Skip to main content

KingCounty.gov is an official government website.

Official government websites use .gov
Website addresses ending in .gov belong to official government organizations in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Only share sensitive information on official, secure websites.
King County Washington home

Balducci issues statement on passage of supplemental budget that includes bolstered oversight of county contracts

June 23, 2026

King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci issued the following statement Tuesday following passage of a $431 million supplemental King County budget that invests in increased oversight of county contracts, improves life for people across the region, and maintains accountability and fiscal responsibility to those same residents:

On investigating and stopping fraud with county contracts:

“With this budget, we are taking steps to restore public trust and be responsible stewards of public dollars. Recent audits have shown that we are not living up to this principle and I am glad this budget includes funding to improve our patchwork of oversight by adding fraud investigation practices that we don’t currently have. By funding this expanded function, we can ensure that our contracting is robust, from preventing misuse through best practices in procurement, training, and contract management all the way to response like investigating and stopping fraud when it does occur.”

On protecting our region’s film industry:

“In coordination with today’s budget, we are making big progress to save Harbor Island Studios, a unique and vital part of our creative economy. We are seeing good progress to extend the reprieve and keep Harbor Island Studios open while the county works with the film industry to figure out a sustainable future for this critical piece of cultural and economic infrastructure. I was prepared to fight for needed funding but am very pleased that the Executive’s team is working toward an agreement that will enable Harbor Island Studios to keep operating during the near future while we work toward a long-term solution.”

On funding key District 6 priorities:

“I am also thrilled that we are providing key supports to organizations serving District 6, including:

  • Project Be Free to help domestic violence survivors in Redmond
  • Friends of the Village Collective to build the Wayfinder Hub to support small businesses and nonprofits in East King County
  • MEOW Cat Rescue to site a new location to save cats from across the region”

On the challenges to King County’s looming budget pressures:

“Today’s budget has many things to celebrate, but we also need to look forward to our upcoming budget pressures and our obligation to use limited resources responsibly. In the face of expected budget cuts in the mid-biennial budget in the fall, I was concerned to learn that the Executive will be proposing a total of $22M in one-time costs for employee spaces that will support a modest number of employees returning to office for a few hours per week — a great deal of taxpayer money with no evidence it will improve service for King County residents. My original amendment to withhold $2M in requested funds until we have a clear plan failed in committee, but I am pleased to have secured a requirement that any future 'return to office' spending must be accompanied by a full accountability report.”