“Funding shortages in the Public Health department were among the challenges we had to wrestle with in the 2007 budget,” said Council Chair Larry Gossett. “We found a temporary solution for funding our Medical Examiner's office, epidemiology experts, and prevention efforts. However, it's time for Olympia to work with us to find a sustainable funding source to ensure that public health departments statewide can continue operations to protect our health and safety.”
“King County's number one priority is to advocate for statewide public health funding,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson, chair of the King County Board of Health. “Public health is a crucial function of King County government, and without additional funding our Public Health department will struggle to prevent chronic and communicable disease, inspect restaurants, provide immunizations, and prepare for emergencies.”
“The State’s renewed commitment to more adequately fund mental health treatment in King County is critical,” said Bob Ferguson, chair of the Council’s Operating Budget, Fiscal Management, and Mental Health Committee. “Our county jail serves as a de facto mental institution; second in population only to Western State Hospital. We need the resources to provide treatment for non-violent offenders so we can help them get their lives turned around.”
The agenda approved by the Council urges the Legislature to find a stable funding source to adequately fund public health for all counties. A legislative committee found a $600 million funding gap statewide. King County also supports legislation and funding to achieve health care coverage for all children in King County and Washington State by 2010.
“The health of our residents, especially children, is a legislative funding priority shared by numerous counties across the state,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “We look forward to working with legislators to find solutions to funding gaps that will result in healthier citizens and less long-term cost to taxpayers.”The Council also called on lawmakers to create a funding mechanism for state and local emergency management similar to one in Florida, which assesses a small fee on property insurance policies to fund emergency management planning and response. This revenue source could fund various projects, from development of a standardized emergency management system to seismic safety research to public education.
“The rain, wind and snow storms that have pounded the region this winter are a reminder of the need to have a strong emergency response system in place for both natural and man-made disasters,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, External Affairs Vice-Chair. “For a region that is still feeling the impact of the 2001 Nisqually quake, it makes sense to have funds to not only respond to emergencies, but help people prepare for emergencies.”
“The public is demanding that all levels of government do a better job integrating and providing basic services,” said Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, who chairs the Council’s External Affairs Committee and heads up the Council’s Legislative Steering Group. “Political jurisdictions should not relieve policymakers from confronting issues such as traffic, pollution and crime that persist across cities and the county.”
“This agenda continues our focus on transportation needs in the Puget Sound area, especially the economic issues related to congestion,” said Councilmember Jane Hague, Vice Chair of Council Affairs.
King County's legislative agenda urges the State Legislature to explore options for implementing High Occupancy Toll lanes on I-405, which has become the most congested commute in the State; simplify state law to allow for a single road and transit plan to be presented to voters in November 2007; and states that King County's number one transportation priority is funding its backlog of road and transit projects.
“Improving transportation in King County will take a partnership between local and state government,” said Councilmember Patterson, Vice Chair of the Regional Transportation Investment District (RTID) and a member of the Sound Transit board. “This legislative agenda seeks to strengthen that partnership so we can tackle our major road and transit projects and reduce congestion in King County.”
Other items on the 2007 State Legislative Agenda include:
• Bonded Indebtedness in Annexing Areas: Legislation to allow it to continue to receive debt payments from property taxes in annexed areas to pay for debt-financed bridge or roadway improvements that serve the annexed area.
• Passenger-Only Ferries: Continuation of passenger-only ferry service between Vashon Island and Seattle using the triangle route, until transition to a regional transportation provider takes place.
• Regional Trail Acquisition: Funding to secure the BNSF railroad right of way. The funds would help to secure the link that would create a seamless regional trail system in King and Snohomish Counties.
• Continuation of State-only mental health funding with inflationary increases based on a population basis, and revising the mental health funding allocation formula so that Medicaid rates reflect the actual costs of providing services in King County.
• Homelessness: Funding to support housing and other programs as outlined by the King County Committee to End Homelessness.
“This agenda requests more help for children involved in the justice system through programs that currently are overwhelmed,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, chair of the Law, Justice and Human Services Committee. “We need more funding for Court-Appointed Special Advocates to assist abused and neglected children who are going through the court process. In addition, we want the state to pay for more of the state-mandated services for children who are deemed at-risk youth or truants under the Becca Bill.”
Transportation, health care reform and salmon recovery are among the County’s priorities in its 2007 Federal Legislative Agenda (FY 2008). The Council will also ask the state’s Congressional Delegation to lobby for federal disaster aid for County residents impacted by the December windstorm. Other items include:
• Transportation: Funding for bus rapid transit on Pacific Highway S., passenger-only ferries, and purchase of hybrid buses.
• Salmon Habitat Restoration Studies: Funding for the Lake Washington/Ship Canal Ecosystem Study, Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project, and the White River Flood Control and Ecosystem Restoration Study. The County is also looking for $90 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Program, which is critical to habitat recovery projects in King County.
• Health Care Reform: Support for the $350,000 request for the Puget Sound Health Alliance, for development of a health information database to measure and share quality of care information across employers and health plans in the Puget Sound region.
• Homeland Security: Support first-responder legislation currently pending in Congress to streamline funding to local first responders and provide them with greater control over how grant resources are expended at the local level.
“Our federal priorities will help us continue to meet the increasing demands for more transit, tackle the monumental job of saving Puget Sound, help us pay for health care for the most vulnerable, and prepare for disasters,” Sims said.
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