In a surprising about-face, Seattle City Council president Bruce Harrell has introduced an ordinance — for a vote in Tuesday’s council meeting — that would repeal the head tax.
The announcement was followed by a statement this afternoon from Mayor Jenny Durkan and seven councilmembers. “We heard you,” it said. “It is clear that the ordinance will lead to a prolonged, expensive political fight over the next five months that will do nothing to tackle our urgent housing and homelessness crisis.”
Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Teresa Mosqueda did not sign the statement.
Meanwhile, the “No Tax on Jobs” campaign said it had gathered enough signatures to qualify for a referendum on the November ballot that would repeal the tax. A spokesperson told GeekWire that they’ll wait to see how the council votes before they submit the signatures.