Implementation of the King County Veterans and Human Services Levy is underway with appointment of two citizen oversight boards. Members of these boards began meeting in February 2007.
The veterans’ citizen oversight board oversees the funds for regional human services for veterans, military personnel and their families. The regional human service board oversees the funds for regional health and human services for a wide range of low-income people in need of such services. The two boards report back to the Executive and the Council on the effectiveness of the programs and make recommendations for future improvements.
Background
The King County Veterans and Human Services Levy was approved by County voters in 2005. The six-year levy provides funding for veterans programs and other human service needs.
With the adoption of the levy, the Metropolitan King County Council reserved $13.3 million in the County’s 2006 Budget and by ordinance directed the Executive to develop a service improvement and allocation plan that would prevent and reduce homelessness and unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice and emergency medical systems for veterans, military personnel and their families and others in need. In October 2006, the Council adopted specific service improvement strategies and allocations for expending the proceeds of the levy.
The County Council’s Regional Policy Committee (RPC) began studying ways to increase funding to King County veterans programs in the fall of 2004. State law mandates that counties levy a property tax dedicated to veterans relief. In May, 2005, the RPC recommended that a levy be placed on the ballot to increase the levy by 4.1 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value to support increased services solely for veterans.
On September 12, 2005, the Metropolitan King County Council placed a modifed measure on the November ballot. After hearing testimony from a wide range of citizens and stakeholders, members expanded the levy to include funding for regional health and human services as well as for veterans' needs, and increased the proposed levy rate to 5 cents per thousand of assessed valuation. The measure was approved in November 2005 by 57 percent of the voters.
Half of the revenue raised by the levy will fund services for veterans, military personnel and their families, including services specific to veterans’ needs such as:
• Post-traumatic stress disorder counseling,
• Specialized employment assistance to veterans,
• Domestic violence counseling,
• Housing assistance for homeless vets, and
• Mental health counseling.
The other half will fund regional health and human services, including housing assistance, homelessness prevention, mental health counseling, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and employment assistance.