Drafter
Clerk 04/27/2020
Title
AN ORDINANCE instituting a hiring freeze for all nonessential county personnel through the end of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency; and declaring an emergency.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. On January 21, 2020, the Washington state Department of Health confirmed the first case of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") in the United States in Snohomish County. COVID-19, a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death, is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a new strain of coronavirus that had not been previously identified in humans and can easily spread from person to person.
B. On February 29, 2020, the Washington state governor proclaimed that a State of Emergency exists in all counties in the state of Washington as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
C. The King County executive issued a proclamation of emergency on March 1, 2020, in order to allow King County to quickly respond to the new or different demands on service in response to the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
D. In March 2020, the state and the county instituted "stay-at-home" orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19 that: require that all persons stay home unless they need to pursue an essential activity; ban all gatherings for social, spiritual and recreational purposes; and close all businesses except defined essential businesses. The orders have resulted in a significant number of closed businesses, severely restricted travel and movement and historic unemployment. Economists have reported that these changes will most likely result in a financial recession.
E. The director of the office of performance, strategy and budget has reported that COVID-19 closures, reductions in economic activity and the ensuing recession have already dramatically affected county revenues, especially sales tax and other economically sensitive revenues.
F. The director reports that certain count...
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