Drafter

Clerk 05/04/2016

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AN ORDINANCE relating to public transportation; adopting updates to the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation 2011-2021 and the King County Metro Service Guidelines; and repealing Ordinance 17143, Section 3, Ordinance 17386, Section 1, Ordinance 17641, Section 1, and Ordinance 17143, Section 4, as amended.

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STATEMENT OF FACTS:

1.  The King County council adopted the King County Metro Strategic Plan for Public Transportation 2011-2021 ("strategic plan") and the King County Metro Service Guidelines ("service guidelines") in July 2011.

2.  The regional transit task force recommended that the strategic plan and service guidelines focus on transparency and clarity, cost control, productivity, social equity, geographic value and sustainable funding.

3.  In 2010, the first-ever countywide King County Strategic Plan 2010-2014 was adopted via Ordinance 16897, establishing prioritized goals, objectives and strategies for the programs and services of King County government.  This countywide plan was also intended to provide a framework for all agency-level strategic planning, including planning for the transit division.

4.  The strategic plan and service guidelines build on the King County Strategic Plan 2010-2014 and the policy framework and recommendations of the regional transit task force and are also guided by the challenges King County Metro faces: population and economic growth, demographic changes, funding, the environment, customer service and satisfaction, access to transit, and an evolving transportation system.

5.  The strategic plan and service guidelines are meant to be living documents setting the policy for and guiding the implementation of the Metro transit service network while responding to growth throughout the county, while also incorporating regular review of policies by the regional transit committee.

6.  Ordinance 17143, Section 6, which adopted the strategic plan and service guidelines, directed the executive to transmit to the council an ordinance to update the strategic plan and service guidelines by April 30, 2012, 2013 and 2015, and as necessary thereafter for the purpose of validating policy intent of the strategic plan.

7.  Ordinance 18029, Section 1, changed the due date for the April 30, 2015 update to December 15, 2015, to allow for the formation of a regional stakeholder task force called for in the 2015/2016 Biennial Budget Ordinance, Ordinance 17941, Section113, Proviso P1 to provide recommendations that influence the updates to the strategic plan and service guidelines.

8.  In February 2015, the council passed Motion 14304, adopting the work plan for a regional stakeholder transit task force that convened from March through October 2015.  The task force made consensus recommendations in October, 2015 after reviewing the following policy areas identified in the charge:

  a.  How transit service performance is measured as specified in the service guidelines to reflect the varied purposes of different types of transit service;

  b.  Approaches to evaluating how the goal of geographic value is included in the service guidelines, including minimum service standards;

  c.  Approaches to evaluating how the goal of social equity is included in the service guidelines;

  d.  Financial policies for purchase of additional services within a municipality or among multiple municipalities; and

  e.  Guidelines for alternative services implementation.

9.  In addition to changes recommended by the regional stakeholder task force, the legislation and updates to the strategic plan and service guidelines include:

  a.  Changes necessary to account for separately adopted transit policy documents including updating the strategic plan and service guidelines;

  b.  Any proposed changes to address unanticipated issues associated with implementing the strategic plan and service guidelines, including the factors that implement the concepts of productivity including land use, social equity and geographic value;

  c.  Changes that may be necessary to achieve the five-year implementation plan required in Ordinance 17143, Section 7;

  d.  Changes necessary to address the results of the collaborative process required in Ordinance 17143, Section 8; and

  e.  Additional substantive changes proposed following regional transit committee discussion.

10.  In response to the regional transit task force recommendation to consider alternative service products, the strategic plan for public transportation establishes the goal of providing alternative services to areas that are not well-served by fixed route service. The alternative transit program was initiated through Ordinance 17143, Section 7, which directed the establishment of a five-year implementation plan for alternatives to traditional transit service delivery.  Motion 13736 accepted the five-year implementation plan and requested an annual report on alternative services progress. Ordinance 17941, Section 113, as amended by Ordinance 18110, Section 49, Proviso P8, established the 2015-2018 alternative services demonstration program; and starting in 2014, the alternative services annual report has been included in the annual service guidelines report required by Ordinance 17143, Section 5, as amended by Ordinance 17597, Section 1.

                     BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:

                     SECTION 1.  The King County Metro Strategic Plan for Public Transportation 2011-2021 is hereby updated as provided in Attachment A to this ordinance and the King County Metro Service Guidelines are hereby updated as provided in Attachment B to this ordinance.

                     SECTION 2.  The following are each hereby repealed:

                     A.  Ordinance 17143, Section 3;

                     B.  Ordinance 17386, Section 1;

                     C.  Ordinance 17641, Section 1; and

                     D.  Ordinance 17143, Section 4, as amended.

                     SECTION 3.  A.  The regional transit committee intends to monitor progress in the implementation of:

                       1.  The 2015-2018 alternative services demonstration program established by Ordinance 17941, Section 113, as amended by Ordinance 18110, Section 49, Proviso P8;

                       2.  Strategic plan strategies 2.1.1, 2.1.4, 6.2.3 and 6.2.4; and

                       3.  The Planning Alternative Services section of the service guidelines.

                     B.  To allow the committee to more-effectively monitor progress in the implementation of alternative services and to consider possible future amendments to the strategic plan and service guidelines pertaining to prioritization criteria, performance measures and other aspects of the program, the transit division shall present updates to committee meetings at least quarterly and as requested by the chair and vice chair through approval of committee agendas. Each update shall include but not be limited to a discussion of the status of community engagement efforts, project implementation, and selected performance indicators; in addition:

                       1.  The third quarter 2016 update shall include a summary of the findings of the alternative services demonstration program eighteen month report required by Ordinance 17941, Section 13, Proviso P5;

                       2.  The fourth quarter 2016 update shall be integrated with the annual service guidelines report chapter on alternative services and shall include a schedule and process for evaluating the prioritization criteria included in the 2015 service guidelines update to aid in prioritizing projects when the demand for alternative services exceeds the revenues necessary to fund said services;

                       3.  The 2017 quarterly updates shall include a discussion of the schedule and process for evaluating the alternative services prioritization criteria to allow for regional transit committee participation in the process; and

                       4.  The fourth quarter 2017 update shall be integrated with the annual service

guidelines report chapter on alternative services and shall include recommended options for prioritization criteria as directed by subsection B.