This document describes how King County’s government plans to meet the communities’ needs in 2000. King County’s Budget Book is not only an assembly of information required for making policy and resource decisions, it is also a resource for citizens interested in learning more about the operation of their County government.

This readers’ guide has been provided to inform the reader where particular information may be found. King County’s 2000 Budget Book is divided into five sections: Introduction, Economic and Revenue Forecast, Operating Area Budget Discussions, the Capital Budget and Debt Service. A brief appendix of summary tables is included in this book. More detailed financial information is available in a separate appendix. Each major section is outlined below.

The introduction lists the services provided to King County residents, presents an organizational chart of County government, and provides a discussion of the strategic choices and decisions made in the development of the 2000 budget.

This section explains how the local economy affects King County’s budget and the government’s ability to provide certain services today and in the near future. The analysis is based on historical trends for King County, opinions by private economists, and by surveying national economic trends. The section comments on inflation, interest rates, population, personal income growth, and area construction activity as measured by building permit volume for unincorporated King County. The section also summarizes anticipated revenues in 2000 as well as provides revenue comparisons from previous years.

The section concludes with the Current Expense Fund Forecast which provides a two-year history of revenues and expenditures, details the impact of the proposed policy choices in 2000 and projects the fiscal impact of these activities through 2000. Such projections are essential for planning future King County government endeavors.

This section displays the appropriation units grouped by functional area and county department. These functional areas are: General Government, Physical Environment, Health and Human Services, and Law, Safety, and Justice. This section provides summaries of the 2000 Budget.

This section summarizes the capital projects budget proposals for King County. Additional information is available in a separate Capital Improvement Book.

This section provides a discussion and details of King County’s bond indebtedness and the debt service required to repay King County’s indebtedness. The section also includes a discussion of regional debt levels.