Tuesday’s night Yes on Prop 1 party at Capitol Hill’s Bar Vacilando (Image: Alex Garland/CHS)

King County voters showed early support for a $1.25 billion behavioral health levy to create a new “regional network” of emergency mental health care centers after Tuesday’s Election Night first count of ballots.

With just over 21% turnout in the first tally, “yes” votes showed a strong 54% total. With Seattle-area elections typically swinging toward more progressive results as the ballots of younger, later voters are counted, Proposition 1 is headed for approval.

CHS reported on the proposal here on the April ballot measure that would go into effect in 2024 if approved and would cost median-value homeowners an estimated $121 a year over a nine year period.

The levy could raise as much as $1.25 billion through 2032 to fund construction of the five crisis care centers and increase services in the county

The Seattle City Council voted in March to support the proposal from County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Council. You can read the official ballot statements for an in opposition to the plan here.

“This is a critically important measure for people who’ve been struggling with mental health or addiction challenges, people we see in the streets and the jails and our emergency rooms, but also people suffering in every community across this county,” Constantine told CHS Tuesday night. “The voters have stepped up and said this is a priority, we want to help, and this is going to make a better life for thousands of people in our county.”

In a statement following the first count, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay said the early support marks “a huge victory for King County.”

“Our communities are in crisis and we have few options for mental health and addiction recovery services,” Zahilay said in the statement. “The Crisis Care Centers levy will give us a chance to build out our recovery infrastructure so we can give our neighbors more places to go for care and healing. Now it’s time to develop a detailed implementation plan to ensure these centers and services are delivered in the most effective ways possible.”

The April vote is the second important ballot of the year for Seattle voters. In February, the city’s voters passed I-135, an initiative that will create a new public developer “to build, acquire, own, and manage social housing” in Seattle. D3 voters overwhelmingly supported the initiative.

If approved, a looming major challenge for the effort will be siting the centers. In 2012, the Downtown Emergency Service Center’s new Crisis Solutions Center opened on South Lane with a much needed 72-hour rehabilitation program but not without a legal fight with area property owners over the location.

Constantine, meanwhile, was on Capitol Hill Monday to support the county’s acquisition of a new E Republican apartment building for supportive housing for “queer, transgender, two-spirit, Black, Indigenous, people of color” experiencing chronic homelessness as county and city officials pin their hopes on a new approach to creating housing facilities better integrated into neighborhoods and communities.

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