King County proposes new $1.5 billion parks levy

King County leaders announced a proposal Tuesday for a new parks levy that, if approved by voters, would total more than $1.5 billion of tax revenue over the next six years.

The levy would fund parks, trails and more than 32,000 acres of “open space” from 2026 to 2031, according to the county.

The proposal would increase the average King County homeowner’s property tax by an estimated $3.44 per month to a total of $17.18, King County Executive Dow Constantine’s office said.

“We will increase our capacity to keep parks and trails clean, safe and open,” Constantine said at a press conference from the Pathways Park in Seattle. “We will enhance ballfields and playgrounds, build skyways, First Community Center, upgrade Marymoor Park in Redmond and the aquatic center in Federal Way.”

The billion-dollar estimate in generated revenue is about an 85% increase from the previously passed $810 million levy, which was passed in 2019 and is set to expire at the end of 2024. If approved by voters in August, the new levy would set the rate at 24 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The rate from the previous levy was $18.32 per $1,000 of assessed value.

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Why is more money needed for King County parks?

Constantine told KIRO Newsradio the increase is due to several factors, including inflation, rising population in the county, high housing prices and planned expansions to the parks system.

“Particularly rising land costs,” he clarified. “But it’s also our need to provide more opportunities for the people who live here. The park we’re in today is a park that is accessible to all – that is something that did not exist when I was a kid growing up in Seattle.”

He emphasized the need to implement more accessibility features, pitching the need to protect the county’s greenspace.

“With more people moving here, with more money flowing in to develop more property – all of which is critical — we have to set aside those lands, or they will be lost for all time,” he said.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell addressed the crowd at Pathways Park, echoing the need to include ways for disabled people to enjoy the region’s parks and trails.

“As the executive noticed, here in Seattle, here in King County, we’re not afraid to use words like inclusivity,” Harrell said in what could be a jab at the White House after President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI executive order.

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Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on X, or email him here.

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