That Seattle and surrounding King County remain abundantly verdant is no accident. Since 1962, when voters passed a bond to buy farmland for what became the regional Marymoor Park, King County’s parks now number more than 200 and provide 28,000 acres of open space.
Such a legacy of greenery and recreation must be protected, nurtured and enhanced — and can be, with a yes vote for King County’s parks levy on the August ballot.
The six-year, $1.4 billion levy was crafted through a thorough outreach effort by the county that included input from more than 4,800 residents across all council districts. Two priorities emerged from respondents: to feel safe and a desire to further expand parks.
The levy does both, with a relatively modest ask of $2.50 more per month than owners of a median-priced King County home pay now. For the owner of that $844,000 home, the levy will cost $196 per year.
The levy proposal would improve ballfields, pools and other recreation facilities, particularly in the county’s South End. That includes a $19 million allotment to turf the South County Ballfields in Auburn.
As well, the levy extends the county’s expansive trail network southward, including new segments on the Lake to Sound Trail and Soos Creek Trail, and refurbishing Interurban Trail South.
Funding also filters down to many projects within King County’s cities; millions of dollars will continue to support the Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo and Pacific Science Center, and many other facilities and park lands.
The levy would also double the number of sheriff’s deputies and parks rangers in the system from seven to 14, a needed rise.
There is risk if enough voters sour on repeated property tax hikes, as the editorial board warned before the last levy’s passage in 2019. But King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski said the council shaved $74 million off former County Executive Dow Constantine’s initial proposal. Dembowski called their version of the levy “pragmatically bold.”
The Trust for Public Land named Seattle the eighth best city in the country for its parks. Voters can safeguard this precious resource with a yes vote in King County’s parks levy in August.
