Drafter

Clerk 04/02/2026

Title

A MOTION approving a memorandum of understanding to restructure the Eastrail regional advisory council.

Body

                     WHEREAS, Eastrail, formerly known as the Eastside Rail Corridor or ERC, is a forty-two-mile corridor that extends from Renton to Snohomish and from Woodinville to Redmond, and

                     WHEREAS, the King County council originally established the governance structure of the Eastside Rail Corridor regional advisory council ("the RAC") on December 11, 2012, in accordance with Motion 13801, to create a collaborative group to carry out a regional planning process to ensure effective use of the southern portion of Eastrail and the Redmond Spur, and

                     WHEREAS, the King County council approved the original membership of the RAC with Motion 13834 on February 11, 2013, and

                     WHEREAS, the RAC's original membership was comprised of owner jurisdictions and included:  three King County councilmembers; the King County executive or the executive's designee; one representative from the city of Redmond; one representative from the city of Kirkland; one representative from Puget Sound Energy; and one representative from Sound Transit, and

                     WHEREAS, on June 6, 2016, in Motion 14654, the King County council approved the 2016 work plan for the RAC, which called for redesign of the governance structure previously adopted in Motion 13801, and

                     WHEREAS, the King County council approved King County Parks’ Eastside Rail Corridor Regional Trail Final Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement on February 13, 2017, in Motion 14805, and

                     WHEREAS, on June 7, 2017, the RAC membership reached consensus to amend its administrative procedures and expand its membership to include members from  jurisdictions not holding ownership interests in the corridor but through which sections of the corridor pass and the Eastside Greenway Alliance ("EGA"), a group representing nonprofit and private sector voices, to support the development of the vision of the corridor and surrounding land uses in accordance with the 2016 work plan approved by the King County council in Motion 14654, and

                     WHEREAS, the King County council approved a memorandum of understanding on August 14, 2017, in Motion 14922, to restructure the RAC to include additional jurisdictions and stakeholders as members as well as to expand its scope of work to align with the 2013 Creating Connections report and the 2016 work plan adopted by the RAC, and

                     WHEREAS, in accordance with Motion 14922, the RAC serves as a venue for coordinating efforts of member jurisdictions to advance common goals such as advocating for the funding and implementation of Trail Master Plan improvements, and

                     WHEREAS, on January 25, 2019, the RAC reached consensus to change its name from the Eastside Rail Corridor regional advisory council to the Eastrail regional advisory council, and the King County council made that change in Motion 15531, and

                     WHEREAS, at its January 31, 2022, quarterly meeting, the RAC reached consensus in support of modifications of its leadership structure, to be formalized through revisions to its 2017 memorandum of understanding, and recommended to its member entities that they take action to approve those revisions, and

                     WHEREAS, the King County council approved a memorandum of understanding on July 5, 2022, in Motion 16154, to restructure the RAC to provide that two chairs lead the RAC, one of which would be an elected official from the King County RAC membership and the other to be an elected official from another Eastrail owner jurisdiction, and

                     WHEREAS, on October 14, 2025, EGA notified the RAC cochairs that, in light of having met its objectives in supporting the development of the corridor and serving as a member of the RAC since 2017, it would be relinquishing its membership in the RAC, and

                     WHEREAS, at the RAC's quarterly meeting held on October 31, 2025, the other RAC member entities reached consensus that they would support EGA's decision to relinquish its membership in the RAC and take the necessary steps to formalize this change in RAC membership;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:

                     The memorandum of understanding regarding the organization of the Eastrail regional advisory council, which is Attachment A to this motion, is hereby approved.