Call to Action - 2025 King County Budget Advocacy

Thank you Skyway!
We Were Awarded PB Funds!

With your support and continued investment, we received 2025 King County Participatory Budgeting funds for:

• Building Operations Fund: Skyway Resource Center - $100,000

• Completion of Building Renovations: Skyway Resource Center - $250,000

• Property Purchase: Skyway Affordable Home Ownership and Green Space Project - $840,000

A huge thank you to you and all the community members who voted for our projects. Your voices made this happen, and together, we continue to uplift Skyway.

Photo courtesy of King County Local Services.

Photo courtesy of King County Local Services.

Skyway needs your voice and advocacy efforts! We are CALLING YOU TO ACTION!! Your voice has proven critical in directing investments and big community wins for Skyway. 

With your voice, we can ensure that King County continues to invest in the resources and projects that matter most. Whether voting online, attending an event, or sending an email, your advocacy makes a real difference. Together, we can continue to uplift Skyway.

Call to Action #1: Engage with King County Council

Centering the historical and current community expressed needs and priorities outlined in the community-driven Skyway West Hill Action Plan (SWAP), our collection of Skyway serving organizations and leaders submitted a proposal to King County Council asking to continue to invest in Skyway! 

Priorities our community continues to highlight: 

• Homeownership, affordable rental, and other community-centered housing projects

• Community resources, health and wellness, economic empowerment, educational advancement, character, and leadership 

• Supporting current, local youth programming 

Skyway residents and friends have two ways to support this proposal for investment:

• 1. Email

  Click this link or scroll down to ‘Template Base’ to start from our pre-outlined message. Please include your individual experiences and perspectives!  Our power lies in sharing our direct needs, experiences, and expertise on what we need for our community!

• 2. Testify

  Testify. We have the opportunity to attend in-person public comment hearings to support our community priorities. Comments are set to two (2) minutes, and similar to the email, your personal experiences and voice are crucial to conveying our collective needs. You can use our template base below to help draft your testimony.
  
  In-person hearings will be:

  Thursday, October 24, 2024, 6 pm-8 pm
  Kent Senior Center Social Hall
  600 E Smith St, Kent 98032

  Wednesday, October 30, 2024, 6 pm-8 pm
  New Holly Gathering Hall
  7054 32nd Ave South, Seattle 98118

Click this link or copy and paste the following Testimony/Email Template Base to start from our pre-outlined message.

Please include your individual experiences and perspectives!

Our power lies in sharing our direct needs, experiences, and expertise on what we need for our community!

• Template Base

  To:
  rod.dembowski@kingcounty.gov, girmay.zahilay@kingcounty.gov, sarah.perry@kingcounty.gov, jorge.baron@kingcounty.gov, dave.upthegrove@kingcounty.gov, claudia.balducci@kingcounty.gov, pete.vonreichbauer@kingcounty.gov, teresa.mosqueda@kingcounty.gov, reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov, kcexec@kingcounty.gov

  CC: action@skywaycoalition.org

  
  Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I'm a Skyway resident/supporter.
  
  [PLEASE ADD YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE / STORY HERE]
  
  Skyway is undergoing a major transition with the challenges of displacement and a historic opportunity for community-driven development.
  
  It is critical that King County increase investment in community resources to guide and support Skyway during the next several years and reverse the historic disinvestment in our underserved and vibrant community.
  
  As an unincorporated area, we rely on MLK Jr. King County and our Councilmembers for many of our basic needs and supports. We felt seen and supported when our priorities were partially funded in King County's last budget.
  
  This year, we are disappointed that we have not seen continued investment in our community priorities in the currently proposed budget.
  
  You have the power to help prevent displacement in Skyway by investing in affordable housing now before it's too late. Without funding in this budget, we will lose our footing in our collective anti-displacement work, and thousands will be displaced.
  
  We ask you to support our youth, families, and elders by funding our three priorities via budget amendments. Each of these priorities is aligned with your adopted 2025 Budget Principles (housing our neighbors, community safety, services in unincorporated areas) and are immediately implementable:
  
  -- Affordable Housing in Skyway - $15 million
  -- Youth Programming in Skyway - $1 million
  -- Skyway Community Development Association - $300,000 (annually)
  
  Please make these important investments and thank you for receiving my input.
  
  Sincerely,
  [PLEASE SHARE YOUR NAME; are you a SKYWAY RESIDENT or SUPPORTER]

Call to Action #2: Vote in the King County People’s Budget

Voting is open from October 5 to October 31!  For a second year, our community has submitted ideas on investing Capital and Programmatic funding into our community.  Now, it’s up to us to vote!

Key Advocacy Items

The following key items on the 2025 King County Participatory Budget directly impact the work that Skyway Coalition does and how we continue to serve the community.

• Skyway Resource Center: Completion of Building Renovations - $250,000

• Property Purchase: Skyway Community Land Trust - $2,000,000

• Building Operations Fund: Skyway Resource Center - $100,000

• Skyway Farmer’s Market and Bazaar - $150,000

Make Your Voice Count

There are a few key ways you can get involved and make your voice heard in the King County Participatory Budget process.

1. Vote on the items by October 31, 2024. Several events are happening this October in Skyway, where you can learn more and vote in person. 

2. Share this information with your Skyway neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family. The more people that vote, the more our community is heard.

How to Vote

You can vote on both sections for the Skyway Capital Project and Skyway Programs and Services. Don’t forget to vote by October 31, 2024!

Upcoming Events

Graphics

Download our poster. Click here.

Learn More

Want to learn more about Participatory Budgeting? Click here.

Want to learn more about the 2025 Proposed Budget? Click here.

Want to read our 2025 King County Budget Proposal? Click here.

Have Questions or Ideas?

We’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to us at action@skywaycoalition.org.