December 2010

Council adopts 2011 budget

Several weeks ago the King County Council adopted a $5.1 billion 2011 King County Budget that reflected the difficult choices needed to be made in order to produce a balanced budget. Fortunately, the 2011 budget maintains core public safety and health services, and assists survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

“This is by no means a perfect budget, but there are some bright spots,” said Council Vice Chair Jane Hague. “There are some significant steps towards making sure King County can live within its means. I was pleased to see that the Council was able to come up with some innovative ways to save money.”

Highlights include:

Over 90% of County employees gave up their cost of living adjustments (COLA’s): As a result $23.5 million was saved across all county agencies for 2011. $6.1 million of that amount was in the general fund, which made it possible to save jobs and preserve some human services.

The County was able to significantly cut its overhead through creative solutions: The legislative branch of King County was able to create half a million dollars in annual savings through consolidation and weeding out inefficiencies. Prior to 2011, legislative offices such as the County Board of Appeals were spread out over three buildings; now they’re all housed on two floors in the Courthouse. The Council also reorganized its administration structure to enhance savings.

AAA Bond rating: The credit rating agencies recently reaffirmed the county's AAA bond rating. Through fiscal restraint, the council has not spent any of the county’s $15 million rainy day fund or any of its six percent cash reserve, which amounts to an additional $31 million in reserves. These cash reserves prepare the county for unforeseen emergencies and are vital to maintain the county's high credit rating, which saves taxpayers millions of dollars every year.

Read more about the county budget

Town hall meeting in January with Councilmember Hague

Join Councilmember Jane Hague (District 6) and Councilmember Kathy Lambert (District 3) for a town hall discussion on transportation. The town hall is currently scheduled for Tuesday, January 11, 2011, 6:30 PM at the Mercer Island Community Center. More details to follow. Watch your inboxes!

Tolling on SR 520 Bridge begins this spring

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has recently released a video about how tolling will work starting spring 2011. Commuters should be aware of the proposed toll rates recently announced by the Washington State Transportation Commission. The six-minute video shows the essentials of Washington’s Good to Go! all-electronic tolling system and highlights how users can be ready by Spring 2011.

Watch the video
For additional information, visit GoodToGo520.org.
For questions or comments, e-mail goodtogotolling@wsdot.wa.gov.

Stay up-to-date with Metro weather alerts

Hard to believe but snow came early this year! King County Metro has an entire collection of resources to keep you up-to-date on the latest transit conditions. Bus riders should check www.kingcounty.gov/metro/snow for the most current status of Metro service before traveling. When snow begins to fall, buses will go to snow routing as necessary given road conditions in a broad geographic area. All bus routes are now assigned into one or more of seven geographic areas within King County. The service status of each area will be color coded and displayed on an online snow map. If you don’t have access to the web, you can also call the Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000.

Eastside drivers can also get up-to-date traffic and construction information from the state’s DOT website. A color-coded map shows statewide traffic conditions. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 5-1-1.

Be safe out there this holiday season!

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