Contract city services

Our services

From routine maintenance to highly technical engineering, the King County Road Services Division offers an array of services to other jurisdictions in the region. This site highlights key services customer cities have frequently requested. View an overview of the services we offer (176KB .doc) to customer cities and other jurisdictions.

The Interlocal Cooperation Act (RCW 39.34), which became state law in 1967, allows local governments to cooperate with other jurisdictions to provide services to mutual advantage. Under this authority, the King County Road Services Division provides road-related services to 29 jurisdictions in and around King County. To learn more about the interlocal Cooperation Act, please visit the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington Web site (see Intergovernmental Agreements and Intergovernmental Cooperation).

Contract cities program

The Road Services Division began providing services to contract cities as a wave of incorporations and annexations swept the county in the early and mid 1990s. What began as a short-term response to assist newly incorporated cities has evolved into a line of business that the Roads Division is proud to offer. Here are some of the benefits to customer cities and the county:

• Cities and other customer public agencies are able to take advantage of the county’s large inventory of equipment which spreads the cost for all parties.
• Cities can piggyback on the county’s own work program – such as our overlay contract – and achieve cost savings with economies of scale.
• By serving other jurisdictions, the county can supply technical expertise that would be demanding for small cities to support. Some examples are: stream restoration; surveying; and signal installation and maintenance. View an overview of our services. (176KB Word .doc)
• Cities that contract with the county at an agreed-on dollar amount can participate in the county’s emergency response program. These cities become part of the county’s emergency services area, receiving the same level of response as unincorporated King County.

Working with us

The Road Services Division works to provide services to other jurisdiction efficiently, cost effectively, and with as much administrative ease as possible. We work with customer cities to:

• Schedule work in a timely manner to achieve efficiencies;
• Provide documentation and financial data to manage programs and projects effectively;
• Develop accurate cost estimates so cities get the best value for their taxpayers.

Learn more about how we manage contract city services.

Our work groups

There are four major work groups in the Road Services Division. Customer cities may work with any or all of the work groups, and in many cases their work overlaps. View a management org chart (33KB .doc) of the Road Services Division. Our work groups are:

• Roads Maintenance Section
• Traffic Engineering and Maintenance Section
• Engineering Services Section
• Capital Improvement Program and Planning Section

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Customer cities

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Contact us

Mary Coltrane
Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator
King County Road Services Division
King Street Center
201 S. Jackson St.
Seattle , WA 98104
206-296-3724
206-296-0566 (fax)

Updated: Sept. 18, 2007