Drafter
Clerk 03/01/2010
Title
AN ORDINANCE providing for appropriation by phases for high-risk capital projects and establishing standardized requirements for capital project reporting and cost-estimating; amending Ordinance 12076, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 4.04.020, Ordinance 12076, Section 3, as amended, and K.C.C. 4.04.030, Ordinance 14743, Section 6, and K.C.C. 4.04.265, Ordinance 13035, Section 5, as amended, and K.C.C. 4.04.270, Ordinance 14811, Section 6, and K.C.C. 4.04.273, Ordinance 14452, Section 5, and K.C.C. 4.04.275, Ordinance 14122, Section 6, as amended, and K.C.C. 4.04.280, Ordinance 14921, Section 6, and K.C.C. 4.06.040 and adding new sections to K.C.C. chapter 4.04.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. On June 22, 2009, the state Auditor released an Accountability Audit Report of King County, wherein the state Auditor expressed concerns about oversight of capital projects.
2. The council has previously taken significant steps to provide capital project oversight. For example, in 2006, the council created a capital projects oversight office in the county auditor's office that oversees the county's large capital construction projects. In 2008, the council required the executive to transmit a critical analysis report for all current capital improvement projects over seven hundred fifty thousand dollars. These are just two of many capital projects oversight actions that the council has taken.
3. The state Auditor found that "lack of adequate performance measures and expectations prevent the King County Executive and Council from providing adequate oversight of construction activity." The state Auditor noted, "We believe some of the variances [between initial budget and final project cost] may be attributed to poor budget estimation, inaccurate or incomplete project specifications and/or inadequate cost controls."
4. On July 13, 2009, the council passed Motion 13026, directing that the council consider legislation by September 15, 2009, t...
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