Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to public transportation; amending the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation, 2007 - 2016 adopted by Ordinance 15963 and the transit division's financial policy adopted by Ordinance 15914; and amending Ordinance 15963, Section 2, and Ordinance 15914, Section 2.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings: The council makes the following findings:
A. Ordinance 15582 was passed by the King County council and approved by the voters in 2006. By approving this ordinance, the voters authorized King County to impose a one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax ("the Transit Now tax"). The ordinance limits the use of the proceeds of the Transit Now tax to a program of public transportation improvements, described in Attachment A to Ordinance 15582, to be implemented by King County Metro over a ten year period ("the Transit Now program"). In approving Ordinance 15582, the council assumed that the current transit system would remain intact, and that the Transit Now program would increase the overall 2006 transit system size.
B. Ordinance 15963, passed by the King County council in 2007, adopted the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation, 2007-2016 ("the Strategic Plan") to provide guidance about improvements to the public transportation system. This guidance is consistent with Attachment A to Ordinance 15582, which describes the Transit Now program and with Ordinance 15756, which establishes processes and criteria to implement the partnership programs included in the Transit Now program. A phasing plan was included in the Strategic Plan to guide how the projected new service hours would be invested over the ten-year period.
C. New revenues from increased transit sales taxes, additional farebox revenue and other operating funds were expected to be available to finance continuing improvements to the public transportation system identified in the Strategic Plan through the year 2016.
D. Duri...
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