Dembowski applauds key investments with approval of 2025 King County budget

King County Councilmember
Rod Dembowski

King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski on Tuesday announced key local and regional investments with the passage of the 2025 King County budget.

“The balanced budget adopted by the Council today for 2025 makes important investments in public safety, housing, transit, conservation projects, public health, and projects and programs that help build community resiliency,” Dembowski said. 

“I appreciated the opportunity to serve on the council’s Budget Leadership Team and chair the Public Safety Panel, and have worked with my colleagues to make investments to enhance the quality of life for all King County residents.”

Dembowski played a crucial role on the Budget Leadership Team, working with his colleagues to develop a budget that serves the needs of the first County Council district and the county as a whole. 

The following projects in District 1 covering the communities of North Seattle, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell, and parts of Kirkland, were included in the budget:

Special funding for King County District 1

• Akin North Seattle Family Resource Center, formerly Children's Home Society/Child Haven, works with families to provide them with resources.
• Lake City Collective Culture Center is a minority-led organization that focuses on the needs of the BIPOC community.
• City of Kenmore Senior Center
• City of Kirkland Historic Cabin - historic preservation
• City of Lake Forest Park Public Waterfront Park
• Refugee Artisan Initiative helps immigrant women set up small businesses creating and selling handcrafted items from recycled materials.
• CharMD is a behavioral health clinic on Westminster Way. 
• Center for Human Services - a multifaceted social service agency in Shoreline
• Hunger Intervention Program (HIP) runs two separate Senior Community Meal programs
• Whale Scout - protecting Pacific Northwest Whales through land-based conservation experiences

Dembowski also secured funding for a regional initiative aimed at empowering resilient communities most impacted by past policies and practices that prevented them from owning land, receiving loans and building generational wealth.

“I am particularly proud of the work my office has undertaken in partnership with community leaders to secure launch funding for King County’s Equitable Development Initiative,” Dembowski said.

“This significant braided stream of funding will support community-led housing and economic development projects in communities at heightened risk of displacement.

"The EDI investment package is an important commitment to our most vulnerable residents that King County stands shoulder-to-shoulder with them in the work necessary to build and strengthen our county’s diverse and vibrant communities who are facing the greatest risk of displacement.”

As Chair of the Public Safety Budget Panel, Dembowski hosted a Public Safety Budget town hall in October to hear feedback from constituents. He included funding in the budget for a regional public safety summit to increase opportunities for collaboration and system improvements to enhance public safety in King County.

Overall, the budget maintained fundamental services across the county, as well as provided necessary investments in public safety, housing, transit and more, while looking ahead and planning for shortfalls in the next biennium.

“We worked hard to balance the budget while keeping our services at the high end of our policy target”, Dembowski said.