, every minute, every second, and so I thank all of my colleagues across the board for your support because this will make a difference, and it also highlights an issue in terms of how we do overtime long term.”

More than a decade ago, through collective bargaining with Seattle’s firefighter union, the city intentionally hired fewer firefighters and supplemented pay with overtime to save money by paying less in benefits. Cutting the overtime pay now seems to break that model, according to Councilmember Deborah Juarez.

“So, the chief has said that if this money is cut, the department cannot meet the city’s needs and requirements,” Juarez explained. “Though the mayor claims she believes they can.”

Mayor Katie Wilson’s reponse

In a statement to KIRO Newsradio, Wilson’s office defended her move.

“The mayor’s proposal achieves a balanced budget that protects essential services, expands shelter and food access, and invests in public safety, while making disciplined decisions to address an inherited structural deficit of $175 million,” a spokesperson said.

“The fire department budget maintains core fire and emergency response services and reduces overtime equivalent to 2% of their total budget; this will be managed through advance staff planning that ensures coverage of a service area when positions are vacant or staff are sick,” they continued. “As Mayor Wilson said on Tuesday at her media availability, she would welcome using improved revenues in the future to restore funding for the fire department overtime.”

Rivera’s proposal comes as the City Council reviews Wilson’s proposed 2027-28 budget. The Select Budget Committee discussed the amendment at Wednesday’s meeting.

The public can weigh in on the budget at a hearing scheduled for Nov. 5. The council will consider Rivera’s proposal alongside other amendments as it works toward adopting a final budget.

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