Court of Appeals Deals Blow to County Youth Jail

Tuesday was an eventful day for the future of the King County Children and Family Justice Center after the Washington State Court of Appeals (Division Two) ruled in favor of Ending the Prison Industrial Complex (EPIC). EPIC contended that the 2012 King County ballot amendment that provided $210 million in funding for the facility did not properly disclose and calculate its financing plan. The ruling could erase roughly $150 million from the project’s budget, EPIC’s attorney Knoll Lowney said.

“We don’t know for sure, but our sense is that it would take away well over half–probably more like $150 million of the $210 [million], if not more,” Lowney said.

Later the same day, King County served the City of Seattle and EPIC (additionally naming 60 other social justice group that signed the appeal) with a lawsuit to block an appeal of the project’s master use permit. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) granted the master use permit in December 2016. We covered the bill passed by city council that allowed appeal of the master use permit here. Lowney downplayed the importance of the County’s complaint, which may have been an “effort of intimidation,” he said.

“The same issues are already on appeal before the Court of Appeals Division One,” Lowney said. “While it’s offensive that the County sued all these other entities, they’ve now said they’re going to amend their complaint to drop them and leave only EPIC as a party.”

If completed, the new facility would host a 156-bed juvenile detention center in Seattle’s Central Area (along with 10 courtrooms) and replace an older facility downtown the County argues is decrepit and unsafe. The ruling invalidated a portion of levy, because the ballot language did not specify it was building off the previous levy rate. Forging ahead with the new facility without the now disqualified funds would potentially jeopardize other King County budget priorities.