KING COUNTY, Wash. — Tuesday was Washington state’s special election.
An initial round of election returns was released shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday. However, counties will release additional results in the days after the election as more ballots are counted. Additional results are typically released daily.
County canvassing boards will certify and transmit election results on May 5.
King County’s Crisis Care Centers Levy
A levy on King County’s April 25 ballot that would create a network of five crisis care centers would mean an increase in property taxes.
Votes to approve the levy are currently leading with 55%. Votes to reject the proposal are trailing with 45%.
The Crisis Care Centers Levy being voted on during the special election would cost King County property owners 14.5 cents per $1,000 of assessed value if approved. Based on the median home value in King County, $694,000, the tax would come to $121 per year.
The levy aims to increase the number of residential treatment beds.
According to King County Executive Dow Constantine, the additional funding would pay for a center built in the north, south, east, and west parts of the county. That would include one center exclusively for youth.
There is currently one crisis center in King County, but patients have to be brought either by the police or transferred from a hospital.
The $1.25 billion proposal would be paid out over nine years, between 2024-2032.
The King County Council previously voted unanimously, 9-0, to put the levy up for a public vote.
According to the county, residential beds are dwindling, and the behavioral health department estimates that those in a crisis currently would have to wait, on average, 44 days until they can get help.
"All of our hospitals are terribly overburdened right now," Constantine previously said. “If the person is committing a crime, they can choose to take them to jail. Jail is a terrible place for a person in a behavioral health crisis, and they won't stay there very long.”