(The Center Square) – A scaled-back version of a proposed six-year King County Parks Levy faces one more vote before going on the Aug. 7 primary ballot.
On Wednesday, the King County Regional Policy Committee unanimously approved an amendment to the levy proposal that lowers the levy rate from the original proposal’s 24 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to 23.29 cents, removing $23.5 million in proposed levy spending.
This would generate about $1.45 billion over six years – down from $1.5 billion in the initial version proposed by former King County Executive Dow Constantine.
A median King County homeowner would pay about $198 per year – roughly $4 less than in the original proposal.
The proposed levy is one of the largest levy proposals in county history. In a previous Regional Policy Committee on April 3, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director John Taylor said that while the department stood by Constantine’s proposal, the department understands concerns raised by the Sound Cities Association and city leaders in the county.
This includes Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, who sponsored the amendments to the levy proposal.
While the decrease is minimal, it does result in millions of dollars in cuts to King County parks-related grants and programs.
The most notable cut is to the Healthy Communities and Parks Grants program, which dropped by $10 million from $30 million in Constantine’s proposal to $20 million. These grants go to cities, towns, and nonprofits for projects that promote equity and serve historically underinvested communities.
This cut drew criticism from King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who previously said the cuts are “not consistent with the values of our county in terms of ensuring that communities that are underfunded historically and that have limited access to parks and recreation.”
Kent Mayor Dana Ralph countered that despite the reduction in dedicated grant revenue, the proposed levy still doubles existing grant funding from $10 million in the current levy’s lifespan to $20 million in the proposed six-year levy.
The King County Open Space Acquisitions program also saw revenue allocation drop by $6 million from $96 million to $90 million as part of the amendment.
Other reduced revenues include reducing funding for a feasibility study on dog parks from $2.5 million to $2 million, reducing general infrastructure from $20 million to $18 million, and reducing regional trails rehabilitation funding from $55 million to $50 million.
The amended proposal also revamps the formula for city-level parks funding, offering fixed annual amounts based on population size.
If approved by the full King County Council, the levy would appear on the August primary ballot, an election that typically sees lower voter turnout compared to general elections. That timing could influence the likelihood of passage.
On April 15, the full council will vote on placing the amended levy renewal on the August ballot.
