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May 6, 2003
REVISED Meeting Minutes
The Commission on Governance meeting was called to order at 3:05 p.m. in the Maynard Conference Room, 2nd Floor, King County Administration Building, Seattle, Washington.
The following commission members were present: Richard Derham, Dave Gering, Steve Goldblatt, Arun Jhaveri, Sharon Maeda, Bill Ptacek and Steve Williamson
Excused: Mark Endresen
1. Welcome and Introductions.
Sharon Maeda welcomed the Commission members and the public to the meeting.
Appointment of temporary or permanent chair.
Sharon Maeda chaired this meeting.
Dick Derham moved that Steve Goldblatt chair the May 20 meeting and Dave Gering chair the first meeting in June. The motion passed 7-0 with Mark Endresen excused.
The Commission discussed appointing a permanent chair in June.
Approval of Minutes of April 17, 2003.
Steve Goldblatt moved to approve the meeting minutes of March 27, 2003. The motion passed 7-0 with Mark Endresen excused.
Review of candidates for consultant positions
Steve Goldblatt briefed the committee regarding the review of candidates for the consultant positions. A total of 12 firms submitted proposals (7 for both, 4 for facilitation only and 1 for research only). Scott White got copies of proposals to committee with score sheet almost immediately. The 3 Committee members gave their score sheet back to Scott. Then 5 firms were interviewed (3 for both, 1 for research only, and 1 for facilitation only). The interviews were held from 8:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. on April 17, 2003. The committee decided on a firm that will do both.
Steve Goldblatt would like to move that the commission recommend to the council Berk and Associates to do both services for the Commission.
Sharon Maeda – second.
Bill Ptacek - Why is this firm so good?
Steve Goldblatt – They can do both and had the right combination of experience.
Scott White – The process is that the committee makes their recommendation to the Commission, the Commission then makes their recommendation to the Committee-of-the-Whole (COW). COW will then take action as early as Monday, May 12th. He will have to check with the Chair of the Council before putting it on Monday’s COW agenda. He will also check with the firm to see if they are available to attend the meeting on Monday. After it passes out of COW, it will go to the full Council and will then be adopted.
Arun Jhaveri – Thanks to Sharon Maeda, Dick Derham and Steve Goldblatt for doing this work.
Arun Jhaveri moved to approve the recommendation. The motion passed 7-0 with Mark Endresen and Anne Levinson excused.
Dick Derham - Moved that the Commission have a fall back firm incase there are any problems, would like to have an alternate choice. Steve Goldblatt – second.
Arun Javeri – Did you rate them?
Dick Derham – The committee would need to get back together and rate them again.
Dave Gering – Would like the firm to have a strong background, be local, be available, do both contracts, have current experience with government issues in Washington State.
Steve Williamson – Would be opposed to this, should push for 1st recommendation.
Dick Derham – Made a motion to amend the first version to say that the committee will do this only if the Council does not approve the first recommendation.
The motion passed 7-0 with Mark Endresen excused.
Discussion on the scope and vision for the Commission
Councilmember Larry Phillips thanked the Commission for helping the Council.
County should remain a regional leader and service provider.
Intent on providing reasonable services to citizens at a reasonable cost.
Our short term problem is cost.
Look across the board at what we’re doing, how can we do it better and efficiently.
If we don’t perform these services who will; most things are mandated by law.
Transformation: 1) Growth Management Act (GMA) passed in 1991, but the region didn’t reconcile its financial ramifications or the cost of implementation.
Transformation 2) Merger of King County and Metro (water quality and transit).
Left behind has been the urban/unincorporated areas of King County (the state’s 2nd largest city).
The County has no B&O or Utility taxes.
Revenues are less in King County’s general fund this year (’03) than last year (’02). First time in our history.
Have less money for services that are provided and that’s why the budget has been severely cut back.
Real services reductions by the county have been made (example – the parks department has transferred park’s land and pool to cities).
What should County government do?
Judicial (who should do this?). The council is currently checking on this right now with the district courts, maybe having city municipal courts expand to do King County’s district court work. However, once courts proliferate, it will be impossible to consolidate them again. Costs to the taxpayer will go up, with no chance of coming down.
There are 34 fire districts that will never be able to cut back through consolidation.
There are 174 tax jurisdictions in King County. Same result.
Flipside, the County is the treasurer for these districts (we collect and distribute the money out) and we keep about 10%. The problem is that no one knows this and they think we’re rich.
Big job a head of us, how to connect with public and see what services are important to them.
People are glad the services we provide are available, but they don’t appreciate our role because they don’t realize we provide them.
Challenges are daunting and King County doesn’t benefit from this lack of knowledge/understanding.
Our major source of revenue—property taxes-- is restricted to 1% growth per year.
If nothing changes, things will get worse for lack of revenue.
We will have to delegate or eliminate work/services or get more revenues.
In time, no money for assessor, records and elections, parks and recreation.
Over time, all we will do is criminal justice, and even then at diminished service levels.
Need revenues to meet our service costs.
Normal cost growth, health care costs, criminal justice costs (bargaining units in King County) means we don’t have much control over bargaining units, but executive has been able to drive down the cost of employees.
Jail is expensive operation $77 per day, 3 shifts a day, 24/7/365 everyday. Utility cost increases alone for our jails are far more than 1% growth per year.
Bill Ptacek – is the jail as efficient as it can be?
Larry Phillips – yes and no.
The cities don’t like our costs.
But the cities don’t have to run courts or health departments or our jail.
It all depends on what element you’re looking at.
Scott White – The County provides services to all of King County, and the cities provide services to just cities and cut out King County.
Larry Phillips – King County is an urban county and is the 12th largest in the US.
