Metro briefs county committee on growing reserve shortfall; options include fares, partner funding and a transportation-district measure

King County Metro officials on Aug. 27 briefed the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee on a multi-year financial gap that could reduce reserves and complicate planned service and capital investments unless revenues and costs are realigned. Metro staff framed the shortfall as the result of rising operating and capital costs, flat sales-tax collections through recent forecasts, and federal funding uncertainty.

Jeannie Miller, assistant general manager for finance and administration at Metro, summarized the committee-directed briefing and said the presentation was intended to help the council and the public understand choices ahead of the 2026–2027 biennial budget transmittal. Geoff Keiser, Metro’s director of budget and financial planning, told the committee Metro’s 2025 budget assumes about $1.8 billion in total spending, with…