King County in Washington is having an election to decide on a property tax levy that would raise $1.2 billion over nine years for the region's mental health system, The Wall Street Journal reported April 23.
The funding would go toward building five new crisis care centers for mental health services and dozens of long-term psychiatric beds for patients. King County, which includes Seattle, currently has one crisis care center.
If passed by voters, the county would impose a yearly tax of 14.5 cents for every $1,000 in assessed property value for nine years. The owner of a home valued in 2024 at $819,000, the projected median in King County, would pay an estimated $119, according to a county financial analysis.
The levy is backed by Amazon and Microsoft, the two largest employers in the county, which combined contributed $85,000 to a campaign for the measure that has raised $522,000 total.
Opponents of the levy believe it will hurt property owners of the county financially without improving mental health, according to the publication.
"There is no question that we need more services for mental health, but the truth is that building more buildings isn't going to get those services," Suzie Burke, who owns a property management firm in Seattle, told The Wall Street Journal.
Some mental health advocates in support of the measure worry that there will still be a significant need for residential mental health services for individuals after they receive crisis care.
"Crisis intervention is needed," Chris Szala, executive director of Community House Mental Health Agency, told the publication. "But where do people go after that initial crisis? And who is going to staff the crisis centers?"
Job vacancies at community behavioral-health agencies in the region doubled between 2019 and 2021, according to a county survey.
The election will be held April 25.