[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6134855,"mediaKeyId","5677944-d06f634efbd6a7d386d95dad776c9352","parentId",5677944,"title","King County Council adopts revised school-impact fee formula, limits fees on some multifamily units","audioSeconds",4694,"startMs",141445,"endMs",4836265,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5677944-d06f634efbd6a7d386d95dad776c9352&start=141&end=4836","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5677944-d06f634efbd6a7d386d95dad776c9352/thumbnail_141445.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6134855/King-County/Washington/King-County-Council-adopts-revised-school-impact-fee-formula-limits-fees-on-some-multifamily-units","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6134855-4bcbb8fb4380fdb362067d0efa5991fc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770633789&Signature=ZXkhRw0rQdN~eMHZKY5LrulqTKTlQemyeLyL5tMktNV1cKA835cXNu-n5pmjw1c8fq5dNnlsI8CttYuyUogR00ZuFcGOf5J56Hp8PdKs5PL~9wbycaic0dMvdXXXlKc9CY6-ivzHyP~meRQVJPUouWNoVBlGhGUFnkhqkc-dQ4jjErKlK2e8~uPurSOcjkHXbJEdQV6OVdN9T~8ltGLvy-5-Qxgmo4UMsetyOGrSALzN~ntCdWYVdIu9OHSObIpF-5Dy5eiccegT71lEZCT-TMJyzxbNz8SwTs6TALTyhpScs4FtIG4UB12civD~fP70e0QvZXI5f3ETsLRkGZl1~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","King County, WA","date","2025-08-26T00:00:00Z","article","SEATTLE — The Metropolitan King County Council voted 8–1 on Aug. 26, 2025, to adopt a revised ordinance changing how the county calculates school impact fees, adding lower maximum fees for some multifamily units, codifying an affordable-housing exemption allowed under state law and requiring a future evaluation of the new formula.

The ordinance, proposed substitute ordinance 2025-0127, responds to a 2023 state law that requires jurisdictions that charge school impact fees to account for smaller units when calculating fees. Councilmember Susie Mosqueda, who led the package of amendments, said the changes aim to reduce the cost pressure on developers building family-sized multifamily units while preserving funding for school construction.

The council’s action matters because school impact fees pay for school capital projects and because the county is trying to balance those capital needs with incentives to produce “missing middle” family-sized housing. The final ordinance changes the county’s fee schedule, establishes a cap on certain multifamily fees, clarifies the affordable-housing exemption process, and requires housing-impact analysis and a staff representative from the county’s housing division to participate in school plan reviews.

Most significant changes
- Fee caps for multifamily units: The council adopted amendments that set a maximum school impact fee on certain attached housing and multifamily units. Councilmember Mosqueda said the cap is targeted: “It only puts a cap of $5,000 on those duplexes, triplexes, quads, apartments for those units that have 2, 3 or 4 and more bedrooms.” That cap was adopted as part of a package of amendments that also expanded the cap to include smaller units (studios and one-bedroom apartments) in a subsequent amendment.
- Affordable-housing exemption clarified: The ordinance implements the state-authorized exemption for units made affordable at 80% of area median income (AMI) or below and removes county discretion for approving those exemptions so long as statutory requirements are met. Denise Steifarm of Pacifica Law Group, representing 12 school districts, said, “We support continuation of the county’s existing affordable housing exemption and support the amendment to clarify its application and remove a layer of county review.”
- Housing-impact analysis and process changes: The county will add a representative from the Department of Community and Human Services’ Housing, Homelessness and Community Development division to the School Technical Review Committee and require school districts to submit an analysis of the impact of proposed impact fees on housing production as part of their capital facilities plans. The ordinance also asks the county executive to evaluate the new fee formula’s efficacy in about four years and moves the county’s routine fee review to a biennial schedule.

What supporters and opponents said
Supporters — including Councilmembers Mosqueda and Dombowski and several housing advocates who testified — said the measures aim to reduce barriers to producing family-sized units that can increase enrollment and long-term school funding. Jose Ortuzar of the White Center Community Development Association told the council his organization is developing family-sized affordable units and supported the amendments.

Opponents, including some school-district representatives, cautioned that any reduction in fee revenue could reduce capital funds for classrooms. Denise Steifarm told the council districts “oppose a cap of any kind beyond the existing county-required adjustment reducing the calculated fee by one half,” noting capital funds lost to fee reductions are not interchangeable with state operating aid.

Vote and next steps
The council adopted the ordinance as amended by an 8–1 vote; Councilmember Dunn was recorded as voting no. The ordinance contains multiple provisions that will require follow-up: the executive is directed to implement the revised fee schedule, add the housing division staff representative to the technical review committee, and return with evaluation data in four years. The code changes also make the affordable-housing exemption administratively automatic when projects meet the statutory requirements, with the school district’s concurrence.

