King County Parks Levy Headed To August Ballot

SEATTLE, WA — The King County Council voted 8-1 on Wednesday to send a renewal parks levy to voters on the August ballot.

The six-year levy will raise about $810 million for the county's massive park and trail system. The levy also helps fund local projects in county cities.

The renewal was introduced on Feb. 21 by County Executive Dow Constantine. The levy has grown by about 10 percent since then. The first version proposed raising $738 million over six years at a rate of 16.82 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The newer version would raise 18.32 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

The bulk of the levy, about $321 million, would still go toward maintaining and improving the county's existing park system. That includes parks between Vashon Island and Rattlesnake Lake, 11 ball field turf replacements, and maintaining 215 miles of backcountry trails.

Councilman Reagan Dunn was the sole no vote on sending the levy to the ballot.