KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - The King County Board of Health adopted fee increases for Food Safety, Drinking Water, Wastewater and Recreational Water (pools/spas plan review) services that make these program activities, for the most part, 100% fee supported. The Board adopted these fees as one strategy to address the loss of tax revenue associated with passage of Initiative 695. Without these fee changes, environmental health services and activities provided by Public Health would have been reduced.

The fee increases recover about $611,000 of funds that would have been lost due to the passage of I-695. Fee increases in the various programs also replaced county tax dollars (current expense funds) so that fees support the full cost of the program activities such services as restaurant permits, permits for new septic tank systems, small community well plan reviews and swimming pool plan reviews.

These fee increases total about $1.54 million/year:

King County's and Public Health's budget will be considered next week by the King County Council.