 We Passed Our 2023-24 King County Biennial Budget!
After months of hard work in Council, with community organizations, and in open community budget meetings where we heard from and integrated the concerns and interests of our King County residents, we passed the King County 2023-24 biennial budget yesterday in Council!
I'm grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such outstanding King County colleagues, both on staff and on Council, as well as with the highly effective and principled Dow Constantine, King County Executive, in developing this strong and responsive 2023-2024 biennial budget.
We are meeting the persistent economic and social challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic to effectively regain and maintain our economic and social stability. This includes a focus on economic vitality, sustainable and accessible transit, public safety, behavioral health, and services and programs for those with the least historic investment such as our BIPOC communities and rural areas, as well as a focus on environmental protection and preservation.
Budget Highlights
The 2023-2024 budget honors and deepens the County's commitment to ensuring access and opportunity to those without sufficient income, housing, and healthcare to enable all King County residents to live stable, productive lives.
Among many other areas, below are just a few highlights for our specific district:
⛰️ $1.2 million for King County Search and Rescue!
🏫 $500,000 for a Fall City Community Center!
🎨 $200,000 for a Multi-Cultural Behavioral Health & Art Therapy Pilot Program!
🚂 $35,000 for the Snoqualmie Railroad Museum Pullman Car!
🏳️🌈 $25,000 for Eastside Pride PNW Programs!
Among many other areas, here are just a few highlights for the entire County:
🐟 $50 million+ to fund environmental improvements and protections, including restoring fish passage habitat, removing nitrogen and chemicals from wastewater, and expanding access to heat pumps and solar panels for homeowners in unincorporated King County
💵 $35 million Equitable Recovery Initiative, including funding for supportive housing, homelessness support and behavioral health and economic recovery
🚎 $220 million to convert Metro to all-electric buses by 2035
🏠 $166 million to fund affordable housing near transit centers
🚨 $55 million for community safety, including efforts to reduce gun violence, new Metro transit security and community engagement staff, body worn cameras for King County Sherriff’s deputies, pathways for youth options for restitution for crimes and more
🏘️ $24.7 million in new capital investments, including the Little Saigon Community Center, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation Canoe House, Muslim American Youth Foundation Community Center, Children’s Home Society of Washington Resource Center, Hanwoori Garden in Federal Way, and more
I look forward to watching these programs develop and unfold for our King County residents and to continuing to uplift King County's values in supporting initiatives toward a more economically viable, equitable and sustainable future where everyone can thrive.
More budget information can be found here. Read the full budget press release here.
Don’t see something you’d like to see? Have additional ideas to improve your neighborhood, community or organization? Reach out to me so that we can talk about how to bring that about for the next budget cycle. It all starts with YOU, so don’t hesitate to pick up that phone, or send that email – I'd love to hear from you!
 Sarah Perry
King County Council
District 3
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