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King County
Executive Office
Ron Sims, King County Executive 701 Fifth Ave. Suite 3210 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-4040 Fax: 206-296-0194 TTY Relay: 711

Executive initiatives for King County.

Equity and Social Justice Initiative
The King County Equity and Social Justice Initiative takes aim at long-standing and persistent local inequities and injustices. Government and local communities are better prepared than ever before to address these challenges.This initiative aims to end persistent local inequities and injustices that result in, among other things, higher rates of disease among low-income populations and disproportionate rates of young black men in jail.

Health care reform
Executive Sims is tackling healthcare reform on two fronts with innovative approaches that are becoming national models. Early efforts to control county employee benefit costs have produced dramatic results in just one year, and the region's top corporations, health-care providers and governments have joined an alliance chaired by Sims that is working to control costs while increasing the quality of health care. Additionally, the Executive spearheaded a land use study that shows people who live in ‘walkable’ communities are more healthy. The Executive is using the study, which explores the linkage between how communities and transportation systems are built, and their effect on everything from driving habits to physical fitness, to develop healthier communities. For more information, see HealthScape.

Children's health care
In April 2006, Executive Sims convened a Children’s Health Access Task Force (CHATF) of child health experts to advise King County on the creation of an innovative county-based children’s health program. In June 2006, the CHATF recommended the Children’s Health Initiative (CHI), a local approach to improving the health of low-income children. The first component proactively finds, enrolls in insurance , and links eligible low-income children to medical and dental homes, needed wrap around services and integrated preventive care. The second element has been updated to consist of innovative pilot programs to improve the effectiveness of health coverage for low-income King County children. The innovative pilot approaches to improve children’s health in King County are supported with private funding that match local government outreach dollars. The pilot programs will dovetail with the State policy priorities and include best practices in outreach and linkage, oral health quality improvement and integration, mental health integration into primary care, on-line enrollment, and financial sponsorship. For more information, go to Public Health Seattle & King County's Web site.

Pandemic Flu
King County efforts to protect its citizens and plan for a pandemic flu is receiving national attention. Executive’s $5.9 million budget for pandemic flu preparation is helping the county secure antiviral medication, and provide outreach and planning for residents, especially vulnerable populations and healthcare providers.

Transportation
A balanced mix of transit and highways is key to keeping the people and the economy of King County moving. Every day over 300,000 riders use the King County Metro bus system, one of the ten largest in the nation, and operates one of the nation’s largest carpool and park-and-ride systems. And thousands of residents depend on the County’s network of 2,000 miles of roads and 220 bridges maintained by crews who work 24/7.  Executive Sims is working with regional leaders to ensure that key elements of the region’s infrastructure that are in danger of failing, like the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the SR 520 bridge are replaced, and that congestion is addressed at our worst bottlenecks. The Executive has also been instrumental in providing transit alternatives to congestion such as the Metro system and the light rail line that will open from Downtown Seattle to SeaTac Airport in 2009. Executive Sims Transit Now initiative proposes to add more frequent and faster bus service to the county’s busiest and most congested roads and highways.

Global warming
King County is taking actions, providing leadership and planning for the future in response to scientific evidence that the climate in the Pacific Northwest is among the most rapidly changing in the world. In addition to being a leader in regional planning, the county operates the state’s largest fleet of biodiesel-fueled buses (Metro Transit), is providing infrastructure and planning for regional water supply; reducing urban sprawl by using growth management and preservation of forests and open space.

Financial strength
King County's exceptional financial management was cited by the nation's three bond rating agencies as the county earned AAA bond ratings from all three in 2005. Conservative fiscal policies and more than $135 million in cuts while preserving core services during lean budget years helped earned the AAA rating that is among the highest of any local government nationally. Additionally, King County’s investment pool for short term investments of cash reserves for King County and 100 local government entities, has earned Standard and Poors highest rating for any government in the three-state region of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Environmental protection
Saving Puget Sound is the top environmental priority for Executive Sims who has been a key leader in the region’s salmon recovery efforts since Chinook salmon were listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act. And now, another icon of the Northwest, killer whales have been listed as endangered. Science-based recovery efforts include restoration projects, preservation of open space, new collaborative efforts in watersheds and innovations such as new technology for the $1.4 billion Brightwater sewage treatment that will go on line in 2010.

Open space and trails
King County's quality of life and the health of its citizens depends on providing recreational opportunities and all the environmental benefits of 170 miles of regional trails and more than 130,000 acres of open space and forests. The 2006 budget includes $20 million in additional investment in acquiring natural lands, open space and more trails.

King County technology innovations
 King County is evaluating new technology that supports interoperability between communication protocols, creating a “virtual hybrid” communications network, adding wifi and video surveillance to buses and expanding wifi in white center. Learn more...

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  Updated: March 21, 2008