The difference 2 cents can make ...

Proposed King County levy renewal could have a big impact on human services ... or be stretched thin

What does 2 cents mean? 

That's a question the King County Council and the Regional Policy Committee are grappling with. The council wants to put an expanded levy on the November ballet to benefit veterans, seniors, and human services. The planning commission wants to scale it back. But what looks like a modest reduction could have a big impact on an expanded list of vulnerable populations that the levy would support.

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The original ask was a 12-cent levy rate for $1,000 of assessed value. For someone who owns a home worth $450,000 (the median in King County), that adds up to $54 a year.

An amendment that passed the Regional Policy Committee scales back the rate to 10 cents per $1,000. That brings the bill for a $450,000 home down to $45.

So for homeowners, the difference is modest. But the impact on services? That's another story.

That 2 cent reduction adds up to millions less for survivors of domestic violence -- or refugees, or people with developmental disabilities who are in danger of homelessness.


That two cents is the difference between reaching people who really need help, and stretching the money too thinly to have impact.