What’s happening in District Four -- June 2008

Council Permits Farm Pads as Flood Protection on Agricultural Land

Councilmember Phillips supported legislation to allow farmers in floodways to construct farm pads as refuges from flooding for livestock, equipment and supplies. Read more.

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.

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 Councilmember Phillips 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.

Learn more about the Puget Sound Partnership.

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

Councilmember Larry Phillips 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

Councilmember Larry Phillips supported legislation providing voters with an alternative to Initiative 26, stating, “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.

Phillips: $68 million budget deficit should never have happened

In response to the King County Executive’s call for 8.6 percent across-the-board budget cut for all County agencies, Councilmember Larry Phillips, Chair of the County Council’s 2009 Budget Review and Adoption Committee, asserted that the County’s projected $68 million budget deficit for next year could have been avoided with better planning. Read more.

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. Read the Charter Review Commission report.