King County Council approves mid-year budget — Balducci praises transit safety and ethics investments; flags fiscal concerns

July 15, 2025

The King County Council on Tuesday passed its 2025 mid-year (or supplemental) budget including $107.28 million in General Fund increases. Key priorities advocated by Councilmember Claudia Balducci were funded in the budget:

• A down payment on transit safety. $26.1 million for Metro Transit safety will increase the number of Transit Police and Security Officers and install stronger operator safety partitions on all Metro buses. This is an important first step toward a safer transit experience for riders and Metro workers, while building momentum for the County’s Regional Transit Safety Taskforce. 
• Strengthening ethics in election years. Balducci successfully amended the budget to adopt a third-party evaluation of King County Council internal policies and practices surrounding Councilmembers’ use of public facilities, county resources, and Council staff during election years. The goal is to align with nationwide best practices and ensure the public trust, particularly when elections are in play.
• Added funding for reproductive health care in response to increasing needs as services become increasingly less available in the wake of attacks on reproductive freedom at the federal level and in other states.

However, although most of the investments in this budget are funded by shifting underspent revenue from areas where there are savings to areas where there are needs, King County continues to face a looming budget shortfall, with hard decisions on the horizon as the County prepares its 2026–2027 biennial budget. These challenges include:

• A projected $150 million shortfall in the County’s General Fund
• Longstanding, systemic budget shortfalls that went unaddressed once again in the recent state legislative session
• The anticipated loss of federal funds via Medicaid and other vital programs 

“We can’t afford business-as-usual budgeting when critical priorities—like responding to homelessness and addressing runaway housing costs—risk falling through the cracks,” said Councilmember Balducci. “In this time of economic uncertainty, and with major federal cuts on the way, King County must maintain our budget flexibility so that we can protect our residents’ access to food, health care, and other lifeline services.  The stakes are high, and I am committed to making the hard choices that set us up to serve all King County residents under difficult circumstances.” 

Major budget issues on the horizon 

As the King County Executive prepares the 2026-27 biennial budget, two challenges demand urgent attention:

• Federal funding cuts. Councilmember Balducci, as Chair of the Committee of the Whole, sponsored a motion earlier this year to encourage countywide contingency planning for potential federal cuts. 

“This preparatory work is even more urgent in light of the July 4 signing of the Trump tax bill, which will bring sweeping changes that could dramatically impact essential services—notably cuts to Medicaid and other programs serving vulnerable populations,” said Balducci.  

• Revenue uncertainty. The King County Forecast Council will meet July 21 amid heightened unpredictability in sales tax revenues, driven by global trade volatility and a weakening U.S. dollar. The revenue forecast will play a crucial role in shaping upcoming budget proposals.

“King County continues to be a welcoming and compassionate community—where we respect and care for one another,” added Balducci. “The 2026–2027 biennial budget, set to be transmitted in September, is our chance to prepare for the challenges ahead. It’s our opportunity to continue to address the rising costs of basic needs—housing, food, health care—that our constituents face, maintain access to healthcare—including reproductive care—defend LGBTQ+ rights, and protect immigrants and refugees. As we brace for economic turbulence and federal cuts, our budget must reflect our values, while remaining nimble and resilient.”