E-mail news from Larry Phillips, Metropolitan King County Council

King County to Build Green

In the United States, buildings account for 39 percent of our carbon emissions, 65 percent of our waste output, and 71 percent of our electrical consumption. The King County Council took steps to improve the environmental impact of county buildings by passing legislation requiring all King County government construction and major renovation projects to achieve a top national green construction rating for energy and environmental design, within certain budget constraints. Read more.

Learn more about the Puget Sound Partnership.

County Gets Early Lead on Puget Sound Recovery Efforts

With time of the essence in efforts to successfully restore the health of Puget Sound, the King County Council approved a plan for supporting the recovery work of the Puget Sound Partnership. The plan is the culmination of legislation I sponsored last year directing the Executive to prepare a plan to help position the county for an early start in the Puget Sound Partnership’s restoration work. Read more.

Harborview opens new inpatient expansion building named in honor of Norm Maleng

I joined Harborview Medical Center directors to celebrate the opening of the new inpatient expansion building at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The building is named in honor of the late Norm Maleng, the King County prosecutor for almost 30 years and a tireless advocate for the mission and services of Harborview. Read more.

County Candidates Could Declare Party Preference under Alternative to I-26

I supported legislation providing voters with an alternative to Initiative 26 because voters deserve to know the values and political preferences of candidates seeking to represent them. Initiative 26 qualified to be placed on the August primary ballot and would make the King County offices of Executive, Assessor and Council non-partisan. Under the Council’s alternative, the Council would still operate as a non-partisan body, but candidates running for office would have the option of stating their party preference on the ballot. Read more.

King County to examine using environmentally-friendly cleaning products

The King County Council took a step to “stay green” as it “stays clean” by directing the Executive to study the benefits of expanding the County’s environmentally preferable purchasing program for cleaning methods and products. Read more.

$68 million budget deficit should never have happened

In response to the King County Executive’s call for an 8.6 percent across-the-board budget cut for all County agencies, I asserted that the County’s projected $68 million budget deficit for next year could have been avoided with better planning. Read more.

Read the Charter Review Commission report.

Citizen Commission Recommends Charter Amendments

Every ten years, a citizen commission reviews the King County Charter and recommends charter amendments for the King County Council to place before voters to update the County’s “constitution.” After an extensive public involvement and review process, the Charter Review Commission advanced 12 proposed amendments to the Council for consideration for the November general election ballot. Read more.

Sound Transit completes 14-plus miles of continuous light rail track

I was on site to celebrate Sound Transit’s milestone of laying the last segment of track on the 14-mile Link light rail line under construction between Downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. Boardmembers took part in “hammering the golden spike” signifying the completion of the fourteen-plus miles of continuous light rail track. Read more.

Learn more about Link light rail.

Council calls for overhaul of King County Investment Pool

After a Council-appointed advisory panel urged “rapid and forceful action” to address “significant deficiencies” in the management of the $4.5 billion King County Investment Pool, I joined Councilmember Bob Ferguson in introducing legislation to examine implementing reforms in the governance and operations of the pool. Read more.

Learn more about King County’s Investment Pool.

In the community

I joined Mayor Nickels and other supporters to celebrate the restoration of the Salmon Bay Natural Area. The natural area is the last section of un-armored shoreline along Salmon Bay, and will provide critical habitat for Lake Washington salmon.