Metro proposes service changes

On July 18, 2009, Sound Transit is scheduled to begin its long awaited Link light rail service. As a result, Metro is proposing one of the biggest bus service changes in its history. These proposed service changes are meant to increase Metro service to Rainier Valley and other Southeast Seattle communities, connect neighborhoods to Link light rail stations, and to overlapping routes with Metro bus service. The County Council is scheduled to vote in May on proposed Metro bus service changes for the southeast Seattle area and southwest King County the majority of which will take effect this September and the rest in February 2010.

The proposed service changes will significantly affect District 2, especially the Central Area and Southeast Seattle. I want to make sure you are aware of these proposed changes and have an opportunity to give the King County Council your input before we make any decisions on routes that affect your commute and your daily life. Please join me and my colleagues at a special meeting to hear your comment and thoughts on our proposed route changes.

The King County Council meeting where we want you to come and testify about the bus route changes Metro is recommending will be held next week:

Tuesday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Council chambers
10th floor, King County Courthouse
Third and James Streets, Seattle

The changes being considered could affect Metro routes: 7, 7 Express, 8, 9 Express, 14, 32, 34 Express, 36, 38, 39, 42, 42 Express, 48, 60, 106, 107, 126, 128, 140, 154, 170, 174, 179, 180, 191, and 194. For more information on the proposed service changes, please visit Metro’s website http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/sc/plans/2009/042009-sesea.html or call my office at (206) 296-1002.

Congratulations Franklin Quakers!

Councilmember Gossett congratulates members of the Franklin High School Quakers Basketball team on becoming the 2009 3A Boys Champions.

King County budget update

Like the state and federal government, King County is facing a bleak budget forecast. The projected budget deficit for 2010 is $50 million in our general revenue fund and is expected to increase as sales tax revenues continue to decrease. The worldwide recession only exacerbates the general fund structural gap – the county’s revenues only increase approximately 2 to 3 percent a year while our expenses for the same level of service grows 4 to 5 percent annually. The county’s general fund comprises approximately 14 percent of the county budget ($650 million), but funds most of the services people expect the county to provide - the courts, prevention and intervention programs, the sheriff; human services, and public health - are wholly dependent on the general fund.

As the Chair of the Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, I am working with my colleagues to balance the tension between the difficulty we are having finding the funds to support the increased expenditures necessary to operate our critical and vital county services to the people of Martin Luther King Jr. County. I will continue working to increase efficiencies in the general fund instead of simply reducing the services the county provides and the residents have come to rely on. As the year progresses, I will keep you updated on the county’s budget situation. If you have any questions or comments about the county’s budget crisis please feel free to contact my office at (206) 296-1002 or visit my website at www.kingcounty.gov/gossett.

Should you have any ideas or suggestions on topics related to King County government or the community you would like to have my comment on, please email me at larry.gossett@kingcounty.gov