Zahilay’s proposal includes “$100 million in conservation funding to protect 1,500 acres of land, increasing access to urban greenspace, restoring habitat, and protecting forestland and farmland for future generations” (Image: King County)
Why does Executive Girmay Zahilay’s 2026-2027 budget proposal for King County lack the urgency of the spending plan from Mayor Katie Wilson? Timing and accounting. While Seattle faces an immediate shortfall, King County is planning ahead for a deficit two years away.
Zahilay has transmitted a $746 million mid-cycle supplemental budget to adjust the county’s existing 2026–2027 package. Because King County’s projected $120 million shortfall falls in the 2028–2029 biennium, the executive has time his Seattle counterpart does not.
Zahilay’s proposal directs dedicated revenues toward major infrastructure including $198 million for healthcare facilities including Harborview Medical Center and the Central Crisis Care Center opening on Capitol Hill in 2027, $100 million for land conservation, and $64.4 million for the RapidRide R line, alongside $19.5 million to build 612 shelter and housing units. To prepare for the future gap, Zahilay paired $15.4 million in General Fund savings with a $28 million deposit into the Rainy Day Fund and capped emergency reserves at 8%.
CHS reported here on the process on Wilson’s $9.15 billion proposal for 2027–2028 that makes cuts to balance away and inherited $175 million General Fund deficit. To eliminate the gap without drawing on reserves, Wilson’s proposal focuses on reorganization and cuts. Wilson’s plan would drop $50 million in departmental operating costs by eliminating 128 positions and redirects $173 million in JumpStart payroll tax revenue to prop up core services and homelessness programs.
For Zahilay, the two-year buffer basically means the county can still afford to spend while Seattle saves.
The King County Council has now taken up Zahilay’s $746 million proposal for debate and final adoption.
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