[TRU Research] Discrepencies between Budget Archives and Open Data

[Katie Wilson]

Hey folks,

Since the Open Data site is unreliable, it looks like our best bet for accurate budget data is the PDFs archived here: https://www.seattle.gov/city-budget-office/budget-archives <https://www.seattle.gov/city-budget-office/budget-archives>

Here is a mini-project if anyone has time for it. I created a spreadsheet here <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uDjqVID4gkBFfatMTM-hUbO-OAzR70Zc1-3GJEFZask/edit?usp=sharing>, where we can compile data from the adopted budgets (not proposed or endorsed) for SPD, human services, housing, and any other areas of interest. I think the years 2010-2020 are key, but I’ve started the spreadsheet in 2008 just to match with the recession, in case that shows us anything interesting. Filling out this spreadsheet will enable us to make a graph like the ones we were making from the Open Data site, only correct this time.

I am in touch with some of the folks leading the Defund SPD effort and they would love our help digging up data and making graphs etc. that tell a good story to boost the case. So, rest assured our work on this will be useful and appreciated! For example, I was able to send along this bit earlier today, which I believe was then passed along to a councilmember via a council aide to be shared aloud during the council meeting this afternoon:

The SPD budget has increased by 43% since 2010, after you account for inflation. (Not accounting for inflation, it’s a 68% increase.)

Here’s the math and sources:

2020 SPD adopted budget: $409 million - https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FinanceDepartment/20adoptedbudget/SPD.pdf <https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FinanceDepartment/20adoptedbudget/SPD.pdf>

2010 SPD adopted budget: $243 million - https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FinanceDepartment/10adoptedbudget/PUBLIC_SAFETY.pdf <https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FinanceDepartment/10adoptedbudget/PUBLIC_SAFETY.pdf>

2010 SPD adopted budget, injusted for inflation to 2020 dollars: $286 million - https://www.usinflationcalculator.com <https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/>

Increase from 2010 to 2020, i.e. 286 to 409, is (409 - 286)/286 x 100 = 43%

- Katie

> On Jun 9, 2020, at 5:34 PM, Katie Wilson <katie at transitriders.org> wrote:
> 
> Budget office director to the rescue, kind of...
> 
>> Begin forwarded message:
>> 
>> From: "Noble, Ben" <Ben.Noble at seattle.gov <mailto:Ben.Noble at seattle.gov>>
>> Subject: RE: Discrepencies between Budget Archives and Open Data
>> Date: June 9, 2020 at 5:31:02 PM PDT
>> To: Katie Wilson <katie at transitriders.org <mailto:katie at transitriders.org>>
>> 
>> Katie – long and painful story here, but the Open Data site is not accurate.  I am frankly embarrassed by that reality.  Short-term we may take down the site, but obviously that is not a positive step in terms of transparency.  It was something that got set up in a rush a few years back and has been neglected since (and frankly has not been a priority in the last few months).  I say that by way of explanation not excuse.  In the term, the Budget Archives, while clunky, are the right source.  Based on your flagging of the issue, I have just asked the team whether we can get something else up in the near-term.  I will keep you posted. 
>>  
>> -ben.
>>  
>> From: Katie Wilson <katie at transitriders.org <mailto:katie at transitriders.org>> 
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2020 4:29 PM
>> To: Noble, Ben <Ben.Noble at seattle.gov <mailto:Ben.Noble at seattle.gov>>
>> Subject: Discrepencies between Budget Archives and Open Data
>>  
>> CAUTION: External Email
>> Hi Ben, 
>>  
>> Sorry to bother you with this, but I emailed the Open Data people first and they told me to ask the City Budget Office. I’m wondering why there are significant discrepencies between the Budget Archives <https://www.seattle.gov/city-budget-office/budget-archives> and the budget numbers on the Open Data site <https://openbudget.seattle.gov/#!/year/default>. 
>>  
>> To give one timely example, this Open Data page <https://openbudget.seattle.gov/#!/year/2020/operating/0/department/Police/0/service?vis=barChart> puts the 2020 SPD budget at ~$357m, whereas the number in the 2020 adopted budget <https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FinanceDepartment/20adoptedbudget/SPD.pdf> and reported in various news articles <https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/after-days-of-seattle-protests-city-will-withdraw-request-to-remove-police-force-from-federal-oversight/> is $400m+. I have been digging around and making graphs and there are a lot of discrepencies like this. I understand that proposed and adopted and actual budgets are all different, but that doesn’t seem to account for it.
>>  
>> Please feel free to direct me elsewhere if there’s someone else I should be asking about this.
>>  
>> Thanks!
>> Katie
>>  
>> Katie Wilson
>> General Secretary
>> Transit Riders Union
>> https://transitriders.org <https://protect2.fireeye.com/v1/url?k=23520a2f-7de29737-2352229f-86b2e136ff17-644b0fdb8c75a238&q=1&e=c19e905a-6ec5-4436-a6cd-f7acc13cf097&u=https%3A%2F%2Ftransitriders.org%2F>
>> 206-781-7204
>>  
>> The Transit Riders Union is a democratic organization of working and poor people, including students, seniors, and people with disabilities, taking control over our own lives, and building up the power we need to change society for the good of humanity and of the planet. We will fight to preserve, expand, and improve the public transportation system in Seattle and beyond, so that every human being has access to safe, affordable, and reliable public transit.
> 
> 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.transitriders.org/pipermail/research/attachments/20200610/c483cb7e/attachment.html>