King County Proposition Number 1:
Conservation Futures Levy.
King County's Conservation Futures program
was initiated in 1982
to protect valuable open-space lands in the county.
If approved, Proposition Number 1
would provide additional funding for acquisition and preservation
of urban green spaces,
natural areas, wildlife and salmon habitat,
trails, river corridors, farm and agricultural lands,
and forests within King County.
The Conservation Futures Advisory Committee
would continue to advise the county executive
and county council on acquisition
and funding recommendations.
If approved, the proposition would authorize restoration
of the county's Conservation Futures property tax levy,
from a current rate of approximately 3.12 cents
to a rate of 6.25 cents per thousand dollars
of assessed valuation in 2023.
The dollar amount of the levy in 2023
would be used to calculate the maximum
allowable levies in future years.
Qualifying seniors, veterans, and persons with disabilities
would be exempt from this levy.
-The lands and waterways
that define our region protect air and water quality
and contribute to a resilient future
as we experience climate change.
Proposition 1 restores voter-approved funding
to protect these last-best places throughout King County.
To date, the Conservation Futures program
has safeguarded over 100,000 acres of land,
including Cougar Mountain, Duwamish Waterway Park,
and the East Rail, through recommendations
made by an independent advisory committee.
With your vote, we can accelerate forest habitat
and farmland preservation while supporting communities
and regions most at risk from climate change,
most in need of cooling, and improving access
for historically-marginalized communities.
That's in addition to the health benefits open spaces offer:
stress reduction, recreational opportunities,
improved quality of life.
Let's ensure this legacy for future generations.
Restoring this important fund
will cost the average homeowner less than $2 per month,
with relief available to qualified low-income seniors
and other households.
Please join the Nature Conservancy,
Mountains to Sound Greenway,
Forterra, Trust for Public Land, the Wilderness Society,
Vashon-Maury Land Trust, Seattle Parks
Foundation, REI, and elected and community leaders
across our county in support of Proposition 1.
Thank you.
-King County and other governments already control
or own 61% of the land in King County.
That's right, government already owns or controls
almost 2/3 of the land, yet they want even more.
The county already has a Conservation Futures fund
that collected almost $62 million
over the last three years.
Never satisfied, they now want you to pay
even more and take on more maintenance costs.
Existing land-use laws already severely limit rural growth.
Not long ago, King County announced
they didn't have resources to empty trash in the parks,
yet they want even more land they admit they cannot maintain.
Here's an example of what King County
does with conservation land.
In 2013, they purchased property in Fall City
for $4.5 million with the intent of leasing it out
to economically
and environmentally sustainable agriculture.
Two years later in 2015,
King County sold the property for $720,000.
Taxpayers lost an astounding $4 million or 84% in two years.
What a disgrace!
More open space also means fewer acres will be taxed,
resulting in higher property tax for existing property owners.
Less private property also results in less housing.
There needs to be a balance of land uses.
Open space is important, but enough is enough.
At 61% and growing, King County passed balance a long time ago.
King County already controls way too much land,
has proven it cannot manage what it already owns,
and resold land it purchased two years prior at an 84% loss.
Stop the land grab now.
Instead, let's work for balance and open space
for housing as the Growth Management Act directs.