With more than 1.5 million people, it also ranks as the 12th most populous county in the nation. King County Government Services Regional services. King County provides regional services to all residents of the county, including people who live in cities. With the voter-approved merger of Metro and King County, county government has also assumed the responsibility for public transit and sewage disposal.
King County provides sub-regional services in many suburban cities, such as animal control.
In unincorporated communities, King County provides the services listed above and many local services, including land-use regulation, building permits, police protection, roads and local parks. Other local services in unincorporated communities are provided by fire, water, library and hospital districts which operate independently of county government. The Metropolitan King County Council is the legislative branch of county government. It adopts laws, sets policies and holds final approval over the budget. Councilmembers represent geographic districts.