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AN ORDINANCE regarding regional planning; and amending Ordinance 12075, Section 3, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.16.025 and Ordinance 11955, Section 5, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.16.055.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. Under the Washington state Growth Management Act, long-range planning is mandated at the multicounty, county and local levels.
B. Counties are the level of government responsible for leading growth management planning and for ensuring close coordination with cities and towns.
C. After the successful annexation of most urban unincorporated areas to cities, the county's focus is transitioning to regional and rural planning.
D. The county's planning function has become decentralized over the years, making it challenging to coordinate the county's involvement in the increasing number of regional forums.
E. Regional and local planning benefits from a coordinated approach across executive branch agencies and from good communication between the executive's office and the council.
F. While the remaining urban unincorporated areas will continue to need services and planning prior to annexation, the long-term focus of the department of permitting and environmental review is unincorporated areas.
G. A newly created regional planning section within the office of performance, strategy and budget will focus on coordinating and integrating long range planning and will work across King County government to advance regional initiatives that support resilient, diverse and sustainable communities.
H. In accordance with the King County Charter, the King County council is the policy determining body of the county. All long-range planning must be consistent with the adopted policy of the county.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 12075, Section 3, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.16.025 are hereby amended to read as follows:
A. The county executive shall manage and be fiscally accountable for the office of performance, strategy and budget and the office of labor relations.
B. The office of performance, strategy and budget functions and responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to:
1. Planning, preparing and managing, with emphasis on fiscal management and control aspects, the annual operating and capital improvement budgets;
2. Preparing forecasts of and monitor revenues;
3. Monitoring expenditures and work programs in accordance with Section 475 of the King County Charter;
4. Developing and preparing expenditure plans and ordinances to manage the implementation of the operating and capital improvement budgets throughout the fiscal year;
5. Formulating and implementing financial policies regarding revenues and expenditures for the county and other applicable agencies;
6. Performing program analysis, and contract and performance evaluation review;
7. Developing and transmitting to the council, concurrent with the annual proposed budget, supporting materials consistent with K.C.C. 4.04.030;
8. Performance management and accountability:
a. providing leadership and coordination of the performance management and accountability system countywide;
b. overseeing the development of strategic plans and business plans for each executive branch department and office;
c. providing technical assistance on the development of strategic plans and business plans for agencies;
d. developing and using community-level indicators and agency performance measures to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of county agencies;
e. overseeing the production of an annual performance report for the executive branch;
f. coordinating performance review process of executive branch departments and offices;
g. collecting and analyzing land development, population, housing, natural resource enhancement, transportation and economic activity data to aid decision making and to support implementation of county plans and programs, including benchmarks;
h. leading public engagement and working in support of county performance management, budget and strategic planning; and
i. developing and transmitting to the council an annual report on April 30 about the benefits achieved from technology projects. The report shall include information about the benefits obtained from completed projects and a comparison with benefits that were projected during different stages of the project. The report shall also include a description of the expected benefits from those projects not yet completed. The report shall be filed in the form of a paper original and an electronic copy with the clerk of the council, who shall retain the original and provide an electronic copy to all councilmembers;
9. Strategic planning and interagency coordination:
a. coordinating and staffing executive initiatives across departments and agencies;
b. facilitating interdepartmental, interagency and interbranch teams on multidisciplinary issues; and
c. ((leading governance transition efforts for the urban area consistent with the Growth Management Act;
d. providing technical assistance in the update of regional growth management planning efforts including the Countywide Planning Policies and distribution of jurisdictional population and employment growth targets;
e.)) providing assistance in the development of agency and system planning efforts such as operational master plans;
f. negotiating interlocal agreements as designated by the executive; and
g. serving as the liaison to the boundary review board for King County; and))
10. Business relations and economic development:
a. developing proposed policies to address regional, unincorporated urban, and rural economic development;
b. establishing, fostering and maintaining healthy relations with business and industry;
c. implementing strategies and developing opportunities that include partnering with, cities, the Port of Seattle and other economic entities on regional and subregional economic development projects;
d. developing and implementing strategies to promote economic revitalization and equitable development in urban unincorporated areas including the possible assembly of property for the purpose of redevelopment;
e. refining and implementing strategies in the county's rural economic strategies to preserve and enhance the rural economic base so that the rural area can be a place to both live and work; and
f. assisting communities and businesses in creating economic opportunities, promoting a diversified economy and promoting job creation with the emphasis on family-wage jobs; and
11. Regional planning:
a. coordinating the county's participation in multicounty planning at the Puget Sound Regional Council, including serving on the Puget Sound Regional Council's regional staff committee;
b. coordinating countywide planning at the Growth Management Planning Council consistent with the Washington state Growth Management Act, including leading the Growth Management Planning Council's interjurisdictional staff team in accordance with the interlocal agreement authorized by King County Motion 8495;
c. managing updates to the county's Comprehensive Plan in coordination with the department of permitting and environmental review, in accordance with K.C.C. Title 20;
d. coordinating the development of demographic and growth forecasting data and information including census data, growth targets and buildable lands;
e. facilitating annexations and joint planning with cities, including developing annexation proposals, drafting interlocal agreements, and serving as the liaison to the boundary review board for King County; and
f. coleading with the department of permitting and environmental review an interbranch regional planning team that supports the council and executive through the provision of information and data, development of policy proposals and options for regional issues related to growth management, economic development and transportation. Participation in the interbranch regional planning team shall include executive, department and council staff as designated by the respective branches.
