Vashon enjoys clean public parks and facilities that connect us to wildlife, to the ocean and to each other.

Those places are kept pristine and open thanks in part to the King County Parks, Recreation, Trails, and Open Space Levy, and on the August primary ballot, Vashon residents have the choice to approve Proposition 1, a renewal of the levy, which would otherwise expire at the end of the year.

We strongly encourage islanders to vote “Yes” on this proposition.

First, the basics. The levy is a not a new tax. Voters first approved it in 2007, and have renewed it every six years since. It requires a simple majority to pass.

The rate approved by voters last time, in 2019, was a little more than 18 cents per $1,000 assessed property value. The new tax rate on your ballot would be about 23 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value for six years. For the average King County homeowner with $844,000 in assessed property value, the annual bill comes out to $196, or about $16 a month. (That’s about $2.50 more per month than the expiring rate, according to The Seattle Times.)

That money supports more than 250 parks, 185 miles of regional trails, 215 miles of backcountry trails, and 32,000 acres of open space across King County. The county expects to collect more than $1.45 billion over the six years of the levy, and levy revenue makes up about 85% of the department’s budget.

The renewed levy supports many attractions and projects across the county. It would also be the first levy to reserve revenue for a “climate response fund” to support energy efficiency and water feature access in parks in response to climate change and warmer weather, according to King County.

On Vashon, the levy has historically supported projects and partnerships at Fisher Pond, Island Center Forest, Paradise Valley, Judd Creek, Maury Island Marine Park and Dockton Park, according to the county. In 2023, $1.6 million from this levy helped King County buy and preserve 110 acres of Misty Isle Farms, which became the sprawling public property now called Wax Orchard Park. It also helped fund the new playground at Dockton Park finished last year.

The levy renewal on your ballot would newly allocate $75,000 annually to the Vashon Park District.

According to the county parks department, the levy will also support at least two rehabilitation projects at Dockton Park, trail improvements at Frog Holler Forest and Dockton Forest, and forest restoration at Island Center Forest, Frog Holler and the Maury Island Marine Park and Natural Area.

The levy, if passed, would also include $3 million for off-leash dog parks anywhere in the county. That could go toward Vashon, as the county parks department “continues to work with a Vashon community group (Friends Into Dogs) to identify feasible options” for such a park on the island, said parks spokesperson Eleanor Lee.

The county also has more land acquisition projects planned for the islands.

Separately, King County executive Shannon Braddock’s list of grantees for the levy include $100,000 for the planning and design stage of renovations to the Vashon Park District’s public pool.

For the average homeowner, the cost of these benefits comes out to a little more than half a buck per day. We think that’s a no-brainer, and recommend you vote “Yes” on Proposition 1.