Tax proposal to fund roads infrastructure to receive additional consideration following robust Transportation District discussion

April 2, 2026

The King County Transportation District (KCTD) Board of Supervisors convened on Thursday for extensive discussion on a proposal to generate $100 million annually in funding for county roads, bridges, and safety improvements through a new sales tax. Following lively discussion and debate, the Board postponed a vote in favor of refining the proposal.

A key unresolved issue is whether or not a portion of new revenue would go directly to the 39 cities and towns in King County. City representatives pointed out that most of the revenue from sales tax is generated in cities, and those jurisdictions have needs for investing in their transportation systems as well. During the meeting, KCTD Supervisors considered various percentages of this kind of “pass-through” revenue to cities – ranging from 12.5% to 25% but ultimately couldn’t agree on the issue. The Board instead agreed to postpone further voting to allow time to negotiate a new proposal that would meet the various interests of both unincorporated and incorporated areas.

"Today’s public conversation gave the public, stakeholders, and the KCTD Board a clearer understanding of the critical issues facing King County roads and transportation infrastructure,” said KCTD Chair Claudia Balducci. “Moving forward, our members can continue to engage in meaningful conversations with our partners to arrive at a measured plan that balances interests to advance our region’s transportation needs. This meeting exemplified how rigorous debate and dialogue in the public’s interest can strengthen our decision-making on critical transportation priorities.”

King County’s Roads Division manages roughly 1,500 miles of roads and 188 bridges in unincorporated King County, connecting cities and communities and providing access to trails and natural areas, but has been running at a deficit since well before the King County Bridges and Roads Taskforce in 2016 recommended a series of policy and fiscal strategies to sustainably maintain and preserve the unincorporated network. Some portions of roads are now closed with no plan to reopen them. Without additional investment in the next biennium, the Roads Division’s dedicated revenue will be insufficient to maintain basic services, respond to flooding, or address other unforeseen needs.

The countywide 0.1% sales tax proposal is expected to make up roughly half of the current shortfall in funding for King County roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure. The proposed measure includes accountability measures to ensure transparency on spending and emphasizes fixing aging infrastructure first – including roads and bridges damaged by the December storms – and traffic safety projects such as sidewalks, crosswalks and more.

Additionally, today the Board of Supervisors selected its new vice chair, Supervisor Steffanie Fain, as well as Executive Committee leadership including Supervisors Rod Dembowski and Sarah Perry. Chair Balducci retains her current role. Future meetings will occur later in the spring, following the current April 17, 2026 deadline for action to begin revenue collection on July 1. Any potential action prior to October 17, 2026 would enable the Department of Revenue to begin collecting this 0.1% sales tax countywide on January 1, 2027.