Mayor Katie Wilson proposes $410 million Seattle Public Library Levy to city council

SEATTLE — Seattle voters could decide next year whether to dramatically expand dedicated funding for The Seattle Public Library under a proposed $410 million Library Levy that Mayor Katie Wilson transmitted to the Seattle City Council on Tuesday.

The proposed 2026 replacement levy would fund the library system for seven years, from 2027 through 2033, replacing the expiring $219.1 million 2019 Library Levy, which currently accounts for one-third of the library’s total budget.

Most Seattle libraries will be open daily thanks to 2019 levy

“Seattle is a city of readers. From toddlers discovering their first stories to seniors finding connection and lifelong learning, our libraries belong to everyone,” Wilson said.

Investing in our libraries means investing in every community member, and in the shared public spaces that help our city learn, grow, imagine, and thrive together.

The 2026 levy proposal maintains the 2019 levy’s focus areas: Operating Hours and Access; Helping Children; Collections (Books and Materials); Technology and Online Services; Building Maintenance; and Administration and Central Costs.

If voters approve the 2026 Library Levy, it would invest in access, programming, collections, building maintenance, and technology and online services across Seattle’s library system. The proposal includes maintaining open hours at all 27 neighborhood branches, adding more physical books along with e-books and audiobooks, expanding technology and online services, and funding building maintenance and capital improvements. It also includes additional facility and janitorial resources intended to keep libraries “safer, cleaner and more welcoming for everyone.”

Chief Librarian Tom Fay thanked the mayor for the proposal.

“We thank Mayor Wilson for putting forward a levy proposal that reflects community needs and interests and invests in Library open hours, collections, programs, buildings, and technology,” Fay said. “We look forward to working in partnership with Mayor Wilson and City councilmembers through a public process that will ensure this package is something all Seattle residents can be proud to support in August,”

The proposal will be reviewed by a select committee of the Seattle City Council chaired by Councilmember Maritza Rivera, who represents District 4. Rivera joined Wilson, Fay and Library Board of Trustees President Yazmin Mehdi for the transmittal of the levy proposal to the City Council on Tuesday.

“This proposal reaffirms Seattle’s reputation as a world-class library system. We are a City of avid and curious readers who rely on our libraries for information and engagement,” Rivera said. “For decades, library patrons have described their branches as beloved third places, centers of learning, and safe spaces that are worth the investment.”

Rivera said the levy renewal also upholds “the city’s commitment to preserving library open hours, providing books in the format that readers want, delivering programming for tots all the way up to seniors, and maintaining welcoming branches that reflect the diversity of their neighborhoods.”

According to the proposal’s spending plan, major investments include:

• Continued open hours across Seattle’s 27 neighborhood libraries ($176.1 million)
• Early literacy through multilingual Play & Learn sessions and other programs ($7.5 million)
• Social service referrals ($1.2 million)
• Security personnel ($11 million)
• Additional all-ages programs such as story times, literacy programs, classes and workshops, and events ($12.6 million)
• Increased security and emergency preparedness ($7.7 million)
• Establishment of an Office of Inclusion and Belonging ($2.4 million)
• Expanded physical books and materials to maintain the library’s collection of 2.9 million items ($30.8 million)
• Fine-free borrowing ($9 million)
• Collections and shelving staff ($14 million)
• Additional e-books, audiobooks and multilingual books ($4.6 million)

The proposal sets aside funding for routine and major maintenance, including:

• Facility maintenance and custodial support, furniture, capital improvement staffing ($57 million) and administration ($6.7 million)
• A seismic retrofit of the historic Columbia Branch ($13 million)
• Priority and deferred maintenance for library locations ($10 million)
• Additional maintenance and custodial support ($5.9 million)

Technology investments include:

• Public and staff computers, printing and copying services, Wi-Fi hotspots, and staffing for Information Technology and Online Services ($25.8 million)
• Strengthening IT systems and cybersecurity ($7.4 million)
• Upgrading IT infrastructure ($5 million)

The first Select Committee meeting, which will include an overview of the 2019 Library Levy, is scheduled for March 11. The Select Committee will vote on a final proposal to place on the ballot in August 2026. Rivera will lead the council’s levy renewal process as chair of the Select Committee on the Library Levy.

“I want to thank Mayor Wilson’s office for their collaboration on this levy renewal,” Rivera said. “Any time we can work together on projects like this, the City benefits.”

If the updated package is approved by the City Council, it would go to voters on the Aug. 4, 2026, ballot. More information is available on The Seattle Public Library’s website.