King County committee advances revised parks levy proposal after hours of testimony and amendments

The Metropolitan King County Council's Budget and Fiscal Management Committee on March 26 advanced a revised parks levy allocation plan that would place a property-tax levy renewal on the August 5, 2025 ballot, the committee chair said after extensive public testimony and amendments.

Chair Dombowski said the striking amendment reduced the levy rate by one cent per $1,000 of assessed value and shaved about $56 million from the executive's original proposal to make the package more affordable while keeping key city pass-throughs and priority projects. "The striking amendment...lowers the proposed increase by 20% or a penny per thousand," he said during the meeting.

The measure before the committee would fund King County Parks operations and maintenance, grants to cities, parks and nonprofit institutions, regional trails and capital projects. Committee staff said the levy as amended would generate about $1.45 billion over six years; staff also presented corrected park maintenance figures showing $466.6 million would be needed to maintain current service levels, accounting for inflation.

Public testimony at the meeting lasted more than two hours and included dozens of organizations and residents urging funding for local projects. Nigel Herbig, mayor of Kenmore, said his city seeks county support to acquire and restore part of a 40-acre peninsula on Lake Washington known locally as Lake Point. "Lake Point is the last kind of large, developable parcel on Lake Washington. It's a 40 acre peninsula that sits at the mouth of the Sammamish River," Herbig said, urging county investment to help acquire waterfront property, restore shoreline and connect trails to the Burke-Gilman and Lake Washington Loop.

Representatives from cultural and education institutions asked the committee to preserve or restore off-the-top allocations included in the executive proposal. Will Doherty, president and CEO of the Pacific Science Center, described the center as "a resource for all of King County" and urged continued levy support for building repairs and campus accessibility. Derek Baker, speaking on behalf of the Seattle Aquarium, thanked the council for prior investment and said new funding would expand outreach and education; he referenced the aquarium's earlier $8 million county investment and told the committee the aquarium seeks an additional $12 million from the levy.

Several community groups asked for allocations targeted to specific neighborhoods. Joy Shigaki, president and CEO of Friends of Waterfront Park, asked the committee to restore funding for nonprofit management and programming at the new Seattle waterfront park, saying Friends has raised almost all operating funds privately and requests county support for programming and safety as the park opens to millions of visitors. Multiple commenters from Georgetown and South King County urged investment in a climate-resilient community center and trail connections in the Duwamish Valley.

Committee members and staff fielded technical questions during the meeting and adopted a long list of line amendments that adjusted amounts for specific programs — for example, increasing funding for fish passage projects from $10 million to $20 million, adding new grants for ball-field access, and moving certain grant guidelines from the ordinance into the companion allocation motion. The striking amendment also made the Community Partnerships & Grants and Healthy Communities & Parks grants off-the-top allocations and adjusted allocations to institutions including Woodland Park Zoo (reduced from $42 million to $40 million) and Seattle Aquarium (reduced from $15 million to $12 million). The ordinance, as amended, would explicitly list the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center as an off-the-top allocation of up to $22 million.

During debate the committee added several policy directions for the executive branch: to study bond financing for capital projects, to develop vendor-permitting streamlining and to produce a plan on the feasibility and permitting implications of alcohol sales at certain park venues (such as stadium stands) and return with recommendations. The committee also added district-targeted small grant allocations, a seat-by-seat climate-resilience grant program, and specific capital line items for park projects across several cities.

After the committee adopted the allocation motion as amended, the clerk recorded the roll call on the motion: Councilmembers Baron, Mosqueda, Quinn and Chair Dombowski voted aye; Councilmember Perry voted no. The committee gave a due-pass recommendation to the allocation motion and will forward the motion and the companion ordinance to the Regional Policy Committee for further deliberation and then to full council.

What happens next: the motion and the companion levy ordinance will be considered by the Regional Policy Committee and then by the full King County Council before the measure is placed on the August 5 ballot. If approved by voters, the levy would fund operations, capital projects, city pass-throughs and grants described in the amended allocation plan.