Drafter
Clerk 10/08/2012
Title
A MOTION regarding access to public transportation mobility for low income populations; and the establishment of an advisory committee for mobility as an element of the health and human services safety net to assist in the development of new regional public transportation fare programs.
Body
WHEREAS, King County is responsible for the Metro transit system, which has a mission to provide the best possible public transportation services and improve regional mobility and quality of life in King County, and
WHEREAS, King County established "fair and just" as a countywide guiding principle within the adopted King County Strategic Plan and defined this equity and social justice program via Ordinance 16948 in order to achieve equitable opportunities for all people and communities, and
WHEREAS, King County provides public transportation fare discounts to seniors, disabled persons and youth riders, and participates in the regional reduced fare permit program with the goals of advancing the "fair and just" guiding principle, and
WHEREAS, because King County is committed to the goal of providing opportunities for all communities and individuals to realize their full potential, King County forgoes more than two million dollars per year of fare revenue through a program where community health and human services agencies purchase transit fare scrip at twenty percent of the cash transit fare value, and
WHEREAS, the United Way of King County, via its community assessment basic needs indicators, reports that requests for assistance with basic needs remains at high levels, and in many cases at the highest levels. United Way of King County also report that King County is currently experiencing its longest period of sustained, high unemployment since monthly unemployment rates began to be measured in the early 1940s, and
WHEREAS, the King County council desires to explore and develop new regional public transportation fare program concepts to meet the growing mobility needs of low income persons as part of the health and human services safety net, and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 16415, authorizing the executive to execute an amended and restated interlocal cooperation agreement for design, implementation, operation and maintenance of the regional fare coordination system, established the King County transit general manager as King County's representative on the joint board, which serves as the governing, policy-setting body overseeing the activities related to the ORCA fare media system, and
WHEREAS, the general manager notified the members of the ORCA joint board of King County's interest in exploring local and regional low income fare programs, and
WHEREAS, it is expected that low income fare programs will be considered as part of an overall transit fare program proposal from the King County executive, anticipated to be transmitted in 2013;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The executive is requested to convene an advisory committee on mobility as an element of the health and human services safety net. The purpose of the advisory committee is to assist in the review and development of new King County public transportation fare options for low income persons.
B. The executive should transmit by January 10, 2013, in the form of a motion for council confirmation advisory committee membership with the following executive-level representation:
1. One representative of the North Urban Human Service Alliance;
2 One representative of the Eastside Human Services Forum;
3. One representative of the South King Council of Human Services;
4 One representative of the Seattle Human Services Coalition;
5. Two representatives of low income consumer populations;
6. Three local jurisdiction representatives representing geographic diversity; and
7. Two business representatives.
C. The following staff shall serve as ex officio members of the advisory committee:
1. Two staff designated by the council;
2. Two staff designated by the executive;
3. A representative designated by the Washington state Department of Social and Health services;
4. The directors of the department of community and human services and public health; and
5. The general manager of the transit division of the King County department of transportation;
D. The advisory committee shall:
1. Establish a common understanding of mobility barriers for low income populations, and how transit fare price points affect access and use of transit by low-income persons;
2. Review the different types of transit fare options available to meet the mobility needs of low-income persons;
3. Review costs of potential King County low-income fare programs;
4. Recommend definitions of low income to be used for the implementation of transit fare programs;
5. Make prioritized recommendations related to the establishment of King County low-income fare programs;
5 Identify different options for funding low income fare programs and potential partners that may be willing to support such programs; and
6. Identify opportunities and recommendations for regional low income fare programs for potential consideration by agency partners of the ORCA joint board; and
E. Recommendations to the council by the advisory committee should be transmitted, in the form of a motion for acceptance by the council, by July 1, 2013, regarding regional low-income public transportation fare program. The report should include fare program definitions, priorities, costs and mobility impacts and funding recommendations, as a well as recommendations for regionalization of the fare programs.
F. The advisory committee should be convened by February 1, 2013, and meet at least monthly, at times convenient to a majority of the noncounty employee members.
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