The Metropolitan King County Council today stressed fiscal integrity and accountability by unanimously adopting a 2007 King County Budget that strengthens council policy oversight, reduces proposed expenditures and increases budget reserves.

The $3.86 billion total budget is $24 million less than proposed. It includes $624 million in the general fund. The Council budget reduces proposed general fund spending by $3.2 million, and increases general fund reserves by $3.6 million.

“Citizens expect fiscal integrity and accountability in the use of their tax dollars,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine, Chair of the Annual Budget committee. “This budget meets that demand by spending less, saving more, and sticking to established priorities. It cuts some major expenditures proposed by the executive and places those dollars in reserve. This keeps the pressure on to lower costs while ensuring money is available to meet our goals.”

“Good government requires accountability, and that starts with tighter purse strings and strong policy,” said Councilmember Jane Hague, Chair of the Operating Budget Panel. “The Office of Capital Project Oversight, a new council initiative, will provide the council with a tool for continued fiscal oversight.”

“This budget includes funding for the top two priorities that I determined at the beginning of this budget negotiation: funding for the Sheriff’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight and additional funding to keep our public health care centers open through 2007,” said Bob Ferguson, Chair of the Capital Budget Panel and member of the Council’s 2007 Budget Leadership Team.

“Our theme of ‘people first’ is vital and attained. We have evaluated specific needs brought to us by citizens and incorporated them in the process. We have put money aside to evaluate new policy before beginning new programs,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, Vice-chair of the Annual Budget Committee.

The adopted budget embraces “Priorities for People,” the guidelines which the Council adopted in October as a yardstick by which to measure the final budget:

EARNING PUBLIC TRUST: This budget advances sound financial policies and prudently manages the public’s money; engages citizens in oversight of government services; strives for excellence in customer service; and measures our performance and reports back to the public.

• Office of Capital Project Oversight. Funds a pilot program within the Auditor’s Office to oversee King County’s major capital construction projects in order to control project overruns and unplanned expansion of project scopes, schedules and budgets. The pilot project will oversee the work of expert consultants brought in to monitor priority capital projects, including the Harborview Ninth and Jefferson Building and the Brightwater treatment plant, and to provide consistent oversight over major capital projects from contracting through completion.

• Financial Policies Advisory Task Force. Creates an expert panel to review the financial and debt policies of King County, including policies that call for maintaining adequate reserves and the prudent issuance of debt, policies previously adopted by the Council, and informal practices of executive agencies.

• Office of Economic and Financial Analysis. Creates a new office to ensure accountability to the public through the advancement of sound financial policies based on objective and transparent financial analysis and reporting, with a new process for producing official economic and revenue forecasts for King County.

• Office of Law Enforcement Oversight. Funds $404,977 and 4.0 FTEs to establish a new agency in the legislative branch to restore public trust in the resolution of citizen complaints of misconduct involving King County Sheriff’s deputies.

• Implementation of Sheriff’s Blue Ribbon Panel recommendations. Funds $968,049 and 5.0 FTEs as proposed, creating an Inspectional Services Unit and Early Intervention System in the Sheriff’s office, and adds resources for converting existing deputy positions to sergeants for increased supervision. The Council is adding an additional $227,331 and 9.0 FTEs for the backfill of deputy positions pending eventual sergeant promotion, a paralegal, and a comprehensive Human Resources Plan. This budget also sets aside $1.5 million in a special reserve account pending identification of the actual costs of adding new supervisors.

• Elections oversight. Adds $1.05 million for the continued transition to countywide vote-by-mail, but restricts funding until the Executive submits and the Council approves a detailed implementation plan. This budget provides an additional $737,472 for increased elections security and reliability and places in reserve an additional $961,645. The budget also requires the Executive to submit an up-to-date election security plan, and a plan for further improving and maintaining voter registration records.

• Animal services oversight. Requires the executive to engage citizens in the oversight of King County animal services through reconstitution of the animal control citizen’s advisory committee, and requires delivery of a report on opportunities to improve enforcement of animal cruelty laws in King County.

• Technology savings and oversight. Expands on council oversight of information technology by requiring a public report measuring the success of technology capital projects in achieving promised benefits, such as cost savings. This budget tightens fiscal oversight of several information technology projects and saves millions by eliminating requests that the council determined to be premature or unjustified.

