King County Council invites public to comment on 2008 budget at four public hearings

The King County Council begins its work on the 2008 budget with a series of four public hearings held throughout the county.

All meetings begin at 7 p.m. The dates and locations are:

• Tuesday, October 23: Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center, 401 Fourth Avenue N., Kent.

• Wednesday, October 24: West Seattle High School, 3000 California Avenue SW, Seattle.

• Tuesday, October 30: Bellevue City Hall, City Council Chambers, 11511 Main Street, Bellevue.

• Thursday, November 1: King County Council Chambers, 10th Floor King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave., Seattle.

Day-after coverage of the public hearings will be available both online and on King County Television, seen on Comcast and Millennium Cable Channel 22.

County Executive Ron Sims presented his proposals for the $4.8 billion budget on Oct. 15. The County Council has final budgetary authority.

Councilmember Dow Constantine, chair of the Council’s Capital Budget Panel, commended the Executive’s support for performance-based management in his proposals. “The fact that the Executive stated that in 2009 we will be tying agency budgets to their performance is a clear victory for performance-based management, and could ultimately prove the most significant aspect of [his] budget message.”

The Council is scheduled to adopt a final 2008 King County Budget on Nov. 19.