Size Of King County Parks Levy Grows By $72 Million

SEATTLE, WA — The proposed King County parks levy renewal has swelled by about 10 percent since it was introduced on Feb. 21 by King County Executive Dow Constantine, according to county Department of Natural Resources.

The new levy proposal would raise $810 million over six years, up from the $738 million first proposed by Constantine. The annual levy rate would also increase from the original 16.82 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to 18.32 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

The increases happened after the original proposal went to the Regional Policy Committee, which includes members of the King County Council, plus members from the Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Auburn, and Burien city councils.

The regional committee increased funding for, among other things, equity grants and trail projects — like the Green River Trail missing link, and a connection between the Interurban and Burke Gilman trails — and public pools grants.

The bulk of the levy, about $321 million, would still go toward maintaining and improving the county's massive park system. That includes 200 parks between Vashon Island and Rattlesnake Lake, 11 ball field turf replacements, and maintaining 215 miles of backcountry trails.

The bigger parks levy is not final. The levy proposal will go before the King County Council's Budget and Fiscal Management Committee on April 15. If it passes through that committee, the full Council will have to approve it before it gets on the Aug. 6 ballot.