(Image: King County)
King County transportation officials have approved a $100 million annual funding package to rescue the county’s crumbling unincorporated road system. The vote will bump up sales tax across the county including Seattle. It could also make it harder to pass another sales tax increase being lined up for Seattle voters.
Passing in a narrow 5-4 vote, the legislation establishes a new 0.10% sales tax starting January 1, 2027. Officials say underinvestment since the 1990 Washington State Growth Management Act has left the county’s 1,500 miles of roads and 188 bridges severely degraded. The system requires roughly $200 million annually to achieve a state of good repair, dwarfing the current $6 million capital budget.
In Seattle, the city’s sales tax is currently at 10.55% — 6.50% of that is the state’s base. 2026 started with a 0.20% increase from dual 0.10% public safety levies passed by both the City of Seattle and King County to fund law enforcement, court programs, and behavioral health services.
With the new county Transportation District approval, 2027 will now see sales tax in Seattle hit at least 10.65%.
Voters could push that higher. Mayor Katie Wilson is proposing an increase of 0.15 percentage points to continue and expand Seattle Transportation Benefit District spending on service on the city’s most important transit routes with hopes of getting the decision on the November ballot. Its passage would push sales tax in Seattle to 10.80% when the previous tax expires in spring.
The package approved by county leaders Friday allocates most of the revenue directly to critical infrastructure outside city limits. Funding will prioritize basic maintenance, bridge replacements, climate resiliency, and safety enhancements like sidewalks and school zone lighting.
The remaining 12.5% will be distributed to participating cities and towns for local road purposes. In another tight 5-4 vote, the board approved an amendment removing a funding cap on Seattle, with board chair Claudia Balducci serving as the deciding swing vote. Balducci called the decision a “watershed moment,” emphasizing that infrastructure is a regional imperative rather than a city-versus-county issue.
The board had previously opted to hold off on a decision on the funding plan in April.
Advocates say that the funding brings vital relief to neglected communities and access to trails and wildland.
“For too long, communities in unincorporated King County areas, like White Center and Vashon-Murray Island, have faced roads and transportation infrastructure that continue to deteriorate,” said King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda. “Today’s action provides much needed relief for unincorporated roads, bikes lanes and sidewalks to be built on the horizon.”
An official implementation plan is due in fall 2026.
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