Drafter
Clerk 10/28/2013
Title
A MOTION authorizing the chair of the council to expend up to $25,000 as a cost-share contribution for professional facilitation services in 2013 associated with the conservation panel and task force processes, in cooperation with the King Conservation District and consistent with Ordinance 17474.
Body
WHEREAS, chapter 39.34 RCW, the Interlocal Cooperation Act, and RCW 89.08.341 permit the county and the King Conservation District to enter into agreements for cooperatively promoting, facilitating and implementing programs and activities relating to the conservation of natural resources, and
WHEREAS, the county has a variety of programs and regulations that relate to farm practices and the preservation of natural resources that are best implemented in cooperation and coordination with the district, and
WHEREAS, RCW 89.08.070(8) encourages the district and the county to coordinate efforts on planning programs and activities and to avoid duplication of efforts, and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 17474 was adopted on November 14, 2012, imposing a natural resource conservation rate and charge for the King Conservation District for the years 2013 and 2014 and authorizing the executive to execute an interlocal agreement between King County and the King Conservation District relating to natural resource conservation, and
WHEREAS, Section III. B. 5 of the interlocal agreement calls for the county and the district to jointly convene a multi-jurisdictional task force to investigate the availability of conservation and natural resource programs and services in King County, and
WHEREAS, on December 17, 2012, an authorized designee of the executive executed the interlocal agreement, and
WHEREAS, in January 2013, the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors directed its staff to work with the county to procure professional service assistance to facilitate the multijurisdictional task force, hereinafter referred to as the "conservation panel and task force," and
WHEREAS, in accordance with its procurement rules, the King Conservation District directed the process for selecting a consultant facilitator to support the conservation panel and task force work, and
WHEREAS, the King Conservation District prepared a request for proposals for a consultant facilitator with a response submittal date of January 25, 2013, and
WHEREAS, the King Conservation District invited at least ten firms to submit proposals, and the King Conservation District received five consultant submittals that were deemed responsive to the request for proposals, and
WHEREAS, three consulting teams were interviewed for the facilitation work by a panel comprised of two King Conservation District and two county staff on March 4 through 6, 2013, and
WHEREAS, by consensus scoring of the joint King Conservation District and county interview team, the consultant Agreement Dynamics was selected as the most responsive and best qualified firm to serve as the facilitator for the conservation panel and task force work, and
WHEREAS, in early March 2013, the King Conservation District board of supervisors approved by motion the selection of the facilitator as recommended by the joint district and county staff interview team, and
WHEREAS, on April 1, 2013, an authorized designee of the executive signed a memorandum of understanding between the county and the district creating the multijurisdictional conservation panel and task force, detailing the work scope for the conservation panel and task force process, describing the role and budget of the consultant facilitator and agreeing to jointly provide staff support and to share professional service costs with the King Conservation District, and
WHEREAS, since April 2013, the council staff have actively participated in the conservation panel and task force processes, working cooperatively with the King Conservation District to evaluate and plan natural resource conservation efforts, including projects and activities to conserve soils, to improve the quality of water in the county, to protect natural resources and to assist landowners in King County to comply with laws and regulations that protect the quality of soil, water and resources in King County, and
WHEREAS, the meetings of the conservation panel and task force have successfully concluded, but work remains to write up findings and recommendations for submittal to the King Conservation District board of supervisors and the metropolitan King County council before December 31, 2013, and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate for the council as participant in the conservation panel and task force to pay a part of King County's share of the costs of the professional services provided for the conservation panel and task force processes, as long as the council's share does not exceed either $25,000 or more than twenty-five percent of the invoiced costs of the facilitator, whichever is less;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The chair of the metropolitan King County council is authorized to expend as part of council's share of professional services costs for the facilitator for the conservation panel and task force work the lesser of $25,000 or twenty-five percent of total costs invoiced to the King Conservation District for the services. The chair is authorized to
make this expenditure by interfund transfer to the department of natural resources and parks upon receipt of copies of the facilitator's invoices.