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AN ORDINANCE relating to accepting gifts, bequests and donations; amending Ordinance 1168, Section 1, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.80.010, adding a new section to K.C.C. chapter 2.80; and declaring an emergency.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. On February 29, 2020, public health - Seattle & King County confirmed the first cases of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19"), including one death, in the county.
B. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death and can easily spread from person to person.
C. On March 1, 2020, King County executive Dow Constantine signed a proclamation of emergency in response to COVID-19, enabling "extraordinary measures" to fight the outbreak.
D. On March 9, 2020, public health - Seattle & King County reported 116 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and a total of twenty reported deaths from COVID-19.
E. Since the proclamation of emergency issued, many residents, local businesses, philanthropies and others have indicated their intent to donate monies to the county for its efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19.
F. Suspending the requirement that individual donations valued at more than two thousand dollars must be accepted by the council by motion will facilitate the county's ability to quickly apply those moneys to the county's COVID-19 response efforts and thereby immediately begin contributing to preservation of public peace, health or safety or for the support of county government and its existing public institutions.
G. The council has authority to enact an emergency appropriation ordinance as set forth in Section 470.20 of the King County Charter.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 1168, Section 1, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.80.010 are hereby amended to read as follows:
Gifts, bequests and donations, of more than two thousand dollars, shall be accepted on behalf of King County by motion of the county council, except as otherwise provided in section 3 of this ordinance.
NEW SECTION. SECTION 3. There is hereby added to K.C.C. chapter 2.80 a new section to read as follows:
A. During the period of an emergency proclaimed by the executive in accordance with K.C.C. 12.52.030, the executive may accept gifts, bequests or donations received for responding to the proclaimed emergency purposes on behalf of King County, and K.C.C. 2.80.010 shall be suspended until the either the executive terminates the proclamation of emergency or, by motion of the council, K.C.C. 2.80.010 is reinstated.
B. The executive shall report to the council all donations accepted under this section. The report should include the name of each grantor, the donation amount, the date on which the donation was made and any donation restrictions. The report required by this section should be filed within six months of the termination of the emergency proclamation, in the form of a paper original and an electronic copy with the clerk of the council, who shall retain the original and provide an electronic copy to all councilmembers, the council chief of staff and the policy staff director.
SECTION 4. The council finds as a fact and declares that an emergency exists and that the enactment of this ordinance as an emergency ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health or safety or for the support of county government and its existing public institutions.