Audit: King County parks grant program needs stronger oversight as funding grows
A photo of the sign welcoming visitors to Marymoor Park in Redmond. The park is King County's largest and most popular park. Audit determines King County Parks and Recreation at risk of mismanaging tax dollars But a new performance audit says a major program that helps pay for improvements and programming in those spaces has not had enough oversight to match the size — and rapid growth — of the dollars involved.
The King County Auditor’s Office report found the Parks and Recreation Division’s grants program has expanded sharply since 2017, while its oversight strategy and documentation practices “have not kept pace with grant volumes.” Voters approved renewing the Parks Levy in August 2025, a move that auditors say will help fund a grant portfolio expected to total more than $100 million from 2026 to 2031 — roughly $20 million per year — largely through levy revenue. The audit describes the grants as supporting nonprofits, community organizations, tribal entities, cities, and other public partners investing in parks, trails, open spaces, recreation facilities, and programming.But the King County Auditor’s office has raised fresh questions about whether current grantees are using the money as intended. Investigator Mia Neidhardt said her team found gaps in financial procedures that can make it difficult to consistently spot problems. “There were some gaps in some financial procedures, which means that they’re not in a good place to be able to consistently detect and prevent fraud misuse those sorts of areas,” Neidhardt said. To review how the program was being managed, auditors looked at 288 grants awarded in 2023 and 2024 and conducted a deeper review of 25 of those grants, examining agreements, budgets, scopes of work, invoices and supporting documentation. The audit did not include an investigation of fraud, and auditors said they did not observe evidence of fraud, waste or abuse during their work. However, the report also states that gaps in the Parks Division’s financial practices meant auditors “could not confirm that all grantee payments were in line with program intent.” “We could see money was going out the door, but there wasn’t the documentation to show and that money contributed to the goals of the program,” Neidhardt said. Ben Thompson, of the Auditor’s office, said stronger documentation standards are essential to proving tax dollars are being used appropriately. “Without that more rigorous financial documentation, it’s impossible for either parks or us to really understand if that money was spent appropriately,” Thompson said. In a statement, King County Parks Director Warren Jimenez said the Auditor’s Office said that Parks will fully implement the recommendations to strengthen its evaluation processes and ensure “we’re producing the desired outcomes for each public dollar we invest.” Jimenez also pointed to the audit’s acknowledgment that the division has already made improvements — including staffing and documentation changes — and said a stronger framework will make the program more effective under the renewed levy.called the parks audit findings part of what he described as a troubling pattern and said the county needs to demand clearer outcomes and accountability. “We’ve got to do a far better job in terms of demanding accountability and measuring the outcomes for those programs,” Dunn said. “I continue to see a pattern in King County where the people’s tax dollars aren’t being appropriately granted out in a way the public trust they’re being used for good,” he added. Dunn’s comments come as the council is also moving to expand scrutiny of grants administered through the Department of Community and Human Services .said Tuesday that she introduced — and the council approved — an amendment to the King County Auditor’s 2026–2027 work plan calling for a full review of locally funded DCHS community grants, expanding on a 2025 audit that reviewed only a small sample. “I am concerned, and have heard tremendous community concern, about the possibility of wasted public funds,” Balducci said in a statement. “Last year’s audit reviewed only a small sample of DCHS’ contracts We need a full better understanding of the scope of issues so that we can respond as needed to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately and effectively.” The King County Auditor’s 2025 report on DCHS reviewed 36 contracts and said payments on those contracts accounted for about 2% of DCHS provider payments in 2024.Balducci’s office said the amended work plan calls for the broader review to be completed within the current biennium and directs the auditor to provide semi-annual progress updates to the council.The Pierce County Sheriff's Office is invesigating after two poeple and a dog were found dead from gunshot wounds in rural Pierce County Tuesday afternoon.The PFlorida’s attorney general wants a nurse’s license revoked over a TikTok about Karoline Leavitt, while supporters argue the backlash is politically motivated.A shooting in North Seattle early this morning has left a 20-year-old man in critical condition, prompting an investigation by Seattle police.Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown have issued a strong condemnation of recent federal immigration enforcement actions.Pierce County Sheriff's Office deputies say a man was wounded in a drive-by shooting in the Midland area.Authorities were dispatched to the 9800 block of
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