King County Executive Pitches $12.4 Billion Biennial Budget Plan

SEATTLE, WA — King County Executive Dow Constantine on Tuesday pitched a $12.4 billion biennial budget plan, including $400 million earmarked for regional housing investments and new funding for anti-racism efforts.

Under Constantine's proposal, the county would also divest $4.6 million in marijuana tax revenue from law enforcement. More than half of that would fund a program to help vacate marijuana-related convictions. The budget proposal also divests $1.9 million from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention.

The proposal also includes 450 job cuts for county positions in 2021 and 2022, citing the economic downturn and plummeting tax revenues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seattle Times reports that total includes 50 direct layoffs, with other reductions accomplished by attrition and buyouts.

Constantine's plan would enact a 0.1 percent sales tax increase to fund the $400 million housing investment, aiming to create permanent housing for 2,000 people who are "chronically homeless."

The county is expecting FEMA reimbursements and CARES Act funding to cover costs associated with continued public health response to the pandemic.

Here are some of the budget highlights:

Anti-racism and criminal justice:

• Divest $4.6 million of marijuana tax revenue.
• Invest $6.2 million in “Restorative Community Pathways.”
• Invest $750,000 to co-create and implement alternative to policing in urban unincorporated King County.
• Divest $1.9 million in detention by continuing limits on jail population.
• Invest $600,000 to respond to regional gun violence.
• Public Health Seattle-King County’s Zero Youth Detention program will continue the regional gun violence prevention initiative in 2021-2022. This program is focused on areas of the County experiencing increases in gun violence, particularly among young people of color.
• Invest $2.7 million in a community justice model to divert eligible first-time offenders in lowest level cases from the judicial system, offering services to break the cycle of chronic offenses.
• Reimagine fare enforcement on Metro.
• Invest in community engagement.

King County Metro:

• New RapidRide lines include Delridge, Madison, and Renton/Kent/Auburn, providing frequent all-day service to several low-income and BIPOC communities.
• Aligning fixed route bus and other Metro services with Link expansions, including Northgate link in 2021; Eastlink in 2023; and Federal Way, Lynnwood, and Redmond Link in 2024-2025.

Unincorporated King County:

• $10 million in seed funding for a community center in Skyway, a long-time need that has been requested from community. Other sources of funding will be necessary to complete the project, which is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars.
• Investing $10 million in new capital projects in the urban unincorporated areas of Skyway, White Center, Fairwood, East Federal Way, and East Renton.
• $1.8 million for programs co-created with residents in the unincorporated area, including youth marijuana prevention and employment programs.
• $24 million for open space conservation.
• $8 million for parks improvements throughout unincorporated King County, including Vashon Island, Preston, East Renton, White Center, and Skyway.
• $6 million for new, flexible Metro transit service in Skyway, to be co-created with community.

Read more about the budget proposal on the King County website.