C. The office of labor relations functions and responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to:
1. Representing county agencies in the collective bargaining process as required by chapter 41.56 RCW;
2. Developing and maintaining databases of information relevant to the collective bargaining process;
3. Representing county agencies in labor arbitrations, appeals, and hearings including those in chapter 41.56 RCW and required by K.C.C. Title 3, in collaboration with the human resources management division;
4. Administering labor contracts and providing consultation to county agencies regarding the terms and implementation of negotiated labor agreements, in collaboration with the human resources management division;
5. Advising the executive and council on overall county labor policies; and
6. Providing resources for labor relations training for county agencies, the executive, the council and others, in collaboration with the human resources management division.
D.1. The county council hereby delegates to the executive or the executive's designee authority to request a hearing before the Washington state Liquor Control Board and make written recommendations and objections regarding applications relating to:
a. liquor licenses under chapter 66.20 RCW; and
b. licenses for marijuana producers, processors or retailers under chapter 69.50 RCW.
2. Before making a recommendation under subsection D.1. of this section, the executive or the executive's designee shall solicit comments from county departments and agencies, including, but not limited to, the department of permitting and environmental review, public health - Seattle & King County, the sheriff's office and the prosecuting attorney's office.
3. For each application reviewed under subsection D.1.b. of this section, the executive shall transmit to the county council a copy of the application received with the applicant's name and proposed license application location, a copy of all comments received under subsection D.2. of this section and the executive's recommendation to the Washington state Liquor Control board.
E. The executive may assign or delegate budgeting, performance management and accountability, economic development and strategic planning and interagency coordination functions to employees in the office of the executive but shall not assign or delegate those functions to any departments.
SECTION 3. Ordinance 11955, Section 5, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.16.055 are hereby amended to read as follows:
A. The department of permitting and environmental review is responsible for:
1. Ensuring consistent and efficient administration of environmental, building and land use codes and regulations for commercial and residential projects by means of permit review and approval, construction inspections and public information;
2. Managing ((and coordinating)) the development and implementation of ((the county's Comprehensive Plan)) unincorporated subarea plans in coordination with the regional planning function in K.C.C. 2.16.025 and in accordance with the King County Comprehensive Plan and state Growth Management Act requirements;
3. Participating on the interbranch regional planning team as specified in K.C.C. 2.16.025;
4. Administering the state Environmental Policy Act and acting as lead agency, including making the threshold determinations, determining the amount of environmental impact and reasonable mitigation measures and coordinating with other departments and divisions in the preparation of county environmental documents or in response to environmental documents from other agencies;
((4.)) 5. Effective processing and timely review of land development proposals, including zoning variance and reclassification, master drainage plans, variances from the surface water design manual and the King County road standards, critical area, subdivision, right-of-way use, urban planned development, clearing and grading, shoreline, special use and conditional use applications;
((5.)) 6. Pursuing and resolving code violations, including preparing for administrative or legal actions, evaluating the department's success in obtaining compliance with King County rules and regulations and designing measures to improve compliance;
((6.)) 7. Regulating the operation, maintenance and conduct of county-licensed businesses, except taxicab and for-hire drivers and vehicles; and
((7.)) 8. Developing and implementing an inspection program to identify fire hazards and require conformance with K.C.C. Title 17, reviewing building plans and applications for compliance with K.C.C. Title 17 and conducting inspections, including inspections of new construction, for compliance with K.C.C. Title 17.
B.1. The director of the department shall be the:
a. county planning director;
b. zoning adjuster;
c. responsible official for purposes of administering the state Environmental Policy Act;
d. county building official; and
e. county fire marshal.
2. The director may delegate the functions in subsection B.1. of this section to qualified subordinates.
SECTION 4. During the first quarter of 2015, the executive shall meet with the chair of the council and with three councilmembers serving on regional bodies and in total representing at least thirty percent of the unincorporated area population, as designated by the chair of the council, to discuss the county's 2015 priorities for participating in regional forums.
SECTION 5. Within one year of the adoption of this ordinance, the executive shall meet with the chair of the council and with three councilmembers serving on
regional bodies, as designated by the chair of the council, to discuss implementation of this ordinance and to make adjustments as necessary.