2023-24 County Budget Snapshot
Dear Neighbor,
Over this past year we have all emerged from the pandemic and tried to get our lives back to normal. At your King County government, we were able to provide services during the pandemic thanks to a massive influx of federal relief funding. That federal funding is now drying up.
As a result, we recently passed a county budget for the next two years (2023-2024) with limited new funding. I am proud to say we passed a balanced budget with a unanimous bipartisan vote—getting our work done on time.
We made new investments in targeted areas that I believe will help make a difference in the lives of people in South King County. My priority was public safety, and we also made meaningful investments in affordable housing, transit and the environment.
Here is a snapshot of some of these new investments:
PUBLIC SAFETY:
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Reducing the backlog in King County courts by making a multi-million dollar investment in judges, court staff, prosecutors, and public defenders;
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Keeping more local police on the street in South King County by allowing them to book suspects in South King County instead of having to spend hours driving up to the Seattle jail;
- Requiring our various diversion programs to provide transparent data so that they can demonstrate their public safety outcomes;
- Rolling out the use of body worn cameras for King County deputies;
- Implementing alternative response models in the King County Sheriff’s Office to allow for more appropriate and compassionate emergency mental health responses in some cases;
- Significantly increasing the staff of the King County civilian Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO) to provide more robust oversight of the King County Sheriff’s Office; and,
- Investing $21 million to support 140 Metro transit security officers on Metro buses, transit centers, and stops, as well as funding for a new program to connect people in crisis on and near Metro transit with resources and services
AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
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$70 million investment in affordable housing in the form of competitive grants to non-profit housing developers to lower the cost of construction—so they can then rent apartments at reduced affordable rates. Specifically, we provided:
- $45 million for housing located near major transit hubs
- $15 million for community-driven affordable housing to mitigate displacement pressures on historically marginalized communities
- $5 million for affordable housing for people with disabilities; and
- $5 million for affordable housing in Skyway
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$48 million for our Health through Housing program to get people off the streets and out of the parks and into permanent housing with onsite services in former hotels purchased by the county;
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$20.5 million for rental assistance to be disbursed through community partners.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT:
- $265 million to make the Metro bus system emissions free by 2035 by purchasing battery-electric buses;
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$28.5 million to remove blockages to fish passage that stop our salmon and other local fish from moving freely through our rivers and streams;
- A meaningful expansion of our forestry program by planting 3 million trees and implementing strategies to reduce the risk of wildfires
- An additional $1 million to help low-income unincorporated residents install heat pumps in their homes;
- Significant investment in additional bus service on existing routes and in flexible services such as Community Shuttles, Trailhead Direct routes, VIA shuttles, Vanpool services, and Access paratransit; and
I’m proud to have secured capital funding in the budget for local community projects including:
- $500,000 for Renton’s Family First Community Center;
- $700,000 for the African Community Housing and Development African Diaspora Community Center and Housing Project in Tukwila;
- $1 million for the Muslim American Youth Foundation Community Center in Burien; and
- $100,000 for Open Doors for Multicultural Families to continue capital planning for potential housing and a community center for people with disabilities by the Kent-Des Moines Light Rail Station.
Looking Back
The passage of the budget wrapped up a busy year in 2022. As we continued to address ongoing challenges from the COVID pandemic, some positive highlights from 2022 include:
- Implemented the new expanded Best Starts for Kids Initiative passed by the voters last year—making record investments in youth programs and prevention.
- Developed a free youth transit pass so anyone under age 19 can now ride transit for free all year-round.
- Reduced the cost of our low-income transit fare to $1.00.
- Passed a stronger and greener energy code to improve indoor air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Provided more than $2 million from the King County Flood District in grants to local South King County cities for habitat restoration and flood management.
- Strengthened oversight of the Sheriff’s Office by finally securing independent investigation authority and subpoena power for the King County civilian Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO).
Elected Council Chair for 2023
As our final act for 2022, the King County Council undertook its annual reorganization and I was elected Council Chair for 2023. My priority will be to support and strengthen our democratic institutions and demonstrate that democracy can work. I shared with my colleagues that I wanted our guiding value to be respect - respect for one another, for our exceptional staff, and for the people we serve. Although I will be taking a much more active role in countywide work, I will continue to prioritize the needs of the people of South King County and look forward to working with all of you in 2023.
As we say goodbye to 2022 I wish you all a happy holidays and look forward with hope to a good year in 2023. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts.
I am available via email at dave.upthegrove@kingcounty.gov.
Sincerely,
Dave Upthegrove
King County Councilmember
District 5
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