Arun Jhaveri – If you had a choice, which regional services would you do.
Larry Phillips – We are required to have a Prosecuting Attorney, to house pre trial felons and to house convicted felons in jail. We are required to provide for the Sheriff’s Office and Superior Court.
Recent focus has been on the general fund, where the crisis is.
Because of this, it’s hard to carve out time for non-general fund budgets because they are not in a crisis; we rely on the Executive for this review.
Dave Gering – GMA implemented what Larry is saying is right. It won’t work unless you change your financial structure. When the GMA was passed nothing changed financially. It takes two to tango to fix this. The cities should help, but the cities have no sympathy for the county to make these changes.
Larry Phillips – Don’t want to speak for city officials. 1) Local elected officials have big jobs to do and a lot of responsibilities and take them very seriously. So studying King County government is last thing on their mind to devote time to. We share same tax base, same tax payer, same citizens – and we have similar services. 2) So it’s easy that the County becomes the bad guy. 3) They tie ‘land use’ battles to it, subdivisions that the county permits creates traffic in cities. 4) Frankly, politically, many elected officials say “they’re the bad guy so it’s the county’s fault.” WhereverBut wherever you live as an elected official, these are important services and they need to be provided at a reasonable cost and the officials must be accountable.
Arun Jhaveri – When GMA was passed there were no restrictions, and there have been changes in services since then.
Larry Phillips – We didn’t get needed agreements with cities –changes in who pays for services didn’t happen because cities wouldn’t agree.
Arun Jhaveri – Did initiative 747 do this?
Larry Phillips – Initiative 747 made things worse and made the problem very apparent.
Bill Ptacek – Do you think current make up is the most accurate way to run criminal justice and is it the most effective way?
Larry Phillips – The Commission is expected to look at the efficiencies and at the King County Council’s functions.
Need cost structure of independently elected officials and branches understood in a better way.
We have responsibility for budget, but no authority to inspect their cost structures.
The prosecuting attorney has said ‘we need to get together as separately elected officials to figure out how to do work in an effective way to do service.’
Sharon Maeda - Thanks for coming and sharing your time.
Larry Phillips – You’re welcome and will come back for a follow up and thanks for your time.
Commission Administrative Items.
-
Future Meeting Dates – Maynard Conference
Room, Room 216, 2nd Floor, King County Administration Building:
- Meeting 5: Tuesday, May 20th, 3:00 – 5:00
Scott White - Will try to schedule meetings for June then the consultant will take over.
The commission requested that Scott do this for June and July.
Bill Ptacek - a set time like every Tuesday or every other Tuesday may be after July we can get a more consistent date (1st and 3rd Tues).
Dick Derham- Scott please do June and July then will find a consistent date.
- Agenda items for future meetings
i. Discussions with Councilmembers
Councilmembers Julia Patterson and Larry Phillips have attended a meeting. All members are available to attend it’s just a matter of scheduling. We have had 2 democrats and no republicans (who can come as well). It’s possible to have 2 Councilmembers at a time.
Would like to have Norm Maleng, King County Prosecuting Attorney attend at a criminal justice theme meeting.
Dave Gering - would like to get presentations scheduled when ever we can.
Dick Derham – Would like to have a republican attend and possibly Kathy Lambert.
Scott White – will check with Kathy Lambert’s office again and check to see if another member can attend the next meeting.
ii. Public testimony session
Scott White – Timing for outside presentation. Should they get 20 minutes each or do a presentation at a public testimony session?
Steve Goldblatt – Should put this in the work plan.
Sharon Maeda - Public testimony should be separate from the League of Women Voters.
It would be good to put public testimony after the minutes and the work plan group will determine this.
Dick Derham - not what we should do, but what should we study, would like to have this earlier than later.
iii. Briefings by groups external to King County
iv. Briefings on specific issues areas
Dick Derham - weeks passing by would like to make a motion to create 2 new task forces.
The 1st would be to work on ‘what our work plan will have’. Will work in concert with consultant and will come back to the Commission with what they’ve discussed.. Should have 2, 3 or 4 members to serve. WORK PLAN TASK FORCE.
The 2nd would be an add hawk task force that would go over what the BATF is doing.
Bill Ptacek – second.
Arun Jhaveri – Would like a 3rd task force for publications.
Members disagree, there will not be a third task force.
Steve Williamson – Would like to have a staff person help him, not take over his position. All members agree with this.
Dick Derham - moved to determine the 2nd task force would be to work on ‘what the BATF is working on’. Will work in concert with consultant and will come back to the Commission with what they’ve discussed.. Should have 2, 3 or 4 members to serve. BUDGET RESOURCE COMMITTEE
Steve Goldblatt – second.
Scott White – The Budget Advisory Task Force is scheduled to be completed next month.
Dick Derham – We will have our people work with them too.
All members agree to the motion to have 2 new task forces.
WORK PLAN TASK FORCE ~ Dave Gering, Steve Williamson, Dick Derham and Sharon Maeda
BUDGET RESOURCE COMMITTEE ~ Bill Ptacek, Arun Jhaveri, Dave Gering, Mark Endresen
Sharon Maeda – Requested to have the 2 committees separate into discussion right after the meeting to decide when they can meet.
Steve Goldblatt – When will Anne Levinson be replaced?
Scott White – They are close to getting a replacement.
Steve Goldblatt – Would this be possible for next Monday?
Scott White – No, but possibly the following Monday.
Dave Gering – FYI ~ King County is in the news, the jail guards are requesting to have the members reduced from 13 to 9.
There being no further business to come before the Commission on Governance, the meeting adjourned at 5:02 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Gennevie Cook, Committee Assistant