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Kent committee approves placing King County Medic 1 levy renewal on ballot
Summary
After a countywide planning and financial process, Kent’s committee authorized a resolution sending a King County Medic 1 emergency medical services levy renewal to the November ballot; the levy as recommended would be a six‑year measure at $0.25 per $1,000 AV with estimated countywide program funding and specified reserves.
Michelle Plourde, Emergency Medical Division director, briefed the committee on April 15 about the Medic 1 strategic planning and finance process and the task force recommendations for a levy renewal. Plourde said the regional Medic 1 system responds to roughly one call every two minutes across King County, serves over 2.3 million people, and that the system’s prior cardiac arrest survival rate (a performance indicator) was about 51 percent regionwide in 2023.
Countywide partners convened an EMS advisory task force and four subcommittees (ALS allocation, BLS distribution, regional services/strategic initiatives, and finance) to set program priorities and a funding plan. Plourde summarized subcommittee highlights: continuing ALS allocation with CPI‑W+1% inflators, placeholders for additional ALS capacity (half units in years 3 and 5), an increase in Basic Life Support funding including a $5 million bump in year one split between base allocations and mobile integrated health, continued support for telephone referral and community partnerships (ECHO), and data/system improvements for dispatch and monitoring.
The finance analysis presented to council staff estimated carryforward reserves of about $64.4 million from the current levy period and modeled revenue risks (assessed value, new construction, Seattle/King split, and inflation). The recommended levy rate presented by the EMS advisory task force and supported by the finance committee and task force was $0.25 per $1,000 of assessed value for a six‑year period, with an estimated total program budget (including Seattle) of about $1.55 billion over the levy term and reserves in the range the task force judged prudent. Plourde said the average annual homeowner cost under the plan, assuming an $850,000 home in 2026, would be about $212.
Council member Pat (name used in the motion) moved a resolution (No. 2086) to authorize placement of a renewal levy for King County Medic 1 on an upcoming ballot under the cited state statute. A second was recorded and the committee voted unanimously in favor; the committee recorded the resolution placement motion as passed.
Plourde and deputy chief Aaron Tyerman of Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority answered council questions on response times, program equity, and the role of reserves before the motion was made and approved.
The committee’s action authorizes placement of the levy measure on the ballot but does not represent an endorsement of the levy by the council; Plourde and staff outlined the separate notice and public‑comment requirements that would apply if the council chose to take a formal support or opposition position later.
