King County Approves $450M Supplemental Budget

KING COUNTY, WA — A $450 million supplemental budget approved by King County Council this week includes money to expand a homeless shelter, fund a human trafficking awareness campaign, and build a new system to streamline data shared between law enforcement agencies.

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

• $4 million to upgrade a facility for chronically homeless people on the second floor of the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle, allowing it to house more people. Costs to operate the shelter are shared by the county and the City of Seattle.
• $100,000 for the Homeward Bound program, backed by Councilmember Reagan Dunn, which pays for bus tickets to reunite homeless people with families living in other parts of the country.
• $2.4 million to create a new platform for investigators to efficiently share information, photos, and videos among different law enforcement agencies. The county will also hire a person to work at the court and divert people arrested for small amounts of drugs into treatment.
• $300,000 to launch a Conviction Review Unit pilot program at the Prosecuting Attorney's Office, which will re-examine convictions when credible evidence suggests a person may be innocent.
• $54 million to buy new hybrid and electric buses for King County Metro, and $17 million to fully fund reliable transit service for people with disabilities.
• $50,000 to help the install a labyrinth at the Nordic Museum's Fisherman's Terrace in Seattle.

Other programs include an education campaign to teach seniors about potential property tax relief they may be qualify for. A recent change to state law means 20,000 additional households may eligible for the program, according to the county.

Councilmember Claudia Balducci, who chairs the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, said the final approved budget protects critical infrastructure and necessary programs while avoiding overspending.

“While the economy is booming, the constraints on the County’s revenue streams and our responsibility to the people of King County means we must keep a constant eye on the long-term health of our budget to protect critical, ongoing public services,” Balducci said in a statement Wednesday.

“In addition to supporting basic functions like wastewater treatment and public safety, I am pleased to report that the council’s omnibus budget adds investments that will make a difference for some of the most vulnerable residents in King County.”