An ordinance adopting the tunnel as the city's "preferred solution" and commiting the city to finance a portion of the tunnel was introduced on Monday in the Seattle City Council's Transportation Committee. The sponsors are Richard Conlin and Jan Drago.

The ordinance declares that, among other things,"[i]t is the City's policy that the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawal Replacement (AWVSR) Program Bored Tunnel Alternative . . . is the preferred solution for replacing the existing Alaskan Way Viaduct."

The ordinance also contains a Memorandum of Agreement with the State, and the agreement acknowledges that the State's funding contribution will be consistent with the tunnel law that the Legislature passed in March---Engrossed Senate Substitute Bill 5768 (pdf). That law says that Seattle taxpayers are on the hook for cost overruns: "Any costs in excess of two billion eight hundred million dollars shall be borne by property owners in the Seattle area who benefit from replacement of the existing viaduct with the deep bore tunnel."

And that law's funding rules are accepted in the City Council's proposed Memorandum of Agreement. The agreement does not repudiate it.