King County Proposition 1

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT (from King County Voters Pamphlet)

If approved by voters, King County Proposition No. 1 would authorize King County to impose an additional sales-and-use tax of two-tenths of one percent (0.2%). Sixty percent (60%) of the tax proceeds would be distributed to the county and 40 percent would be distributed to cities in King County on a per capita basis.

RCW 82.14.450 requires that one-third of the tax proceeds be spent for criminal justice purposes, fire protection purposes or both. All of the county tax proceeds would be used for criminal justice purposes, defined to be activities that substantially assist the criminal justice system (RCW 82.14.340), and for replacement of capital facilities, including the Alder Wing and Tower of the King County Youth Services Center. City tax proceeds would be used for criminal justice purposes, fire protection purposes, or other general city purposes, as authorized by RCW 82.14.450 and as determined by each city. A report detailing the cities’ use of the tax proceeds would be submitted by the county auditor to the county council no later than July 1, 2013.

As a condition for imposition of the tax in the first three years (2011, 2012, and 2013), at least $9,500,000 must be diverted from the county road fund and appropriated for police protection in the unincorporated area of King County. If this condition is not met, the entire tax will expire on March 31 following the year in which the condition is not met. Unless the tax has expired earlier, one half of the tax (one-tenth of one percent or 0.1%) will expire on April 1, 2014, and the remainder will expire on April 1, 2031.

For more information on this and other ballot measures go to the King County elections website.