Seattle City Council sends updated Seattle Transit Measure to November ballot—what it funds

Seattle voters will decide this November whether to renew the city’s transit funding plan for up to 10 years. On July 21, 2026, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed the updated Seattle Transit Measure (STM) to be placed on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot—an action that would replace the expiring Seattle Transportation Benefit District measure once approved by voters.

What Seattle City Council approved (and what voters still must decide)

In its announcement, the City Council said it “passed” the updated STM to fund public transit and related transportation programs over the next 10 years, with the measure now heading to voters in November. The City Council’s blog also frames this as an updated “renewal package” that prioritizes transit safety, reliability, and accessibility, and notes the amended legislation passed out of the Select Committee on the Seattle Transportation Benefit District on July 16.

Approval by Seattle voters is still required before the new tax authority can take effect. The ordinance text directs the City Clerk to file the measure for a special election held in conjunction with the Nov. 3, 2026 general election.

How it would be funded—and when the new tax could start

The core of the updated STM is a proposed 0.3% sales and use tax. The ordinance text says the tax would be effective no earlier than April 1, 2027 and continue for up to a ten-year term, ending March 31, 2037.

The ordinance also lays out the timing constraint tied to state law: the Washington State Department of Revenue requires one calendar quarter of notice before a new sales tax may be collected. To begin collecting the new tax on April 1, 2027, the measure must be approved by voters in the Nov. 3, 2026 election, with the authority enacted by the City by Dec. 31, 2026.

What the measure would replace

The updated STM would replace the expiring current Seattle Transportation Benefit District measure (Ordinance 126115). The City Council announcement says it expires in April 2027, while the ordinance text describes the underlying current 0.15% sales and use tax as expiring March 31, 2027.

What the revenue can pay for

The ordinance limits how the tax proceeds can be used, directing that “Proposition revenues” go only to transit and transportation purposes (plus associated administrative costs). The allowed categories include:

• Metro service hours (including associated administrative, maintenance, and asset management costs) on Seattle routes with more than 65% of stops within Seattle.
• RapidRide service hours on Seattle-serving lines.
• Service hours in high-equity priority areas, informed by ridership and census data.
• Transit access programs supporting qualifying seniors, people in Seattle Housing Authority and other low-income housing within Seattle, youth and young adults (including students participating in Seattle Promise or similar programs), and low-income families—up to $12 million in annual appropriations.
• Transit infrastructure maintenance and capital improvements to maximize efficiency, safety, accessibility, and availability—up to $5 million in annual appropriations.
• City staffing to support planning, engineering, permitting, and project delivery for Sound Transit 3 work in Seattle, including West Seattle Link Extension, Ballard Link Extension, and the Graham St infill station—up to $8 million in annual appropriations.

There’s also a service-frequency/reliability safeguard: Section 3 requires that annual appropriations for the service-hour categories (the ordinance’s subsections 2.A, 2.B, and 2.C—covering Metro >65% routes, RapidRide, and high-equity priority routes) total at least 60% of annual Proposition revenues.

And Section 5 includes a “no supplanting” approach. Before funding any transit service, the City anticipates an interlocal agreement with King County Metro intended to prevent STM revenues from replacing other Metro funding for routes that operate partially or fully within Seattle.

Oversight and public reporting you can look for after voters decide

One of the most concrete parts of the ordinance is what happens after approval. Section 6 requires the City to issue an annual report to the public that provides an overview of transit service levels and describes how the STM invested in transit service, transportation access, other transit improvements, and Sound Transit expansion efforts—along with impacts on travelers and progress toward the Frequent Transit Network and City mobility goals.

The ordinance also keeps a community-led Seattle Transit Advisory Board as the public oversight committee advising on spending of Proposition revenues. It says appointments, the board’s scope of duties, and reporting requirements will remain consistent with a City Council resolution adopted in 2015.

What to watch next

After the City Council action, the measure goes through remaining steps described by the City announcement—including Mayor Wilson’s signature and placement on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot. If voters approve it, residents should expect recurring annual public reporting on transit service levels, progress toward mobility goals, and the measure’s investments, alongside ongoing Advisory Board oversight.

Sources

• Seattle City Council Blog — City Council sends updated Seattle Transit Measure to November ballot (July 21, 2026)
• Legistar — Legislation Details (CB 121226)
• City of Seattle — 2026 Seattle Transit Measure Renewal (official topic page)

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