King County parks levy would raise $16.38 a month for median home; Federal Way could see about $6 million in pass-through funds

King County officials told the Federal Way City Council on May 20 that the county’s replacement parks levy, referred to the Aug. 5 ballot, would set a rate of 23.29 cents per $1,000 of assessed value — about $16.38 per month for the county’s median-valued home — and would roughly double Federal Way’s direct pass-through funding over the six-year levy period.

The levy is a renewal measure referred in April for the Aug. 5 ballot, and the county describes its spending plan in three buckets: maintaining the existing system, increasing access (including grant and pass-through programs to cities), and growing regional open space and trails. Warren Jimenez, director of King County Parks, said the levy “is focusing in these 3 groups around taking care of the system … enhancing through important connections, as well as growing and connecting this open space regional trails.”

Why it matters: the levy would provide the bulk of King County Parks’ operating budget and funds capital projects used by cities across South King County. During the briefing, county and city officials focused on the levy’s pass-through funding and local grant opportunities that Federal Way could use for deferred maintenance, new park development and encampment response.

Most important facts

- Rate and household cost: The proposed levy rate is 23.29¢ per $1,000 of assessed value. Using King County’s stated median home value of $844,000, that translates to $16.38 per month per household; the county presented this as a renewal and estimated the difference versus the current levy at about $2.50 per month for that median household.

- Length and timing: The levy would run six years and appears on the Aug. 5 ballot.

- Major allocations described by county staff: Jimenez said roughly 34% of proceeds would go to operations and maintenance, 47% toward increasing access (including grants and pass-throughs to cities), and about 19% to regional trails and climate-resiliency work.

- Notable project and grant amounts cited: the presentation lists $68 million for aquatic investments (including $22 million for the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center), $60 million for ballfields and related sports facilities, continuation and expansion of several grant programs, and new or expanded pass-through funding for cities and park districts.

- Pass-through funding and local impact: Jimenez said the levy includes a $119 million pass-through allocation plus an additional $25 million Parks Capital and Open Space direct allocation to cities. “So it’s actually in total, if I can do the math correctly, a hundred and $44,000,000 of direct pass through,” Jimenez said. Federal Way’s deputy parks director said the city currently receives just under $3,000,000 from the existing direct pass-through and would receive about $6,000,000 or a little over that total across the six-year period if this levy is approved.

Questions from council members and staff responses

- Encampments and safety: The council president asked whether King County has plans for encampment removal on parkland near Federal Way. Jimenez replied that the county would “love to partner with you and work with you” and said safety and security investments in the levy are intended to help address encampment-related issues while “lead[ing] with compassion.” He said staff were willing to coordinate on specific locations and needs.

- How pass-through is calculated: Jimenez described the pass-through formula as a combination approach with a baseline tied to population and a split that weights assessed value and population (described in presentation materials as roughly 60% assessed value / 40% population after baseline adjustments). He also said the $25 million allocation was changed in the council process from a competitive grant to a direct allocation to cities because “it was mainly cities that were eligible for that grant program.”

- Cost and campaign concerns: Council members asked about the size of the increase and voter fatigue from multiple tax and fee changes. Jimenez said the levy amount reflects countywide needs identified through outreach and the council process; he noted the size was adjusted in deliberations and urged that jurisdictions educate voters on how the funds would be used.

Implementation and limits

- Use of pass-through funds: County staff told the council that pass-through dollars provide local flexibility; cities can budget and spend their pass-through allocations on city parks needs. Competitive grant programs would remain available separately for specific projects.

- Project timing and cash flow: Jimenez said capital investments (for example, aquatic center work) would be scheduled over the life of the levy and depend on project readiness and cash-flow planning rather than being front-loaded immediately.

What the council was told about risk and next steps

- The county described the measure as a renewal and said it benefitted from prior levy support. Jimenez said if voters reject the measure, “we’ll need to reassess what that means and what that looks like at that time and figure out sort of how to go from there.”

Ending

Council members asked for the presentation slides and additional details; county staff agreed to share materials and answer follow-up questions about the formula, projected city-level amounts and timelines. The council then recessed into an executive session for property-acquisition and potential litigation matters.