Bellevue homeowners could see a new line on their property tax bills if King County Executive Girmay Zahilay's newly formed steering committee recommends a first-ever countywide housing levy.

Zahilay announced the committee on July 29, tasking it with evaluating dedicated revenue sources to fund emergency shelter and affordable housing across King County.

A countywide housing levy, which would require voter approval, is the leading option under consideration.

No dollar amount or levy rate has been proposed. The committee is in an exploration phase and must deliver a final report and recommendation to Zahilay by December 31.

Who's on the committee

The steering committee includes Redmond Mayor Angela Birney, King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, and state Sen. Emily Alvarado, along with representatives from affordable housing organizations, labor, nonprofits, and business groups.

The committee operates under Section 7 of Zahilay's Breaking the Cycle Executive Order, signed March 31. That order also commits the county to opening 500 units of emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, and subsidized affordable housing within 500 days.

Why now

Zahilay pointed to the federal government's threat to pull back from permanent supportive housing funding as a reason to build local revenue streams. He cited HUD's decision to freeze funding to Los Angeles's largest homelessness agency as a cautionary example.

"Our goal is to strike a balance between the urgent need to expand affordable housing and ensure we are not overburdening taxpayers," Zahilay said in the announcement.

The executive order itself cites the expiration of pandemic-era federal funding and loss of other federal support as requiring King County to act "swiftly, collaboratively, and strategically to prevent further harm and system collapse."

A countywide levy would be new territory. Seattle has long had its own city housing levy, but King County has never placed one on the ballot. If approved, it would apply to property owners across all 39 cities in the county.

What's next

The steering committee's Thursday, December 31 deadline is the only confirmed milestone. No public meeting schedule or community input process has been announced. If the committee recommends a levy, it would need to go before King County voters, potentially as early as 2027.