The Metropolitan King County Council unanimously adopted a County budget for 2008 that supports critical services for the Shoreline and Lake Forest Park area while staying within the property tax limits of Initiative 747 even though that limitation was recently deemed unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court.

Councilmember Bob Ferguson, who represents Shoreline and Lake Forest Park was the budget chair and led the County in adopting a budget that reduces the executive’s overall budget, proposed at just over $5 billion, by $40 million.

“Shoreline and Lake Forest Park have critical needs that require immediate support at a time when budgets are tight for everyone,” said Ferguson. “Through an extensive budget outreach process, the citizens of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park helped to establish County budget priorities that helped to frame the County’s 2008 budget and point to specific programs that were high priorities.”

Ferguson is pleased by the fiscal integrity of the 2008 budget which also includes funding for the following specific Shoreline area projects:

• Food Lifeline: The Shoreline-based agency distributes food to 141 King County food banks, meal programs and shelters. The funds will assist in their expansion of their food distribution program

• Parkview Services: Funds homebuyer education and counseling for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

• Cromwell Park: Funds will assist in the revitalization of Cromwell Park athletic fields.

• North Urban Human Services Alliance: The Alliance’s members include religious organizations, human service providers, and city and county government. The Alliance addresses human service needs in North King County.

The 2008 plan also provides funding for the purchase of open space in Shoreline through the use of King County’s open space funding, a program dedicated to the purchase of open space, greenbelts, wildlife habitat and trails:

• Kruckeberg Property: Funds will assist with the transfer and operation of a botanical garden located on the Richmond Beach property.

• South Woods Addition II: The funds will assist with the purchase of a 15-acre parcel of second growth conifer forest located south of Shorecrest High School in Shoreline.

“The Council exercised fiscal restraint when crafting a fiscally prudent budget that maintains the financial policies that have earned the County the highest possible credit ratings,” said Ferguson, chair of the Operating Budget Committee and lead for the Council’s budget negotiation process. “We delivered a budget that reduces the Executive’s overall proposed budget and reduces his proposed general fund expenditures while maintaining current levels of services, increasing general fund reserves and anticipating future emergencies. The budget also respects the property tax limits of Initiative 747.”

The Council was guided in its work by the “Priorities for People” heard from citizens through the Council’s extensive citizen engagement process conducted earlier this year. The process, spearheaded by Ferguson, gave the Councilmembers a framework to develop countywide priorities including:

• Mental Health and Chemical Dependency: Establishes revenue to fund expanded programs for treatment of citizens with mental illness and substance abuse issue.

• Law Enforcement Oversight and Criminal Justice: Ensures continued implementation of the Blue Ribbon Panel recommendations for the Sheriff’s Office, and increases staffing in District Court to address rising caseloads and improve court customer service.

• Metro Transit Service and Security: Funds more than 160,000 new Metro bus service hours and eliminates advertising wraps over bus windows. Also adds transit police officers to increase police presence on buses and at passenger facilities.

• Rainy Day Reserve: Creates a permanent rainy day reserve that insulates essential county services from the effect of catastrophic loss or a severe downturn in the local economy.

• Elections Oversight: Creates a new Elections Division as a stand-alone operation within the Department of Executive Services to allow the Elections Director to focus solely on management of important elections systems. Funds 12 regional voting centers to accommodate people with special needs and enable them to cast secret ballots.

• Open Space and Regional Trails: Implements the voter-approved parks expansion levy to provide funding to acquire land and develop missing links to regional trails, and for cities to expand their trails and open space.

Read the full text of the Council ordinance adopting the 2008 King County Budget