Board Recommendations
Letters and final recommendations of the Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board (CAB)
(Listed in order from most to least recent)
NEW - Letter to City Council regarding the Mayor's 2024 Proposed Budget (October 25, 2023)
A letter to City Council endorsing the Mayor's 2024 Proposed Budget and calling for diverse revenue streams to support food security and child development programs.
Letter to Mayor Harrell and Councilmember Mosqueda regarding the need for new and stable revenue for programs/services supported by the SBT (September 15, 2023)
Recent revenue projections indicate the SBT Fund will have a revenue gap by 2025. In this letter to Mayor Harrell and Councilmember Mosqueda, the CAB advises on the need for new and stable revenue sources for food security and child development programs supported by SBT revenue.
2024 Budget Recommendations (June 20, 2023)
The CAB's 2024 Budget Recommendations for programs and services supported by the SBT Fund. In this memo, the CAB addresses the shortfall in the SBT Fund and advises the City to avoid any cuts to SBT-funded programs and services.
Presentation to the Seattle City Council Finance & Housing Committee (February 1, 2023)
The year 2023 is the fifth-year anniversary of the Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT). The CAB presented to the Finance & Housing Committee on the history of the SBT, the role of the CAB, programs and services funded by the SBT Fund, and some policy considerations and recommendations given the recent downturn in the SBT Fund.
Letter to the Select Budget Committee regarding the Initial Balancing Package (November 14, 2022)
A letter to City Council in support of Council Budget Action FG-903-A-001-2023 in the Initial Balancing Package to replace SBT revenue losses projected in the November revenue forecast update and avoid making reductions to critical food security and child health and early learning programs and services.
Letter to the City Council regarding the SBT spending plan in the 2023-2024 Proposed Budget (October 14, 2022)
A letter to City Council detailing how the SBT spending plan in the 2023-2024 Proposed Budget aligns with the CAB's August budget recommendations.
Letter to the Mayor’s Office and the City Budget Office regarding projected 2023 SBT revenue shortfall (August 19, 2022)
The August 2022 revenue projections indicated that SBT revenues will come in lower than the April 2022 projections the CAB used to make their 2023 budget recommendations. In this letter, the CAB provides input on how to address this potential shortfall based on point-in-time information available at the August meeting.
2023 Budget Recommendations (June 28, 2022)
The CAB’s 2023 Budget Recommendations for programs and services funded by Sweetened Beverage Tax revenue.
Letter to City Council regarding the Mayor's 2022 Proposed Budget (October 14, 2021)
A letter to City Council expressing support for the Mayor's 2021 Sweetened Beverage Tax budget proposal, which shows close alignment with the CAB's budget recommendations.
2022 Budget Recommendations (July 20, 2021)
The CAB's 2022 Budget Recommendations for programs and service funded by Sweetened Beverage Tax revenue.
Updated Recommendations for RFPs funded by Sweetened Beverage Tax Revenue (April 21, 2021)
A letter to Mayor Jenny Durkan and Department Directors with structural and procedural recommendation to further advance race and social justice through the City's grantmaking processes.
Letter to City Council regarding the Mayor's 2021 Proposed Budget (October 14, 2020)
A letter to City Council expressing support for the Mayor's 2021 Sweetened Beverage Tax budget proposal, which shows close alignment with the CAB's budget recommendations.
Additional Recommendations for a Prenatal-to-Three Grants Program (August 25, 2020)
A letter to the Mayor and Budget Director to clarify the CAB's recommendations for an ongoing $1.5 million prenatal-to-three grants program.
2021 Budget Recommendations (July 13, 2020; updated with addendum July 14, 2020)
The CAB's 2021 Budget Recommendations for programs and service funded by Sweetened Beverage Tax revenue.
A letter to the City Budget Office regarding the allocation of SBT funds to the emergency grocery voucher program and CB 119746, which reprioritizes some SBT 2020 allocations due to impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Letter to City Council regarding proposed Budget Actions related to one-time 2020 Sweetened Beverage Tax Funds (November 15, 2019)
A letter to City Council in response to Budget Actions OSE-2-B-1 and OSE 2-C-1, related to the use of one-time SBT funds in 2020.
Letter to City Council regarding the Mayor's 2020 Proposed Budget (October 17, 2019)
A letter to City Council regarding the Mayor's 2020 Proposed Budget, endorsing the proposed Healthy Food Fund and Fresh Bucks expansion and recommending alternative funding proposals for Council to consider.
A letter to City Council affirming support for the creation of a separate city budget fund to collect, track and distribute SBT revenue and to prohibit any supplantation (replacement) of existing general funds for healthy food access and early childhood programs.
2020 Budget Recommendations (June 24, 2019)
The CAB's 2020 Budget Recommendations for how to allocate available Sweetened Beverage Tax revenue, consistent with the intent of the SBT ordinance.
Letter to the City Budget Office regarding creation of a Sweetened Beverage Tax Fund (April 30, 2019)
A letter to Ben Noble, City Budget Office Director, in support of new budget legislation that would establish a separate SBT fund and include financial policies governing the use of the revenue that are consistent with the legislative intent expressed in the enabling ordinance.
Recommendations on the public awareness and countermarketing campaign supported by Sweetened Beverage Tax revenue (April 2, 2019)
A letter to Ben Noble, City Budget Office Director, detailing the recommended scope and approach for a public awareness and countermarketing campaign supported by SBT revenue. The CAB specifically recommended Black and Latinx youth and young adults be the focus audience for this campaign and emphasized the work be designed and implemented through a collaborative relationship between a communications firm and community-based organizations.
Letter to City Council regarding the Mayor's 2019-2020 Proposed Budget (October 19, 2018)
A letter to City Council regarding the Mayor's 2019-2020 Proposed Budget, urging City Council to reject the Mayor's proposal to use nearly $6 million in beverage tax revenue to supplant general funds that support existing food access and early childhood programs and services.
Statement on Sweetened Beverage Tax revenue higher than projected or programmed (August 21, 2018)
A letter to Mayor Jenny Durkan, written in response to news that actual beverage tax revenue collected significantly exceeded the City's excessively conservative projections. In this letter, the CAB affirmed that all beverage tax revenue should be spent in accordance with the beverage tax ordinance and the CAB's recommendations.
Supplement to 2018 and 2019 Budget Recommendations (August 21, 2018)
A letter to Mayor Jenny Durkan with additional recommendations regarding the implementation of two food access activities (food vouchers for people in the food security gap, subsidies to schools to provide healthy food) featured in the CAB's 2018 and 2019 Budget Recommendations.
Recommendations for RFPs funded by Sweetened Beverage Tax Revenue (August 21, 2018)
A letter to Mayor Jenny Durkan with structural and procedural recommendations on how to advance race and social justice through the City's grantmaking processes.
2018 and 2019 Budget Recommendations (July 5, 2018) | Presentation to City Council's Sustainability & Transporation Committee (September 7, 2018)
The CAB's recommendations on how best to allocate the Sweetened Beverage Tax revenue consistent with the consistent with the intent of the beverage tax enabling ordinance, which is to benefit Seattle's populations who experience the greatest education and health inequities.
Memo regarding the 2018 Sweetened Beverage Tax budget provisos (March 16, 2018)
A letter to the City Clerk recommending that Council lift the spending provisos placed on the healthy food access programs and birth-to-three services.
Letter regarding communications about the Sweetened Beverage Tax (December 19, 2017)
A letter to Mayor Jenny Durkan urging the City for better communication to the public and stakeholders about the new Sweetened Beverage Tax.