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AN ORDINANCE relating to the process of selection for advisory committee members and grant projects funded by Ordinance 19922 and relating to a budget proviso and requesting a report recommending an approach to grants advisory committee processes in the 2026-2027 Biennial Budget Ordinance, Ordinance 20023, Section 94, Proviso P4.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. On April 17, 2019, the King County council adopted Ordinance 18890, which called for a special election to authorize the King County parks, recreation, trails, and open space levy for 2020-2025.
2. On August 6, 2019, King County voters approved the parks levy, which included moneys for various grant programs to include targeted equity, aquatics facilities, open space - river corridors and urban parks and open spaces. Experience from the 2020-2025 parks levy grant programs identified opportunities to improve the grantmaking process.
3. On April 29, 2025, the King County council adopted Ordinance 19922, which called for a special election to authorize the King County parks, recreation, trails, and open space levy for 2026-2031.
4. On August 5, 2025, King County voters approved the parks levy, which included moneys for various competitive grant programs to include aquatics facilities, ballfield access and preservation, and healthy communities and parks.
5. Ordinance 19922 requires the implementation of grant programs to support equitable access to parks, recreation, and open space across King County.
6. The 2026-2027 Biennial Budget Ordinance, Ordinance 20023, Section 94, Proviso P4, requires the transmittal of a report recommending the proposed structure for advisory committees and an updated conflict of interest process governing parks levy grant programs.
7. The department of natural resources and parks administers parks levy grant programs and is responsible for ensuring that funding decisions are made in a transparent, equitable, and accountable manner.
8. The advisory committee structure in this ordinance separates advisory functions from application scoring responsibilities to improve consistency, reduce conflicts of interest, and align with best practices in public grant administration.
9. The conflict of interest process referred to in this ordinance has been developed in coordination with the ethics program to ensure compliance with applicable standards and to provide clear guidance for participants in the grantmaking process.
10. Approval of this ordinance is necessary to implement the 2026-2031 parks levy grant programs and to enable timely distribution of funds to eligible recipients.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1.
A. The parks levy grant programs authorized under Ordinance 19922 shall be administered using an advisory committee structure and grant evaluation process designed to promote transparency, equity, and accountability.
B. The department of natural resources and parks shall establish an advisory committee of up to eighteen members to provide program-level guidance, review aggregated grant scores, and make funding recommendations in alignment with grant program priorities and parks levy goals. Nine members shall be recruited by King County parks and recreation division, and an additional nine members may be appointed by the King County council. The advisory committee must consist of no less than nine members in order to conduct business.
C. The department of natural resources and parks shall recruit and train a pool of grant reviewers to independently score eligible grant applications using standardized evaluation criteria.
D. The department of natural resources and parks shall maintain a conflict of interest process governing advisory committee members and grant reviewers.
E. The department of natural resources and parks shall establish procedures for nomination, recruitment, and selection of the advisory committee members and grant reviewers that promote geographic representation, organizational representation, subject matter expertise, and equitable participation. Advisory committee members selected through the process under this subsection shall serve a term of two years. The parks division director shall oversee advisory committee and grant reviewer selection
F. King County councilmembers may appoint one representative from each of their respective districts to the advisory committee for a two-year term. Appointments shall be confirmed by motion by the King County council by January 1 of 2027, 2029, and 2031.
G. The department of natural resources and parks shall prepare and advertise requests for grant proposals and receive applications.
H. The department of natural resources and parks shall conduct eligibility screening of applications, ensuring applicant eligibility, application completeness, and application alignment with grant program goals and grant project types.
I. Grant reviewers shall score grant applications using a standard grant scoring guide. The department of natural resources and parks shall compile and summarize application scores.
J. The advisory committee shall review application scores, reviewer comments, and staff analyses to develop grant funding recommendations consistent with grant program goals and County policies.
K. The director of the department of natural resources and parks shall make final decisions on grant awards after consulting with the executive of King County, informed by evaluation results and advisory committee recommendations.
L. The department of natural resources and parks shall maintain documentation of scoring processes, conflict of interest disclosures, and funding decisions to support transparency and accountability.
M. The department of natural resources and parks is authorized to adopt administrative procedures necessary to implement this section.