King County's 9th COVID Budget Proposal Seeks $157 Million

KING COUNTY, WA — The Metropolitan King County Council is considering its ninth emergency supplemental budget for COVID-19, designed to bolster ongoing public health efforts and add more money for rental assistance, provided that more federal funding becomes available.

King County Executive Dow Constantine submitted his $157 million proposal this week, including $55 million to support ongoing pandemic-related programs, like community testing and vaccination sites, and keeping isolation and quarantine facilities open through June.

Related: As Mask Mandates End, King County Begins A New Pandemic Chapter

"Over the past two years, we have been racing to react to the harm being caused by this pandemic," Constantine said in a statement Thursday. "With our nation-leading progress in vaccination and declining case counts, we can now shift to a new phase of our response. Building a King County that addresses the disparities revealed so starkly at the start of this pandemic begins with keeping our community safe, health, and support as we make our way back to normal."

Another $85 million in the proposal is contingent on the availability to federal funds and would help cover more financial assistance for residents who fell behind on rent and utility payments since the pandemic began. Last month, the county announced it would stop accepting new applications, citing demand that was already higher than the level of funding it had available.

In February, the county said its Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program had paid out more than $244 million to help keep renters housed and their landlords paid.

The council received the supplemental budget request on March 15. According to the executive's office, King County has received more than $2.1 billion in federal COVID-19 relief since the pandemic began in 2020.