title
A MOTION adopting the priorities of King County for the 2008 budget.
Body
WHEREAS, under the King County charter, the county council is the policy determining body and adopts budgets for King County government, and
WHEREAS, the executive under the charter carries out policy as set by the council and presents budgets and a budget message setting forth the programs which he proposes for the county during the next fiscal year, and
WHEREAS, the council has over the years provided policy direction to the executive to be reflected in the proposed budget, including initiatives such as the office of information resource management, the juvenile and adult justice operational master plans, realignment of the district court system, expansion of drug and mental health courts, development of framework policies for human services, establishment of the nearshore habitat conservation initiative, creation of the cultural development authority, the property expert review task force, the citizens election oversight committee, the county's annexation and children's health initiatives and the public health operational master plan, and
WHEREAS, the council has been a leader in promoting performance management in King County and adopted Motion 11561 in 2002 encouraging the executive to broaden the use of performance measurement throughout county government as a way of enhancing management of scarce resources and demonstrating accountability, and WHEREAS, such priorities as efficiency, greater public trust and wise management of scarce resources are valid both for agencies that receive general fund revenues and agencies such as the road services division and the Transit Division that are funded through revenues dedicated for specific purposes, and
WHEREAS, in October 2006, the council adopted Motion 12367 setting the Priorities for People for the 2007 budget, and
WHEREAS, the Priorities for People included the major categories of earning public trust, enhancing quality of life, and protecting human health and safety, and
WHEREAS, for 2007, the council took further steps to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of King County government and to increase public trust by creating the financial policies advisory task force, by appropriating funds in the budget to study the creation of an office of economic and financial analysis, by funding the capital projects oversight pilot project, by creating the office of law enforcement oversight, by initiating a performance audit of the development and management of major capital projects, and by undertaking a pilot biennial budgeting project, and
WHEREAS, to further the council's effort to adopt priorities that serve the people of King County, the council initiated the citizen engagement project under which five workshops, two public forums and an online survey were used to help the council determine the priorities of our citizens for 2008 and thereafter, and
WHEREAS, the results of the citizen engagement project revealed that citizens ranked courts as a key to the working of the law, safety and justices programs of the county, that public health clinics serve a critical role in providing services to less fortunate and uninsured citizens in the county, that low-income housing and youth and family services are among the highest priorities in community health and human services program areas, and that regional parks and open space are among the most important functions in the natural resources and environment program areas, and
WHEREAS, the council has used the citizen input along with their other contacts with the people and their professional and leadership knowledge and abilities to develop priorities for 2008;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The council intends that the King County 2008 budget support the priorities of
county government as described in the attached King County Budget Priorities for 2008 - Building on 2007 Priorities for People - Setting and Implementing the Council Vision.
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