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Dear Neighbors:
I have some very exciting news to share with you. On Sunday, February 24, my wife, Colleen, gave birth to twins - one boy and one girl! They are named Jackson Murray Ferguson ("Jack") and Katherine Emory Ferguson ("Kate"). Colleen and the twins are doing great, and I am learning all the best tricks on how to work in a sleep deprived state. I want to thank all of you for your kind words of support during the months leading up to this exciting day and I look forward to introducing you to Jack and Kate!
I also want to remind you that I have two town hall meetings coming up:
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For my Seattle constituents, Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess will join me this week, Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00 p.m. for a town hall at Olympic View Elementary School, 504 N.E. 95th Street in Seattle.
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For my Northshore constituents, Lake Forest Park Mayor Dave Hutchinson will join me on Wednesday, April 2 at 7:00 p.m. at Third Place Commons, 17171 Bothell Way N.E. (next to Third Place Books).
I hope to see you there!
Bob Ferguson
King County Councilmember, District 1
Grand Opening of the New Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Center
I recently attended the opening of the new Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Center. After being under construction for 20 months, the station now offers three times more recycling opportunities for residents, larger unloading areas, and a more efficient garbage handling system.
The station also has new green building features, which include rooftop solar panels, translucent wall and roof panels to increase natural daylight and reduce the need for electrical lighting, and a system to trap rainwater for use within the station. Read more about the new station.
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| Officials celebrate the opening of the new Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Center. |
I applaud the effort and foresight that went into making the station
a green building. On a similar note I am working with Executive Sims on
an initiative that will require green building and sustainable development
practices in future King County development projects. This requirement
will help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and pollution that result
from capital construction projects. More than one-fifth of the greenhouse
emissions in the Puget Sound region are attributed to the building sector,
and this initiative demonstrates that King County is actively working
to preserve its place as a nation-wide leader in environmental stewardship.
Learn
about this proposed legislation.
Department of Justice Oversight of the King County Jail
One of my top priorities this year is to provide thorough oversight of the conditions at the King County Jail. As you may know, the United States Department of Justice alleges that King County is in violation of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) for failing to protect the constitutional rights of inmates because of alleged deficiencies in suicide prevention, excessive use of force, and inadequate medical care at the King County Correctional Facility in Downtown Seattle. For more information on this issue, read the article in the Seattle PI and the findings of the U.S. Department of Justice on King County Correctional Facilities (pdf, 440 KB).
The major issue before the Operating Budget, Fiscal Management and Select Issues Committee in the first half of the year will be to monitor, oversee and provide input into the negotiations between King County and the Department of Justice. I will update you again when I have more information.
Campaign Finance Reform -- Public Campaign Financing
During the recent legislative session, the Washington State Senate voted to approve Second Substitute Senate Bill 5278, and the House of Representatives passed HB 1551. The bills allow local legislative authorities—such as the Metropolitan King County Council—to pass an ordinance to “establish a program allowing the use of public funds to finance campaigns for local office.” This ordinance would then be submitted to the voters of the county for their approval by referendum. Read more about my support of this issue.
King County Councilmember Dow Constantine and I re-introduced King
County Motion 2007-0430 which would begin a study of public financing
options in King County and give us a roadmap for implementing campaign
finance reform here. The legislation is currently before the General Government
and Labor Relations Committee, chaired by my colleague Councilmember Larry
Gossett. The legislation is scheduled to receive a hearing on Tuesday,
March 25 at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers located on the 10th floor
of the King County Courthouse.
Noted Shoreline Author Ivan Doig Honored at Grand Opening of New Chinook Building
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Ivan and Carol Doig join me at the opening of the Chinook Building. |
On January 25, I recognized bestselling author Ivan Doig, a Shoreline resident, by naming the first floor of the new King County Chinook Building in his honor. Mr. Doig is perhaps best known for This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind, a memoir about the people and places of the American frontier that was a finalist for the National Book Award. His varied contributions to American literature include novels, essays, memoirs and poems. Read more about Mr. Doig and the naming ceremony honoring him.
You can read more about the contest I sponsored to name the office tower, and how that contest led to the naming of each of the floors of the building.
In my eNewsletters last spring, I asked for submissions in the naming contest. Thanks to everyone for participating and suggesting potential names!
King County Ratepayers Save $13 Million Through Refinancing of Bonds
On January 28, the Council took advantage of the County’s strong bond rating and lower interest rates by unanimously approving the refinancing of $237 million in sewer revenue bonds, saving ratepayers $13 million in 2008 dollars. The savings build upon the sound financial policies established by the Council and reduces the County’s annual debt service payments by $1.97 million per year until 2016. Read more about the refinancing.
King
County is postponing the transition to all-mail voting until 2009 because
the equipment the King County Elections Division hopes to purchase has
not yet received the required federal certification. The first countywide
all-mail election is now scheduled for February 2009. The postponement
of all-mail voting was somewhat expected as delays with the federal certification
have been ongoing for several months. While I support all-mail voting,
the delay certainly seems like the right decision because we must take
appropriate measures to ensure accuracy and security when the transition
is made. Read
more about this issue.
The Kenmore Heritage Society has been awarded funding to design and format eight panels chronicling the history of Kenmore. The Heritage Society received a $7,500 Heritage Special Projects grant from 4Culture. The grant will supplement funds provided by the City of Kenmore to make this informative project possible.
The panels are likely to be installed in a gazebo which will serve as an interpretive center to be built in historic Logboom Park, located on the north shore of Lake Washington at the northern terminus of the Burke-Gilman Trail.
For more information on the project, please view the Heritage Society’s website at www.scn.org/kenmoreheritage.
• 2009 Conservation Futures Funds
This
year King County will distribute approximately $8 million to fund public
open space land acquisition in Seattle, unincorporated King County, and
the suburban cities.
The application process has just opened. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 28, 2008. If you are interested in applying for this funding, please contact David Tiemann, Staff Liaison for King County Conservation Futures Citizen Committee at david.tiemann@kingcounty.gov.
• Flood Control Levy Opportunity Fund Update
As
part of King County’s ongoing efforts to minimize the danger and
damage caused by floods, I sponsored an amendment to make 10% of the funding
from the Flood Control Levy available in an “opportunity fund”
to address local neighborhood flooding problems. Approximately $3 million
will be available annually for citizens and local public works directors
to identify areas in your neighborhoods that are susceptible to flooding.
The Flood Control Zone District Advisory Committee will be deciding on a process for how to distribute the opportunity fund by April 15.
I encourage you to contact your city’s public works director to encourage him or her to apply for funding from the King County Flood Control Zone District opportunity fund. Please contact my office directly for information about who to contact with your written request for a neighborhood flood control project.
About
my E-Newsletter
I hope you enjoy my updates! Please review
my recent e-newsletters.
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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