Mayor Mike McGinn's intention to hold a special election in May, allowing city voters to approve or reject funding for replacing the downtown seawall, was rebuffed by the Seattle City Council this afternoon in a stern letter. Last week McGinn announced plans to put a $241 property tax bond measure before voters in May (more details here). But eight of the council's members—everyone but McGinn ally Mike O'Brien—sent the signed missive saying that McGinn jumped the gun by ignoring other potential funding strategies and failing to consider the seawall replacement as part of a larger waterfront-replacement plan.

"We really need more information about why it is urgent that we go to voters in May with a special election that costs over a million dollars and ask Seattle voters to pay for it with their property taxes, when there are other ways to pay for it," says City Council Member Tom Rasmussen. "Our plan is to stick to the schedule unless there is some urgent need."

In its letter (.pdf.), the council asks McGinn to defend cutting short the existing timeline to replace the seawall. The city's transportation department had scheduled work to begin in 2013 and be complete by 2015; McGinn said last week he wanted it done within four years. "Have you received recent information that causes you to recommend modifications to the seawall replacement schedule presented by SDOT?" the council asks. "If so, please provide Council with that information."

While McGinn said last week that the seawall is unsafe and could wash away in an earthquake or fail in the next 10 years, Rasmussen says that conflicts with information the council has heard from the city's transportation department. Rasmussen says the seawall "has been reinforced, it is safe, and we have time to build it in five years. We can't dawdle on this and we won't, but we want to make sure that we are paying for this in the most practical way."

Instead of raising property taxes citywide, the council had been planning to tap funding sources including a local improvement district and increasing the commercial parking tax. By going to voters instead, the mayor could be missing opportunities for funding other major city projects, such as the Seattle Center and renovating community centers. "It is critical that we complete a comprehensive strategic plan to determine what major capital projects the City can afford over the next four years, and which of these needs should be funded by measures requiring a public vote," the council wrote.

But Council Member O'Brien, who didn't have a hand in the letter, sent out his own statement this evening says, "The tunnel plan has a number of unanswered questions including who will pay the cost overruns and I doubt the tunnel will move forward until these issues are resolved." He adds, "I do not want the timing of the Seawall tied to that process."

McGinn's proposal would require an expensive election run by the county. "The last single-issue public vote over the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement option in 2007 cost the City more than $1 million," the letter says, "and King County confirms that we would be faced with a similar price tag on a single-issue election this May."

Asked by email how McGinn responds to the council's letter, mayor's office spokesman Mark Matassa wrote that "the mayor will be speaking with council members on Monday, and looks forward to answering their questions and engaging on this topic then."

Meanwhile, Rasmussen laments that McGinn failed to inform the council about his plan until the night before his press conference. "I'm not offended or hurt," Rasmussen says, "but it seemed that he was going to try a different approach from Mayor Nickels, but on this, that hasn't happened."