[TRU Research] Discrepencies between Budget Archives and Open Data

[Jim Walseth]

I am throwing this into Tableau Public and will make a few basic samples. I
removed the first row which just said "adopted budget numbers" because it
was confusing Tableau.
Jim

On Wed, Jun 10, 2020 at 3:53 PM Katie Wilson <katie at transitriders.org>
wrote:

> 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
>
> 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
>
> 2010 SPD adopted budget: *$243 million* -
> 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
>
> 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>
> *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>
>
> 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>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 9, 2020 4:29 PM
> *To:* Noble, Ben <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
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>
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