The King County Council today adopted a final list of tenants for the new King County Office Building. The final vote was 6-2.

“Today completes a process we made ten years ago to reduce King County’s reliance on leased office space,” said Council Chair Larry Phillips. “Within four years, we will break even on costs for the new building due to the large amount of money we will save by owning instead of renting. It makes more sense to put that money into county services rather than a landlord’s pocket.”

“Citizens who wish to petition their government deserve to have their top elected officials under one roof. This will make King County a more efficient, streamlined and accessible government,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson, who sponsored the legislation as chair of the Council’s Capital Budget Committee. “By consolidating similar government functions, citizens will see greater efficiencies as well as better communication between departments and elected officials.”

Under the King County Charter, final authority over all county space planning lies with the County Council.

With the opening of the New County Office Building, the county would avoid paying $4.8 million a year in rent, and would break even in the difference between rent and mortgage payments after four years.

The new county office building is scheduled for completion by mid-2007. The Council’s 2005 Space Plan, adopted last November in conjunction with the 2006 county budget, programmed 80 percent of the space in the new building. The Plan currently consolidates seven agencies, including Public Health – Seattle and King County, the Office of Public Defense, the Department of Community and Human Services, and Finance. Those agencies are currently leasing downtown office space in the Exchange Building, the Wells Fargo Building, and the Lynn Trust Building.