Bob chats with new Shoreline City Councilmember Terry Scott at a recent town hall meeting.

King County Council holds Committee of the Whole (COW) Town Hall meeting in Shoreline

I am excited to be sponsoring legislation that will give the King County Council a roadmap for bringing public campaign financing, or voter-owned elections, to King County races. The council will hold a special Town Hall Meeting on Monday, May 19, at the Shoreline Conference Center, 18560 1st Avenue Northeast, in Shoreline, for a panel discussion and public comments on this subject. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., with a reception beginning at 6:00 p.m.

You can learn more about this important topic by listening to my King County Conversations Podcast or by viewing my recent Comcast Newsmakers interview. You may also read my current Seattle Times Op-Ed on the issue.

BNSF Eastside Corridor

You may be aware that the Port of Seattle has committed to buying the 42-mile Burlington Northern Santa Fe (“BNSF”) Eastside Corridor, which runs from Renton to Snohomish, for approximately $107 million. King County is buying an easement to build a multi-use trail along the same corridor for approximately $2 million. The negotiations between BNSF, the Port of Seattle and King County are complex and ongoing. I am heavily involved in these negotiations. As with any deal that is being negotiated, the documents are all a work in progress and change by the hour.

I remain committed to dual use of the corridor, for trail and rail users alike. My guiding principles for the negotiations are:

• I support the port and county effort to bring the corridor into public ownership.
• I support having the corridor rail banked.
• I support a regional public process for determining the future use of the corridor and the trail.
• I support building a trail.
• I recognize that multi-use and bicycle transportation corridors will become increasingly important commuting options as gridlock worsens and commuters recognize the environmental impacts of their commute choices.

King County Animal Shelters

Animal care in King County is a function of the executive branch, and it is our role on the County Council to provide legislative oversight. As part of this oversight role, the council has received three separate reports (UC Davis; Consultant Nathan Winograd – Part 1 and Part 2; Citizens' Advisory Committee) detailing the conditions of King County’s animal shelters. Each report has been troubling. This is an emergency and my colleagues and I are working to implement short- and long-term solutions on behalf of the animals in King County’s care.

The Operating Budget Committee, which I chair, recently approved an ordinance to provide nearly $1 million to fund the immediate operational and capital improvements needed by King County Animal Services. The County Council also approved a motion that will allow private veterinarians to assist medical staff at county animal shelters.

Send me an email: bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov

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