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A MOTION establishing the King County 2016 State Legislative Agenda.
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WHEREAS, the King County council and the King County executive have worked together through their respective government relations staff and desire to bring their positions on issues facing the 2016 Washington state Legislature to the attention of the Washington state Legislature, and
WHEREAS, King County desires to work cooperatively with other local governments and other organizations such as the Washington State Association of Counties, the Washington Association of County Officials, the Sound Cities Association and the Association of Washington Cities to achieve its 2016 legislative goals, and
WHEREAS, counties have been recognized by the Legislature as partners with the state in the delivery of such critical services as transportation, criminal justice, public health, community and human services and water quality, and
WHEREAS, King County is dependent on a strong fiscal partnership with the state in many areas, and
WHEREAS, King County has a limited number of revenue sources available to mitigate impacts of budget reductions at the state level, and
WHEREAS, the downturn of the economy has magnified structural revenue problems for counties, including the great volatility of the sales tax and the impact of a steep drop in assessed value on property tax, and
WHEREAS, King County's ability to deliver public health, human services, criminal justice, and other basic services is directly impacted by reductions in the state budget, and
WHEREAS, the national recession has resulted in dramatic budget shortfalls at all levels of government, with federal sequestration compounding cuts made by the state to the same services and programs, and
WHEREAS, King County is dedicated to exploring with the state new ideas for sustained funding for critical services such as transportation, criminal justice, health and human services and flood protection, and
WHEREAS, the King Cou...
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