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Communities to decide which projects will receive public funding during October’s Participatory Budgeting vote
October 7, 2024
SUMMARY
Residents of five urban unincorporated areas in King County are voting this month to choose proposals that will receive county funding to improve their communities.
STORY
Residents and other community members in East Federal Way, East Renton, Fairwood, North Highline/White Center, and Skyway/West Hill are casting their votes this month to choose proposals for King County to fund and/or carry out in their traditionally underserved communities.
This is the county’s second round of Participatory Budgeting, a two-year, community-led process in which residents gather ideas from their neighbors, create proposals from those ideas, and hold a vote to decide which proposals to pay for with county funds. Each community vote takes place both online and in person at pop-up voting events.
Ballots are available in English and several other languages, and multi-lingual community members will be on hand at voting events to help explain the process.
The King County Council has made available a total of $11.8 million to be divided among the urban areas. This includes revenues from the marijuana tax, which benefit White Center and Skyway—so those areas receive larger shares of the funding.
From now through Oct. 31, anyone who lives, works, owns a business, receives services, goes to school, or worships in one of these five areas is encouraged to cast their vote to choose projects to benefit their community.
How to vote
Residents and other community members can vote in-person or online. Get more information about how to vote in your community.
“Our Participatory Budgeting process is founded on the idea that it is our communities, with their unique strengths and insights, that are best suited to identify specific priorities to support the needs of residents,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said. “Now it’s time for community members to directly decide how to spend these investments in capital projects and have a direct hand in building our future together.”
More on participatory budgeting
In 2021, the King County Council approved Executive Constantine’s proposal to try this new approach to community investment, which is centered on racial equity. It gives people who live, work, play, or worship in the county’s five urban unincorporated areas the chance to directly choose how more than $11 million is spent in their communities.
Participatory budgeting allows communities to identify, discuss, and prioritize public spending. Residents help decide how to spend money on capital projects (physical things that are bought, built, installed, or fixed up) or programs and services.
The Community Investment Budget Committee, a group of appointed residents from King County’s urban unincorporated areas, met virtually to create the framework for the new participatory budgeting process.
Where does the money come from? The funds for the capital projects are backed by bonds. The funds for programs and services in North Highline/White Center and Skyway-West Hill come from King County’s general fund and are supported by marijuana retail sales tax revenue.
Learn more by visiting www.publicinput.com/yourvoiceyourvchoice
QUOTES
- Executive Dow Constantine: “Our Participatory Budgeting process is founded on the idea that it is our communities, with their unique strengths and insights, that are best suited to identify specific priorities to support the needs of residents. Now it’s time for community members to decide how to invest these funds in capital projects and have a direct hand in building our future together.”
- Local Services Director Leon Richardson: “This vote is the culmination of countless hours of work by community members and Local Services staff to create something tangible that benefits the urban unincorporated areas. I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand how, without a blueprint, the folks involved in this process created something that will have a lasting impact. This is a great example of how, when working hand-in-hand with community, we can create something truly special.”
- Participatory Budgeting Program Manager Gloria Briggs: “I am so humbled that we are at this point – we are bringing ‘THE BIG PB VOTE’ to unincorporated areas of King County. After a year of co-designing with community members from these five areas, it is exciting to see all of the unique and transformative project ideas on an actual ballot. A lot of these ideas would have never surfaced had we done business as usual. Through community led outreach efforts, we were able to engage communities that, historically, have not been represented. This is something of which I am truly proud.”
LINKS
MEDIA CONTACT
Brent Champaco, Department of Local Services, brent.champaco@kingcounty.gov, 206‑477‑9094