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A MOTION relating to the Fish Passage Restoration program, accepting the strategic plan, an updated work plan , and summary of changes made to public-facing materials as required by the 2024 King County Comprehensive Plan, which is Attachment A to Ordinance 19881.
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WHEREAS, the 2024 King County Comprehensive Plan ("Comprehensive Plan"), Attachment A to Ordinance 19881, recognizes that in March 2024, the King County auditor's office released an audit of King County’s Fish Passage Restoration program, and
WHEREAS, the audit found that the program’s sequencing of low-impact projects before high-impact projects was not in alignment with the county goal of opening the best habitat as quickly as possible and puts more impactful projects at risk if there are funding or staffing shortages later, and
WHEREAS, the audit also found that the program does not consider the impact of non-county-owned barriers to fish passage when reporting the number of miles of restored habitat, thereby overstating the reported impact of the program, and
WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan includes Work Plan Action 10 requesting the executive to develop a fish passage restoration program strategic plan, review and update of the program's ten-year work plan to ensure it is aligned with county goals and with the goals of the strategic plan developed in accordance with the strategic plan, update to the program's public facing materials to ensure that they accurately reflect the decision-making considerations and tradeoffs involved in its workplan development and the resulting schedule of projects, and transmit a motion accepting these deliverables by March 31, 2025, and
WHEREAS, the water and land resources division of the department of natural resources and parks developed a strategic plan clarifying goals and objectives, reviewed and updated a long-term capital work plan for alignment with the program goals and objectives, and updated the program’s public-facing materials as called for by the Comprehensive Plan, and
WHEREAS, extension of the transmittal date to September 30, 2025, occurred to better ensure a complete and accurate submittal, and
WHEREAS, the 2024 King County Comprehensive Plan, which is Attachment A to Ordinance 19881, called for an update to the ten year work plan, the update resulted in a work plan covering 2023 through 2039 fish passage projects, a planning horizon that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the strategic plan.
WHEREAS, the water and land resources division has submitted the King County fish passage restoration strategic plan, which includes the updated fish passage capital work plan and a summary of changes made to public-facing materials, called for by the Comprehensive Plan;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The King County council hereby accepts Attachment A to this motion, which is the strategic plan, an updated work plan, and summary of changes made to public-facing materials as required by the 2024 King County Comprehensive Plan, which is Attachment A to Ordinance 19881.