Showing posts with label county council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label county council. Show all posts

King County Council continues to wrestle with funding for criminal justice

Monday, May 24, 2010


Four Republican members of the Metropolitan King County Council voted against the sales tax revision, and the reprioritization of property taxes the council has been considering in an effort to adequeately fund the criminal justice system.

On Monday morning, Council Chair Bob Ferguson announced a special meeting for Tuesday morning to consider a plan to raise property taxes and partially offset them with some cuts. The total cost to the average homeowner would be $34 per year.

Councilmembers Reagan Dunn, Kathy Lambert, Pete von Reichbauer, and Council Vice Chair Jane Hague will offer an alternative plan at the special meeting that would provide necessary funding to the courts, prosecutor, and sheriff, without raising additional taxes during a recession.


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Reprioritization of property taxes to be addressed at special King County Council meeting


From King County Council Communications

Proposal would ask voters to reprioritize property taxes to protect criminal justice

King County faces a $60 million budget deficit for 2011 and unless an additional revenue source is found, vital criminal justice services may be eliminated. A proposal to address this criminal justice budget crisis will be taken up during a special Metropolitan King County Council meeting Tuesday, May 25 at 9:30 am in the Council Chambers,10th floor, King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Seattle.

The meeting will also be carried LIVE on King County TV, Comcast and Broadstripe Cable channel 22, and streaming online .

Council Chair Bob Ferguson, who represents Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, sent out notice of the special meeting this morning.

The proposed legislation would allow voters to determine whether they want to reduce the amount of property taxes being levied for special county programs, and reprioritize those taxes for criminal justice purposes.

The levy would sunset after nine years.

The effect of the proposed legislation would be two-fold. First, it would require voters to approve the reduction, not elimination, of the following property taxes:

· Flood control;
· Conservation futures programs;
· The county automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS), and;
· The 2007 parks expansion levy.

Additionally, the legislation would require the repeal of the 2011 and 2012 King Conservation District Special Assessment and require the reprioritization of funds from the unincorporated area levy. Specifically, the unincorporated area levy funds that are currently used for roads projects would be reprioritized for police protection purposes.

Second, the proposed legislation asks voters to authorize a property tax levy of $0.16 per $1,000 of assessed value (approximately $64 on a $400,000 home) to fund criminal justice services. These services include police protection, offender incarceration, court services, prosecution and defense services, domestic violence and sexual assault services, and legal assistance. Funding would also be provided for a capital project to replace the Youth Services Center in downtown Seattle which serves the justice needs of King County juveniles and families.

If approved, the net impact of the reductions and newly authorized property tax levy would be $34 on a $400,000 home (an addition of $0.085 per $1,000 of assessed value).

A public hearing will be held at Tuesday’s meeting, where two proposed ordinances will be considered. The ordinances are identical except that one contains language to place the proposal before the voters in August and the other ordinance contains language to place the proposal on the November ballot.


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Charging stations for electric cars at Metro Park and Rides

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

At the Monday, April 12 meeting of the King County Council, an ordinance was unanimously adopted to increase the number of locations where battery and plug in hybrid electric vehicles (“BEVs” and “PHEVs”) can charge their cars.

The ordinance approves a program to install up to 200 charging stations at County owned, leased or partnering organizations’ facilities, such as Metro Transit Park and Ride lots (Ordinance 2009-0361).

Priority will be given to the large lots, such as the Shoreline Park and Ride at 192nd and Aurora. No schedule has been determined at this point.

The City of Shoreline has a charging station at its parking garage behind City Hall at 17500 Midvale Avenue N.

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From County Councilmember Bob Ferguson

Sunday, February 14, 2010


The New Year brought a new opportunity for me – my colleagues elected me to serve as Chair of the Council for 2010. As Chair, I will set the agendas for Council meetings and coordinate the referral and scheduling of legislation. I am also responsible for the general direction of the Council’s resources and oversight of legislative branch employees. Instead of my usual video this month, you can watch the included video of a recent interview where I discuss the challenges and opportunities for 2010.

It is an honor to serve as Chair and represent District 1 on the Council. I look forward to addressing the important policy issues in the year ahead, and I remain committed to ensuring that government is open and accountable to its citizens.

On a personal note, I had the exciting opportunity to attend President Obama’s recent State of the Union address. It was a memorable experience.

Bob
I invite you to check out all my YouTube videos.


Supporting Public Safety
The Council’s Law, Justice, Health & Human Services Committee recently approved a motion, which I co-sponsored, supporting the State Legislature’s efforts to put a constitutional amendment before the voters regarding when a judge can deny bail to criminal defendants facing life in prison. The amendment is in response to the slaying of four Lakewood police officers and the revelation that the perpetrator had been recently released on bail.

Related Article:
· Judges may get stronger powers to deny bail – Seattle Times

Making News
I was recently interviewed for a “Comcast Newsmakers” segment to discuss my efforts last year to reform government to be more transparent and improve public records disclosure. You can watch the interview on my YouTube channel here.

Government transparency is a priority for me. You can read here for more details about the public records reform legislation I sponsored.

Bob’s Bus Books
In December, I started a new segment of my eNews to share what I am reading on my bus commute. I received a lot of positive feedback, including a mention in Carla Saulter’s (a/k/a “Bus Chick”) transit blog on seattlepi.com.

Out & About 
I enjoyed attending the swearing-in ceremonies for newly elected and reelected city council members in District 1 in January. I was able to attend ceremonies for the Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and Kenmore city councils. Working with my colleagues at the cities in District 1 is an important element of regional cooperation. 

With new Shoreline City Councilmember Shari Tracey, a former member of my staff.

Helping Haiti
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, and with authority granted by the King County Council, Executive Constantine recently signed an Executive Order allowing employees of King County government to donate accrued vacation time to earthquake relief efforts. County employees will be allowed to convert up to 40 hours of vacation or compensatory time into a cash donation to help provide relief for victims of the earthquake.


When the Council approved a similar measure following Hurricane Katrina, King County employees generously donated over $400,000.  To find out how you can help, visit this website.


MLK Day Celebration
The County recently held its 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Marching to the Dream” and the keynote speaker was Congressman John Lewis, one of the most courageous individuals of the Civil Rights Movement.

To honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, the Council proclaimed January as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. month in King County. The Council also encouraged residents to observe the holiday by contributing to our community.


Contact info Councilmember Bob Ferguson on the Web Click here to subscribe to my e-newsletter. If you have any questions or comments, please email me at bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov. 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

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