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Committee moves King County parks levy agreement to consent; Snoqualmie could receive about $260,000 a year
Summary
The Snoqualmie Parks and Public Works Committee recommended placing an agreement to accept King County parks levy proceeds on the next consent agenda. Staff said the city's share could be roughly $260,000 per year (the city previously budgeted $130,000 annually) and that funds are intended for parks capital and maintenance under King County rules.
The Snoqualmie Parks and Public Works Committee on Jan. 21 recommended placing an agreement with King County on the next council consent agenda that would allow the city to accept its share of proceeds from King County's Proposition 1 parks levy.
City staff introduced an agenda bill describing the six-year levy (voter-approved Aug. 5, 2025) and the proposed intergovernmental agreement. Staff said the city expects to receive roughly $260,000 per year under the new agreement, compared with about $130,000 per year that had been budgeted under the prior 2020'2025 arrangement. The funds would be used for projects in the city's adopted capital improvement program (CIP) and for parks operations, "in accordance with King County ordinance 919922," staff said at the meeting.
Council members asked for examples of the kinds of projects that levy dollars would fund and about King County's reporting and signage requirements. Staff said recurring maintenance-heavy projects such as playground replacements are typical candidates because they are easy to label with required signage; staff also said the upcoming CIP update for the 2026 biennium will identify specific projects that could use the levy proceeds.
A council member asked whether a nine-person levy oversight board would draw administrative costs from levy proceeds; staff said they did not have a ballpark estimate for oversight expenses at the meeting. Staff also confirmed there are restricted funds carried over from the 2020'2025 levy and that a separately described $250,000 allocation has been incorporated into the base amount spread across the six-year period.
Mayor Mayhew noted the city's taxpayers contribute an estimated $1,300,000 annually into the county levy pool and receive only a fraction back; staff and several council members said that dynamic is common in higher-assessed-value cities and is part of broader county-level policy discussions.
Because council members agreed the changes are largely administrative and authorize the city to receive money rather than commit new local spending, Council Member Christensen recommended placing the agreement on the consent agenda for the next council meeting. Chairperson Cotton moved the item forward for placement on the consent agenda.
Next steps: the item will appear on the council consent agenda at the next available meeting for formal approval and mayoral signature.
