Hello District 3 residents,
This month, I would like to share with you some important opportunities for you to get involved in public policy discussions, as well as some good news about progress on several issues.
Tolt River Project Public Meeting
I would like to invite you to attend a public meeting to continue the discussion of the Lower Tolt River Project. I have been monitoring this project and am aware that the community has a great deal of interest in this project. I have coordinated with the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks to ensure that citizens will have another opportunity to gather more information about the project, as well as have a venue to openly express your opinions. The meeting will feature an open house, a presentation to update community members on the latest developments to the project, and an hour-long session for citizens’ comments and questions. I hope you will join me at this event and take part in this opportunity to share your thoughts with DNRP staff and with me. I look forward to seeing you there.
Thursday, April 5
Carnation Elementary School
Multipurpose Room
4950 Tolt Ave , Carnation
6:30 – 7:00 p.m. Open House
7:00 – 7:20 p.m. Presentation
7:20 – 8:20 p.m. Comments/Q & A
8:20 – 8:30 p.m. Wrap Up
8:30 – 9:00 p.m. Open House
For more information about this project, please go to http://www.metrokc.gov/lambert/pdf/ToltAd.jpg
Citizen budget engagement initiative
Share your views on how King County spends your tax dollars! The King County Council is eager to hear your views on how we should prioritize services and spend your tax dollars in 2008. The Council is engaging in an exciting new public involvement process to capture your priorities to help shape the County budget. This process includes citizen workshops and public forums around the County. The first phase of the Citizen Budget Engagement Initiative is now underway with a series of focus group workshops in February and March involving randomly-selected citizens drawn from a cross-section of the population. Priorities identified through these workshops will form the basis for two public meetings in late March and early April. You are invited to offer your comments at these public meeting on how King County should prioritize its spending. Each public meeting will use electronic “interactive polling.” The first 250 participants to arrive at each meeting will be given a hand-held device allowing you to enter your opinions on a variety of issues and spending priorities. Your input will be recorded and reported to the group and the Council in real-time. Everyone will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the Council, whether or not they are one of the first 250 to arrive for the interactive polling.
North King County
Wednesday, March 28
Olympic View Elementary School
504 NE 95th St, Seattle
6:30 p.m. - public reception
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. - forum
South King County
Tuesday, April 3
Kent-Meridian High School
East Wing Auditorium
10020 SE 256th Street , Kent
6:30 p.m. - public reception
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. – forum
Ending Homelessness
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington , D.C. , to accept an award on behalf of Washington State ’s counties from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The award recognized the efforts of Washington counties to implement the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Washington is the first state to have all counties participating in the effort and implementing their own plans. As the chair of the King County Council’s Law, Justice and Human Services Committee, I was invited to represent the state’s counties at the national USICH conference. I am proud to represent counties that understand a lack of adequate housing is one of the first challenges facing many of our citizens. At the local level, we have focused on efforts to end homelessness with approval of King County ’s Veterans and Human Services Levy and the work of the King County Committee to End Homelessness. These efforts have been bipartisan, with a broad spectrum of government, faith communities, non-profits, business and the general public agreeing that a lack of adequate shelter is an issue of human dignity, not a political question. I thanked the federal agency for the recognition, but also for the opportunity to share our experiences and to renew our determination to end homelessness across the country. We heard success stories from homelessness advocates across the nation, as well as from Louise Casey, who was director of the homelessness program in England . She told us how they reduced homelessness by two-thirds in two years. It was amazing and inspiring, and I brought back many innovative ideas.
Waste-to-Energy
As part of updating its Solid Waste Comprehensive Plan in 2007, King County has begun work on a new study of waste-to-energy technology, costs and feasibility. I am excited about the possibility of finding an alternative to burying our garbage in a landfill, and instead turning our garbage into a valuable resource. This week, I will be participating in a study to look at how the European zero-waste model incorporates recycling, waste-prevention and waste-to-energy processes Our team will be meeting with top government and industry officials, including one of the lead advisors to the Kyoto Treaty on limiting greenhouse gas emissions. In the European Union, landfills are outlawed. They have made a clear statement that their priority is to protect the environment in an economical, responsible way. Thermal recycling reduces greenhouse gases and conserves natural resources by recovering and reusing the energy and minerals contained in the waste stream. I look forward to learning more about this technology.
Free Tax Help
United Way of King County is providing free tax preparation from IRS-certified, multilingual volunteers for working families. The tax preparation sites will be open January-April at locations throughout King County . For more information, including locations and hours, please visit http://www.uwkc.org/ourcommunity/endinghomelessness/eitc/ .
Sincerely,
Kathy Lambert
Kathy Lambert
King County Councilmember, District
3
(206) 296-1003
Kathy.Lambert@metrokc.gov
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