Drafter

Clerk 09/23/2025

Title

A RESOLUTION relating to the operation and finances of the King County Flood Control Zone District, adopting the 2026 budget and authorizing improvements.

Body

                     WHEREAS, pursuant to RCW 86.15.140, the King County Flood Control Zone District ("the District") held a public hearing on the proposed 2026 budget of the District on ________________, and

                     WHEREAS, the board of supervisors ("the Board") desires to adopt the King County Flood Control Zone District's 2026 budget, and

                     WHEREAS, by Ordinance 15728, the King County council adopted the District's initial comprehensive plan of development for flood and stormwater control, which is titled "2006 King County Flood Hazard Management Plan," and by Resolution FCD2011-05.1, the District Board amended the initial plan to include a project in the city of Seattle (collectively, "the District Comprehensive Plan"), and

                     WHEREAS, pursuant to RCW 86.15.110, the Board must approve by resolution all flood control and storm water control improvements, prior to the extension, enlargement, acquisition or construction of such improvements, and

                     WHEREAS, RCW 85.15.110, further provides that such approval resolution must state whether the improvements are to be extended, enlarged, acquired or constructed; state that the comprehensive plan has been adopted; state that the improvements generally contribute to the objectives of the comprehensive plan; state that the improvements will benefit the county as a whole; state the estimated costs of the improvements; and identify the data supporting the estimated costs, and

                     WHEREAS, since 2008, the District has implemented countywide flood risk reduction policies and projects protecting life and property of King County residents while advancing various benefits including equity and social justice, sustainable livelihoods, habitat protection, salmon recovery, recreation, and resilient communities, and

                     WHEREAS, the Board desires to continue addressing flood risk county-wide through a "worst-first" paradigm balancing risk, severity, and consequence of a flood risk, and

                     WHEREAS, the Board desires to approve improvements in the District's 2026 budget that are not in the District Comprehensive Plan, or that have been modified by the District's 2026 budget, in accordance with RCW 85.15.110;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE KING COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL ZONE DISTRICT:

                     SECTION 1.  The Board hereby adopts the 2026 Budget for the District, as set forth in Attachments A ("Work Program"), B ("2026 Annual Budget"), C ("2026 Annual Operating Budget"), D ("2026 Annual Capital Budget"), E ("2026 - 2031 Six-Year CIP"), F ("2026 Annual District Oversight Budget"), G ("2026 Subregional Opportunity Fund Allocations"), and H ("2026-2031 Six-Year CIP Project Allocations") to this resolution; provided that King County, or other jurisdictions contracted to implement projects, shall submit predesign reports for capital projects to the District executive director, and shall seek approval from the District executive director of project charters.  Furthermore, King County and other service providers as appropriate shall provide to the District executive director communications and outreach plans for authorization to implement, thirty percent design project reports for authorization to proceed to sixty percent design, sixty percent design project reports for authorization to proceed to ninety percent design, and ninety percent design project reports for authorization to proceed to one hundred percent design.

                     SECTION 2.  The Board approves the extension, enlargement, acquisition, or construction, as applicable, of the improvements that are included in the District Comprehensive Plan, that are included in the District Comprehensive Plan but have been modified by Attachments C, D, and H to this resolution, or that are not included in the District Comprehensive Plan but are identified in Attachments C, D, and H to this resolution (collectively, "the Improvements").  The District Comprehensive Plan includes the streams or water courses upon which the Improvements will be enlarged, extended, acquired, or constructed.  The Board determines that the Improvements generally contribute to the objectives of the District Comprehensive Plan and will be of benefit to the county as a whole.

                     SECTION 3.  The estimated costs of the Improvements are stated in Attachments C, D, and H to this resolution and the supporting data for the estimated costs are on file with the director of the King County water and land resources division.

                     SECTION 4.  For the Improvements that will be constructed, preliminary engineering studies and plans either have been prepared or will be prepared, and have been filed or will be filed, with the director of the King County water and land resources division.

                     SECTION 5.  The Board directs the District executive director to continue to implement flood risk reduction policies and projects countywide that protect life and property of King County residents while advancing multiple benefits including equity and social justice, sustainable livelihoods, habitat protection, salmon recovery, recreation, and resilient communities.

                     SECTION 6.  The Board directs the District executive director to continue working with District legal counsel to develop a District policy related to District using financing, including bonding, for some District capital projects.

                     SECTION 7.  The Board directs the District executive director to continue a thorough review of the 6-year CIP list, including robust discussions with King County and other service providers, and the Advisory Committee and Joint Basin Technical Committee, to recommend a paradigm to reduce expenditures and/or re-prioritize projects to align with District revenue.  This paradigm shall include recommendations to evaluate flood risk reduction projects county-wide incorporating risk, severity, and consequence while implementing the principles of integrated floodplain management consistent with FCD20-07, the District's Multi-Benefit Motion.

                     SECTION 8.  The Board directs District executive director to work with King County water and land resources division to provide a quarterly report on the progress of the Sammamish River Capital Investment Strategy to interested stakeholders.

                     SECTION 9.  The Board directs the District executive director to provide members of the District Advisory Committee with regular reports on capital and financial projections, including additional information on the "right-sizing" process for expenditure projections for all District service providers.

                     SECTION 10.  The Board directs the District executive director to develop a Lower Green River Corridor Plan and Capital Investment Strategy as outlined in FCD24-03 based on so-called Alternative Three of the Lower Green River Corridor Flood Hazard Management Plan Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.  The District executive director will continue to work with experts, including representatives from King County water and land resources division.

                     SECTION 11.  The Board directs King County to provide a semi-annual report to the executive director on the status of recruitment and hiring of all vacant positions funded by the District.

                     SECTION 12.  The Board directs all District services providers to provide a monthly report to the District executive director on the status of projects that service provider is implementing on behalf of the District.  The format of the monthly report shall be provided to all District service providers by the District executive director.

                     SECTION 13.  Section 3.5 of the interlocal agreement between the District and King County provides a process allowing King County to modify or reprioritize capital projects in the District’s approved annual budget and workplan.  King County shall notify the District executive director and Board Chair in writing of the proposed modification or reprioritization, providing background information on, and the rationale for, the proposed change, including estimated applicable costs.  The proposed modification or reprioritization must be approved by either the Board or the District Executive Committee if the Board has authorized the Executive Committee to approve modifications or reprioritizations.  King County's notifications to the District executive director and Board Chair shall include information regarding variations within project budgets of more than twenty percent in the "acquisition," "design," "construction,"

"contingency" and "total" expenditure categories, shown on Attachment D to this resolution.