October, 2011

In this newsletter:
1. Budget public hearings in October
2. Rapid Ride B-Line free rides October 1-2
3. Please take King County’s River Management Survey
4. Districting Committee reschedules public hearing to November 1
5. How to find product recalls
6. Issaquah Salmon Days on October 1-2

Dear District 3 friend,

Thank you for your interest in staying informed about activities and issues in King County. I hope you have a productive and pleasant autumn.

Best wishes,

Kathy Lambert

1. Budget public hearings in October

On September 26, King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed a $5.3 billion budget that includes a $648 million General Fund budget. The budget is largely federal and state pass-through dollars for special purposes. The General Fund contains general purpose dollars, and more than three-quarters of it is targeted for law, justice and public safety services. This year, I will serve as Vice Chair of the Budget Leadership Team and direct the Public Health and Safety Panel, which will assess the Executive’s proposed budgets for law, justice and public safety agencies along with the departments of Community & Human Services and Public Health. Along with the Physical Environment Panel and the General Government Panel, the budget review will begin on October 4 and continue through expected adoption on November 21. Read more at www.kingcounty.gov/council/news/2011/September/budg_REAX

Citizens are invited to submit their comments in writing, by phone, online, or in person at three evening public hearings:
• Thursday, October 13 – Pacific Cascade Middle School, 24635 SE Issaquah - Fall City Rd, Issaquah
• Wednesday, October 19 – Maleng Regional Justice Center, Courtroom 3F, 401 Fourth Avenue North, Kent
• Tuesday, October 25 – King County Courthouse, County Council Chambers, 10th Floor, 516 Third Avenue, Seattle

All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. Day-after coverage of the public hearings will be available both online and on King County TV Channel 22. Stay informed about the budget process at www.kingcounty.gov/council/budget

2. Rapid Ride B-Line free rides October 1-2

Brand new bus shelters and real-time bus arrival reader boards are part of the new Rapid Ride B-Line that I participated in announcing on September 28. I also got to try out the wi-fi that is available on these new hybrid buses!

On September 28, I was excited to participate in the launch of Metro Transit’s Rapid Ride B-Line, which offers fast, comfortable, and easy access bus service between the Redmond and Bellevue transit centers. The B-Line will start carrying passengers at 6 a.m. Saturday, October 1, and rides will be free all weekend. This investment in frequent service, with buses arriving every 10-15 minutes, makes using transit convenient and adds service where people need to go, whether to work, shopping or medical appointments. RapidRide also adds transit connections that will help relieve traffic congestion. This will be especially useful during construction of the State Route 520 Bridge. Read more at www.kingcounty.gov/
transportation/kcdot/
NewsCenter/NewsReleases/2011/
September/nr092811_BLine

3. Please take King County’s River Management Survey

In an effort to improve river management and communication practices, King County is conducting a survey this month to gather resident opinions about rivers, how rivers are used and how they are managed. The survey focuses on learning more about how residents value rivers, residents’ familiarity with river management practices and their opinions about river recreation opportunities. A local research firm will be randomly contacting King County residents by phone for the survey, which will take about 10 minutes to complete. The survey also is available online at www.kingcounty.gov/rivers.

Everyone participating in the survey will remain anonymous. For questions about the survey, call King County River and Floodplain Management at 206-296-8001. For information about flooding in King County, visit www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/flooding. For information about river safety in King County, go to www.kingcounty.gov/riversafety.

4. Districting Committee reschedules public hearing to November 1

The King County Districting Committee is rescheduling its public hearing on a proposed redistricting plan for November 1 at 6:30 p.m. from the previously scheduled date of October 3. The change will allow residents and local city councils, who usually meet only a few times per month, a better opportunity review the plan and provide comment. The deadline for written testimony also has been extended to November 1. The hearing will be:

Tuesday, November 1, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
King County Courthouse
Council Chambers, 10th Floor
516 Third Avenue, Seattle

The Committee voted unanimously last week to release a single draft redistricting proposal for additional public comment on new boundaries for the nine County Council districts. The November 1 public hearing is the last phase of public review prior to final action by the Committee. The draft plan is available online at www.kingcounty.gov/districting.

5. How to find product recalls

Recalls on various consumer products are announced on a daily basis, such as vehicles, foods, medicines and toys. Consumers have the ability to learn about recalls that may involve the products they use. Information about recalls in general can be found at www.recalls.gov/recent. In addition, recalls related to vehicles can be found at www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/Recalls+&+Defects.

6. Issaquah Salmon Days on October 1-2

See you at the 42nd annual Issaquah Salmon Days Festival this weekend! More information is available at www.salmondays.org.