(The Center Square) – The King County Council has approved $107 million in funding for 53 conservation projects across the county as part of ongoing efforts to combat climate change.
This major funding boost, announced by King County Executive Dow Constantine on Tuesday, is aimed at preserving more than 3,000 acres of land. It’s part of broader overall plan to advance climate resilience by expanding green spaces in urban areas, restore habitats and make farmland more accessible.
The $107 million in funding comes from two voter-approved levies: the King County Conservation Futures Fund and the King County Parks Levy.
The King County Conservation Futures levy has a tax rate of 6.25 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation. A homeowner with the county’s average home valuation pays approximately $53 annually toward the levy.
The county projects an estimated $269 million in revenue by 2031 through the levy. Funding goes toward the acquisition and preservation of urban green spaces, natural areas, wildlife habitat, trails, river corridors, agricultural lands and forests within King County.
The parks levy is expected to generate an estimated $810 million over its six-year life span. The county’s median homeowner pays approximately $148 per year, based on its 18 cents per $1,000 in assessed value tax rate.
Constantine touted the county’s efforts to combat climate change with the latest announced funding.
“We’re delivering on the commitment I made to the people of King County – to rapidly accelerate land conservation and protect the last, best places, for this generation and for those who will follow,” Constantine said in a Tuesday statement.
“Our latest round of countywide investments advances multiple goals – promoting climate resilience, preserving farmland and making it more accessible, restoring fish and wildlife habitat, and even protecting historic summer camps – all of which contribute to our unique quality of life,” Constantine continued.
Constantine’s 2025 budget package establishes $129 million in Conservation Futures fund to be utilized in the year.
However, the latest funding package is based on recommendations by the 16-member Conservation Futures Advisory Committee, which reviewed each application for open space preservation funding.
