Committee backs $51.8 million supplemental appropriation for Harborview capital projects, approves Duncan Building purchase funding

The Metropolitan King County Council Budget and Fiscal Management Committee on July 23 voted 7-0 to give a due-pass recommendation to proposed ordinance 2025-0165, a supplemental appropriation of $51,800,000 to the County Hospital Capital Fund to pay for a set of capital-maintenance projects at Harborview Medical Center over six years. Sam Porter, council central staff, told the committee "the executive's intent is that these projects would be funded by county hospital levy revenue."

Why it matters: The ordinance would allow immediate acquisition and early design work on a replacement location for Harborview's Pioneer Square Clinic and fund high-priority infrastructure repairs across the Harborview campus. Executive staff say the projects were prioritized through a multi-month risk analysis and coordination with Harborview facilities; the purchase-and-sale agreement for the Duncan Building contains a council-appropriation contingency and the agreement expires unless the appropriation is effective by Sept. 30.

The ordinance does not itself require county hospital levy dollars, but staff said the executive intends to use levy revenue. Table 1 in the staff report (packet page 24) lists the largest items in the package: $13,900,000 for an auxiliary loop replacement for CT…