• Facilities savings. Saves $1.6 million by requiring the purchase of used furniture, rather than new, for the new county office building.

• Citizen engagement. Funds an initiative to engage citizens in developing countywide priorities for their county government. The Council will conduct workshops in 2007 to enable citizens to prioritize their county services on a broad level, and to report back to the public on the priorities identified. The report will be used by the Council in developing its budget priorities and adopted as a policy directive for development of the 2008 Executive Proposed Budget.

ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE: This budget improves mobility for people, vehicles and freight; takes good care of the environment and manages growth wisely; and creates and encourages vibrant cultural and recreational opportunities.

• Metro Transit: Responds to voter support for the “Transit Now” package with funding to make the experience of riding a Metro Transit bus easier and more accessible:

• Restores $2.5 million to the On-Board Systems Project for installation of scrolling interior electronic readerboards announcing “next stop” information to riders, along with the official Metro time of day that riders need to plan their bus connections.

• Sets aside $730,000 to expand the bus shelter construction program by 50 percent over what was proposed, enabling creation of at least 100 new bus shelters per year.

• Phases out advertising wrapping that covers the windows of Metro buses, in response to complaints about the darkening, blurring effect of the vinyl wrap that now covers the side passenger windows of 25 of Metro’s 1,300 coaches.

• Noxious weeds. Supports a study to examine the effectiveness of the management of noxious weeds on county-owned land, and ensure that the county is not contributing to their spread. The budget maintains current levels of technical support to land owners countywide to help them control the spread of noxious weeds, with no increase in fees.

• Recreation. Expands the regional trail system, addresses safety concerns, upgrades ball fields and improves audio-visual equipment at the King County aquatic center. The council’s policy of transferring recreational facilities to the appropriate local jurisdiction is carried out through transfer of the King County Fairgrounds to the city of Enumclaw, allowing the city to enhance the recreational value of the facility with development of an equestrian center.

• Waste-to-energy. Funds a study to involve advisory groups and partner cities in examining the full range of options for future disposal of solid waste, including waste-to-energy technology.

• Rural economic development. Requires the executive to develop proposed rural economic development policies for council approval in 2007.

• Annexation incentives reserve. Holds all $10 million of annexation incentives for urban unincorporated areas in reserve until ballot measures are ready, and until the Council has approved proposed annexation interlocal agreements to ensure that they meet county policy.

PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY: This budget invests in prevention to reduce crime and the cost of detention; promotes conditions for optimal physical and mental health; and sustains critical health and human service programs.

• Children’s Health. Provides start-up funding of $250,000 for a pilot program to link children with existing state and federal health insurance for which they may qualify, while work continues to develop a long-term strategy for how King County can best improve the health of children within limited resources. Another $750,000 is held in reserve in an earmarked account pending Council approval of an effective long-term plan.

• Public Health Centers. Identified funding for the operation of the North and Northshore Public Health Centers for all of 2007, while the Council develops a financially sustainable, long-term solution. To assist in this effort, the Council is directing that an expert panel be formed to make recommendations on how best to ensure a strong community health care safety net.

• Prevention over Detention. Past Council policies to fund alternatives to incarceration and emphasize treatment and prevention over detention have reduced jail populations and led to cost savings of up to $10 million a year, as well as the $120 million it would have taken to build a third county jail. The 2007 budget continues to fund less costly jail alternatives and treatment systems that reduce recidivism while maintaining public safety, including expanding a pilot project that teaches life skills to former inmates.

• Human Services. Sustains support for human services and provides a cost of living adjustment to providers for the first time in ten years.

• Affordable Housing. Increases support for new affordable housing projects by $500,000.

• Veterans and Human Services Levy. Invests the initial proceeds from the Veterans and Human Services Levy, with funding for services and housing to prevent and reduce homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system for vulnerable veterans and others in need.

This is the fourth consecutive year in which the County Council has unanimously adopted the annual County Budget. Over the course of five weeks of review and deliberation, Councilmembers took testimony from more than 500 people who spoke at five public hearings or submitted comments by letter and e-mail.