Youth Services Center approval gains ground, King County declares it passed

With King County Proposition 1 approval gaining ground in the most recent counts, King County sent a press release thanking voters for passing the issue to fund a rebuild and redevelopment of the Youth Services Center at 12th and Alder.

The tally to approve the measure grew to 53.41 percent, paving the way for a new detention and justice center by 2019. UPDATE: As of 5:45 p.m. Thursday, the count had widened further to 54.29% YES, 45.81% NO.

From King County:

King County leaders this afternoon thanked the voters of King County for approving King County Proposition 1, the Children and Family Justice Center levy, which in the latest tally had a 53.41 percent yes vote. 

“This is for the children and families of King County,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “In times of crisis they need and deserve safety, dignity, and an opportunity for redemption. This center will finally help make that possible. This vote creates a better future that provides hope to at-risk youth and families in crisis and fair, efficient, and equitable justice for all.

“I will be working closely with the County Council, the judges, youth and justice advocates, the 12th Avenue neighborhood, and the broader community to design and build a Children and Family Justice Center that advances our highest values as a community,” added Constantine.

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson, prime sponsor of placing King County Proposition No. 1 on the ballot, said, “I am grateful to the people of King County for their commitment to justice and our region’s youth. Voters recognized the importance of providing critical infrastructure for our children and families facing crisis.

”With the success of Proposition 1, we can move forward with a new Children and Family Services Center that serves families better, promotes public safety, and reflects our community’s commitment to a fair and accessible justice system for everyone,” added Ferguson.

“After many years of hard work and planning for what the future should be for children and families in crisis in King County, we will now have a building that will be responsive to the needs in our community to help people get their lives back together,” said King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert, Chair of the Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee.  “I’m particularly happy about the increased security and the opportunity for citizens and their attorneys to have private conversations as they work through these personal family traumas.  I thank our citizenry for making this available to meet today’s needs and those of our next generation.”   

King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg said, “The voters have shown vision and compassion to the thousands of families in crisis in King County each year, where a child has been charged with a crime, or run away from home, or where parents are in danger of losing their rights due to allegations of neglect. The new center will vastly improve our ability to help these families, protect children, and improve public safety.”

King County Superior Court Presiding Judge Richard McDermott said, “It is enormously gratifying to see, in these recessionary times, that the citizens of King County have voted to approve Proposition 1. By approving this new property tax, they have confirmed the importance of assisting our children and families in need.  The King County Superior Court thanks you for your support and promises to work closely with the other branches of government to construct a Children and Family Justice Center where justice can truly flourish.”

12 thoughts on “Youth Services Center approval gains ground, King County declares it passed

  1. So the cells are from the 90’s, and fine. It’s the office space that is deteriorating. King County has a massive surplus of office and court space, including at the King County Jail. Seriously, since SPD was thrown under the bus and stopped making arrests, and since most arrests are no complaint filed by the pros office, why NOT use the already existing jail space with nurses, social workers, an infirmary, pharmacy, AA classes, GED classes, etc etc etc rather than build anew?!!! My prop taxes are nearly $500 per month for an old, run down house! Enough!

  2. I’m ever amazed at Seattllelites’ willingness to pay more taxes! Pretty cool really. Look forward to seeing the new Juvi.

  3. They havent even counted all the votes and theyre declaring victory! How fair is it that good citizen homeowners get higher taxes to pay for a unnecessary new building for derelict parents and their children! I’m mad as hell! Ive seen that stupid old juvenile center fail many kids and building a new center isnt going to make less crime! Homeowners shouldn’t have to pay for this! They should use a different building! Go green/recycle King County like you preach! They should use revenue from fines, truancy,etc. What they’re doing is unconstitutional! I dont care how much they sugar coat it! They also want property owners to pay more for the library system. And all you idiots who voted for this I hope your landlords raise your rent!!!

  4. It’s a one time dump of cash into a rat hole. Families would be better off with that extra cash in hand.

  5. I should have said all of the property owners (except the exempt, which maybe should be a subject of discussion) will be paying property tax on this. This is a King County facility and tax, not strictly a Seattle property tax. The facility serves the entire county.

  6. We need a new system. Those who vote yes so KC “official A-holes” can line their friend’s pockets! Should pay for it! There are less homeowners voting. This is unfair to make property owners pay for this! It’s all about cheating the tax payers so they can give their “corporate friends contracts at our expense! We pay these public servants to sit back and figure out ways to tax and fine us! We are taxed and fined enough! They raised the parking hours to 8:00, raises the bus fees and everything!

  7. Right again Rae. The system is simply about processing money. AKA stealing money, laundering it to look like service fees, and giving it to various grafters.

    Long long ago, people would have come together and said let’s do something good, let’s build something. Now it is just a goverment machine that is designed to skim any possible wealth from ordinary citizens and funnel it to allies of the administration.

  8. This is a disgusting waste of money and contributes to my being forced out of King County by my ridiculous property taxes. The jail is half empty. There is office space galore owned by King County. If it is just the office space that is dilapidated, Jesus H., use what you’ve got sitting empty!