2025 Proposed Budget

Developing affordable housing: $56 million will support affordable housing projects within a half mile of a transit station, increasing access to opportunities and building more connected, inclusive, and resilient communities.

Opening more permanent supportive and emergency housing: Nearly 240 more units of permanent and emergency housing with support services will be available for those experiencing or at risk of chronic homelessness through King County’s Health Through Housing initiative.

Increasing transit services: $33.2 million to add 168,500 hours of bus service, along with investments in mobility services like Access Paratransit, Metro Flex, Community Van, and DART.  

Expanding RapidRide bus service: $58 million to improve the RapidRide H line, continue planning and design for the RapidRide R, J, and K lines, and conduct studies on further network expansion.

Delivering and connecting to new Link light rail service: $22 million for Metro to add routes and services that enhance connectivity for Sound Transit Link light rail expansions on the Eastside and in Federal Way.

Expanding Metro’s Safety, Security, and Fare Enforcement Initiative: $4.7 million to support safety and security on and around transit, ensuring equitable and safe services for customers and employees, and connecting people in crisis with resources and services. 

Responding to juvenile justice system-involved youth: $2.3 million to support youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system, including 13 new juvenile detention officers at the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center, two new juvenile probation counselors, and additional community programming and transition navigators for youth in and exiting detention.

Providing treatment for substance use disorder and overdose prevention: Over $50 million for programming will be dedicated to these resources and services including low-barrier medications for opioid use disorder, distribution of naloxone, and outreach teams. 

Maintaining critical services to confront gun violence: $7.9 million to maintain the Regional Peacekeepers Collective’s work in providing intervention, prevention, and restoration services for those impacted by gun violence. 

Growing urban forests: $350,000 will enable the expansion of forest cover in Skyway, Highline, and other historically underserved areas of urban unincorporated King County.

Restoring fish passage: $9 million will continue King County’s work to remove barriers and restore habitat for salmon, including replacing culverts. Nearly 3 miles of habitat will open in 2025, along with planning and design for another 66 miles of habitat. 

Conserving critical open space: $82 million through the Conservation Futures and Parks levies will conserve up to 3,600 acres of open space in King County.

Going 100% zero-emission: $380 million to build Metro’s first fully electric base that will support 120 new zero-emission buses.

Connecting trails to rail: $25 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation will close the final gap of Eastrail, connecting communities to regional trails to high-capacity transit.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: $50 million in federal grant funding from the EPA will reduce emissions in new building construction, create systems to reuse materials, and transition multifamily and community buildings to clean energy.