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Dear Neighbors:
I hope you and your family are enjoying our Northwest winter and didn’t get hit too hard by the recent storm. If you, like me, experienced some flooding in your basement or around your neighborhood, read on for advice about reporting damage and cleaning up.
A major development at the County Council on Monday was the finalization of a policy framework we developed to ensure that the 42-mile eastside rail corridor stays in public hands as a multi-modal rail and trail corridor. I believed this action was critical to preserving the corridor for future rapid transit and trail users alike. Read more details about the legislation we passed here.
We also recently finished drafting the $4.9 billion 2008 King County budget. I was proud that my colleagues selected me to chair this major undertaking. Details about our citizen engagement process and the ways the budget addresses your priorities and our district are also in this e-news.
Finally, please contact me if you know of someone that really deserves public recognition. Each councilmember has the opportunity to name one floor of the County’s newest office building—the Chinook Building. I am interested in naming the first floor after a current or former resident of our district or individual associated with King County government. I welcome your assistance in selecting the name. If you have a suggestion please forward me a short sentence explaining why that person is deserving of this recognition by replying to this email by January 5, 2007. Be sure to include your contact information.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Bob Ferguson
King County Councilmember, District 1
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| Swamp Creek overflows along 73rd Avenue Northeast
in Kenmore during the storm that began December 2nd and continued
through the next day. |
If the December 2nd storm caused damage to your home or business, you should contact the King County Office of Emergency Management to report the damage and estimated personal property losses you suffered.
Residents are encouraged to report online by completing this Citizen Damage Reporting Form (902 KB, PDF), or by calling 1-800-523-5044. Business owners should use the Business Damage Reporting Form (904 KB, PDF).
King County Emergency Management is gathering this information to assist the state in requesting federal assistance. We may not know for several weeks whether the federal government will make disaster assistance programs available and reporting damage is not a guarantee that residents will receive assistance.
If you experienced some flooding in your basement, I recommend you check out the Washington State Department of Health Web page for useful advice about cleaning up after a flood.
For general disaster preparedness information, visit www.kingcounty.gov/prepare.
To volunteer or assist the Red Cross with flooding and other disasters,
call 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-435-7669).
This year, as Chair of the Annual Budget Committee, I led the Council in a new public outreach effort to hear your budget priorities and draft a budget that responds directly to what we heard. We implemented a mission statement for Council deliberations called Priorities for People, and created a fiscally responsible budget that meets those priorities.
The Council unanimously adopted a $4.9 billion budget that maintains strict budget discipline. I worked to ensure that:
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The budget stayed within the property tax limits of Initiative 747, even though that initiative was recently declared unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court.
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We reduced the budget the County Executive had proposed by $40 million.
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We carved out a rainy day reserve fund that can only be accessed in an emergency like a natural disaster.
“Priorities for People,” the results of a rigorous citizen engagement process we conducted earlier this year, shaped every aspect of the budget.
Citizens ranked Law, Safety and Justice as the fundamental budget responsibility of King County government.
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The courts were North King County residents’ top priority. We added $228,000 and 4 staff to address rising caseloads in King County District Court and to improve customer service in the people’s court. Our budget also reserves a total of $358,000 for District Court and Superior Court to implement a new court records management system that improves citizen use of the courts and overall system efficiency.
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We took action to protect public safety and to improve our system of justice by (1) re-establishing a gang suppression unit in the Sheriff’s Office, (2) funding 32 new corrections officers, and (3) adding 19 new transit police officers to address the rise in assaults on Metro buses.
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We funded continued implementation of the Sheriff’s Office civilian oversight proposal I helped develop last year.
Citizens expressed a strong preference for preventive budgeting. Public Health Clinics and drug diversion and mental health courts ranked highest among individual programs.
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The 2008 budget establishes $48 million in additional revenue to expand treatment of citizens with mental illness and substance abuse, including programs like drug diversion and mental health courts. The programs and services will be developed to work together to keep the mentally ill and chemically dependent out of costly jail and emergency room visits. The Council is requiring a three-phase oversight, implementation and evaluation plan for the programs supported with the new revenue to ensure that they directly benefit the citizens who need treatment most while protecting public safety by reducing recidivism.
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Nearly 200,000 county residents lack health insurance and many depend on the county’s public health clinics. A year ago, two clinics in our district (North Seattle and Bothell) were slated for closure. I worked with Executive Sims to maintain funding for those clinics in 2007, and the 2008 budget also keeps these clinic doors open.
Transit riders and non-riders alike ranked “greater frequency” as the number one way to make riding the bus a viable option.
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As a daily commuter on the #41 between Northgate and downtown Seattle, I am mindful of ways to improve Metro service and the security and comfort of Metro riders. The 2008 budget includes funding for more than 160,000 new Metro bus service hours, eliminates advertising wraps over bus windows, adds transit police officers to address security issues, and increases the rate that new bus shelters will be installed throughout the county.
The budget also funded two important priorities citizens expressed throughout the year:
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Open Space and Regional Trails
The budget implements the voter-approved parks expansion levy to provide funding to acquire land and develop missing links to regional trails, and for cities to expand their trails and open space. -
Elections Operations
The Council divided the Records, Elections and Licensing Services Division into two divisions. One division will exclusively manage elections services. The other will manage animal care and control, vehicle licensing and records functions. This action creates a new Elections Division as a stand-alone operation which will allow the Elections Director to focus solely on management of important elections systems. This reform measure was recommended by an independent audit of King County Elections I sponsored.
Save the Dates for Town Hall Meetings!
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| Bob chats with new Shoreline City Councilmember Terry Scott at a recent town hall meeting. |
I schedule town hall meetings each year throughout the District so I have the opportunity to hear directly from you regarding local and county issues. We have already scheduled two town hall meetings in 2008:
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Town Hall Meeting with newly elected Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess, Wednesday, March 5, at 7pm at Olympic View Elementary School, 504 Northeast 95th Street in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of North Seattle.
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Town Hall Meeting with Lake Forest Park Mayor Dave Hutchinson, Wednesday, April 2, at 7pm at the Third Place Commons, 17171 Bothell Way Northeast in Lake Forest Park.
I will be scheduling other town hall meetings as well, so stay posted. Also, if you would like to receive my monthly e-news which contains information about County issues and upcoming town meetings, please visit my website at www.kingcounty.gov/ferguson.
About
my E-Newsletter
I hope you enjoy my updates!
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If you have any questions or comments, please email me at bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov.
To review my recent e-newsletters, click here.
Phone: (206)
296-1001 | Fax: (206) 296-0198 | TTY/TDD: (206) 296-1024 | Toll Free:
(800) 325-6165
Mailing Address: King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Room 1200,
Seattle, WA 98104-3272