Implementation and review
Council members and staff emphasized the ordinance is the start of an iterative process: several council members asked for additional district- and region-level analysis and for continued engagement with housing developers and school districts as the new formula is implemented.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Metropolitan King County Council 8-26-25","oneSentenceSummary","The Metropolitan King County Council voted 8–1 on Aug. 26, 2025, to adopt a revised school-impact fee formula that lowers some fees for multifamily units, clarifies an affordable-housing exemption and requires a housing-impact analysis and a county housing representative on the school plan review committee.","taxTitle","King County, Washington","taxId",2541,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6134850,"King County approves three-year health benefits memorandum with unions; raises monthly premiums and county contribution",727,4757225,5484695,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5677944-d06f634efbd6a7d386d95dad776c9352&start=4757&end=5484","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5677944-d06f634efbd6a7d386d95dad776c9352/thumbnail_4757225.jpg","/articles/6134850/King-County/Washington/King-County-approves-three-year-health-benefits-memorandum-with-unions-raises-monthly-premiums-and-county-contribution","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6134850-4c59f61147516de7a4935c6a0d5f048a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770633789&Signature=HqnMIGVBLSaXuIdvyljwW4PTP2~iUF-O3SYCDNhs6VJOy0Yr0~mlZpZpyoZk8jA4g20iXxTc-Vlw2wNHp8wzQMvVjoNURQtMaqB93M-6VqyjyIOxNb9iaVPrqB208iiEQbel-rQFcea2I9161o58boHwz-QhTaURWC2iA1d96CnaNLckOkLKH00FcdBncBNXML-4I7Q1~JQIG8B1FPVKayIzftsFZsdsLmfhRuV3ngfHxR8eQRoSKQNUUT0CtSryZIQSKcWoRHK4pLbpLQScXgnDw~Xe-IbPcZtwIWSm3BmsNEYiZdq1cjgkTOGIkgOnfvppuqk28xI8U2S~vKCfZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","SEATTLE — The Metropolitan King County Council on Aug. 26, 2025, approved proposed ordinance 2025-0227, a three-year memorandum of agreement between King County and the Joint Labor Management Insurance Committee (JLMIC) covering health-benefit rates and plan design changes for represented and non-represented employees. The ordinance passed unanimously, 9–0.

The MOA covers employees represented by JLMIC bargaining units and the county’s non-represented employees; it does not apply to certain Metro Transit bargaining units or sheriff’s captains/majors. The agreement raises the county’s monthly contribution for employee health coverage and increases some employee monthly premiums and plan out-of-pocket maximums.

Why it matters
The agreement determines employee access to health coverage and affects King County’s labor costs and budget planning. Several union co-chairs and county officials described the deal as the product of intensive bargaining amid widely rising health-care costs.

Key terms and fiscal impact
- County contribution per covered employee: the county’s monthly contribution would increase to $1,887 in 2026, $1,981 in 2027 and $2,070 in 2028 (figures presented by county staff at the Aug. 26 briefing).
- Employee monthly premiums: Regence PPO plan premium would increase to $85 per month; Regence Ahn plan to $70 per month; Kaiser HMO would introduce a $60 monthly premium where none existed previously.
- Out-of-pocket maximums: For the Regence PPO, the employee-only out-of-pocket maximum would rise from $1,100 to $2,000 and the family maximum from $2,500 to $4,500. For the Regence Ahn plan, employee-only would rise from $1,100 to $1,500 and family coverage from $2,400 to $3,100. (County staff presented these numbers during the briefing.)
- Fiscal impacts: Countywide additional costs were presented as roughly $15.8 million for 2026, $8.8 million for 2027 and $8.3 million for 2028. County general fund impacts were reported in briefing remarks as approximately $4.2 million for 2026, with smaller amounts in subsequent years; the executive will request appropriation authority in the 2026–27 biennial budget.

Union and executive comment
Maria Williams, co-chair of the labor side of the JLMIC and a Teamsters 117 representative, said the coalition prioritized maintaining access to benefits: “Healthcare is always at the top, wanting to maintain access to the benefits that they currently have and want mitigate changes to those plans, and make sure that they can continue to rely on those benefits for themselves and for their families.” Michael Gonzalez of Teamsters Local 174 noted the negotiations were especially challenging given rising outside-market costs and said bargaining required attention to plan design and vendor contracts.

County staff summarized the agreement and its scope. Jeff Mumm, King County chief policy officer, explained which bargaining units are covered and said the executive will request the necessary budget authority to implement the MOA in the 2026–27 biennial budget. Sasha Lehi of the county Office of Labor Relations also thanked union partners for reaching a tentative agreement on a compressed timeline.

Vote and implementation
The council approved the ordinance unanimously, 9–0. The executive will request appropriation authority in the 2026–27 biennial budget to cover the increased county costs and will work with benefits staff and union partners to implement plan changes for plan years 2026–2028.

What the MOA does not cover
The ordinance does not cover ATU or Technical Employee Association members in Metro Transit, nor does it cover sheriff’s captains and majors; those groups remain under separate bargaining arrangements.","The Metropolitan King County Council on Aug. 26, 2025, approved a memorandum of agreement (MOA) affecting health benefits for employees covered by the Joint Labor Management Insurance Committee (JLMIC) and non-represented employees. The three-year agreement raises the county's monthly per-employee contribution and increases employee premiums and","actionData","errors"]

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King County Council adopts revised school-impact fee formula, limits fees on some multifamily units

King County approves three-year health benefits memorandum with unions; raises monthly premiums and county contribution