King County Transportation District approves new sales tax in close vote

Published 5:00 pm Monday, June 15, 2026

The King County Transportation District squeaked by a new 0.1% sales tax in order to fund unincorporated roads and city transportation projects.

The 5-4 vote came during the June 12 meeting after months of debate.

It seemed at first that the Commissioners – King County Council members, but operating under the umbrella of a separate special tax district – were all on board for the tax, since the King County Roads and Services Division has been facing a $200 million budget shortfall for several years. Without additional revenue, Roads said it will have to eliminate its budget for any new, planned, or emergency road projects on the 1,500 miles of roads, and their various amenities, that the department is responsible for.

But it appears differences about how money should be split between Roads and the cities that raise the sales tax revenue, plus the fact that the sales tax is already a regressive tax that affects low-income individuals and families as a disproportionate rate, closely split the vote.

Commissioners Claudia Balducci, chair, Jorge Barón, Rhonda Lewis, Teresa Mosqueda, and Sara Perry approved the sales tax.

But not all the money will go to Roads. Instead, 12.5% of the revenue will be provided to cities in proportion to how much sales tax revenue their population contributed to the total after a $10,000 minimum.

Commissioner Stephanie Fain originally supported the minimum, but also a 15% maximum.

That maximum would have mostly affected King County’s largest cities like Seattle, reducing an expected $4.8 – $4.9 million in new sales tax revenue to $1.9 million.

However, Balducci, Barón, Lewis, Mosquesda, and Commissioner Reagan Dunn defeated the cap amendment.

The lack of the maximum appears to have affected Fain’s vote, as she then joined Dunn and Commissioners Rod Dembowski and Pete von Reichbauer in opposing the tax.

Commissioner Barón said “carving out one jurisdiction sets a concerning precedent” and that cities should receive a fair share of the tax revenue they collect.

Dembowski said that the tax is “not balanced” and that the Transportation District should examine how it should limit itself on its sales tax powers.

“To me this proposal goes too far in one direction, especially given the funding source, which is a regressive sales tax,” he added.

HISTORY AND MOVING FORWARD

The Transportation District was formed in 2014, and with it, a proposed sales tax increase to fund the district and support other transportation projects around the county.

Voters rejected the proposal, and the Transportation District has been unfunded ever since. This is be the first time the district has ever unilaterally used its taxing abilities.

South King County, like around Enumclaw and Black Diamond, contains 18% of the total miles of roads the county is responsible for, as well as nearly a quarter of all bridges, meaning a lack of maintenance in this area could easily affect how Plateau residents are able to commute if roads or bridges are damaged.

Approving the 0.1% sales tax will only mitigate the budget shortfall, as it was projected to only bring in $100 million a year to soften the $200 million shortfall before the 12.5% passthrough and $10,000 minimums.

The sales tax will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

The Transportation District has other means of increasing taxes at its disposal.

This includes going to voters to approve a 0.2% sales tax increase, as well as either unilaterally increasing license fees by $50, or up to $100 with voter approval.