News Briefs | August 14, 2025
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Primary results: County voters have overwhelmingly voted to renew the King County King County Parks, Recreation, Trails, and Open Space Levy.
Proposition 1, which renews the levy at about 23 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value for six years, had passed with 72.9% of the vote as of Monday afternoon returns, the latest count before The Beachcomber’s print deadline. For the average King County homeowner with $844,000 in assessed property value, the annual bill will come out to $196. The levy will collect about $2.50 more per month than the expiring rate, according to The Seattle Times.
Meanwhile, voters have pared the crowded race for King County Executive down to two front-runners, both of whom are current King County Councilmembers. Girmay Zahilay, representing Seattle’s University District, Capitol Hill, Central District and South Seattle neighborhoods, had earned 44% of the vote. Claudia Balducci, representing Mercer Island and much of Bellevue and Redmond, received 29.8% of the vote.
Vashon voters in November will determine the fate of that race along with many races on island, including races for the Vashon Health Care District and the Vashon Island Fire & Rescue board of commissioners.
Ferry fares: The Washington State Transportation Commission on August 6 approved changes to state ferry fares, going into effect on Oct. 1. The adopted fare changes, set with the goal of meeting a the $408.8 million revenue target set by the Legislature for the 2025-2027 biennium, will:
• Increase both vehicle and passenger fares by an average of 3 percent on Oct. 1, 2025, and again on May 1, 2026.
• Increase the summer peak season surcharge to 35 percent for all routes.
• Pilot an extended expiration date on multiride passes, from the current 90 days to 120 days, starting in May 2026.
To see how those changes will affect Vashon routes, visit tinyurl.com/WSFareChanges.
The commission also voted to repeal toll exemptions for publicly and privately operated transit buses, vans and rideshare vehicles on tolled bridges in accordance with a legislative mandate. The removal of the toll exemption for transit will go into effect Oct. 1, and will apply only to the State Route 520 bridge and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Separately, the state legislature has directed two additions to the fare increases — changes which do not contribute to the ferry fare revenue target: Increasing the capital/vessel surcharge by 50 cents, to be applied to one-way and round-trip fares by October 1, 2025; and applying a 3% fee to support cost recovery of processing credit card transactions by March 1, 2026.
