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AN ORDINANCE establishing the King County veterans advisory board; and adding a new section to K.C.C. chapter 2A.300.

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STATEMENT OF FACTS:

1. King County maintains the King County veterans advisory board, created in its current form in 1991 by CPM 11-1 (PR), a public rule acting upon the chapter 73.08 RCW requirement that each county maintain a veterans advisory board.

2.  After the 1991 creation of the veterans advisory board, the state legislature enacted RCW 73.08.035, which requires the legislative authority of each county to establish a veterans advisory board.

3.  In addition to the veterans advisory board, King County has since the 2005 passage of the first veterans and human services levy maintained a veterans citizen oversight board to oversee the expenditure of levy proceeds to benefit veterans.

4.  In 2013, the county executive convened a regional veterans initiative, whose final report and recommendations included that King County's system of veterans programs and services should develop a coordinated service system that provides seamless access for veterans and their families while maximizing the use of regional resources and that veterans have a voice in making improvements to the services system.

5.  In September 2016, the King County council passed Motion 14743, requesting the executive's response to inform council deliberations regarding the possible renewal of the veterans and human services levy.  Included in that motion was a request for the executive's analysis on whether to retain or revise the veterans and human services levy's citizen oversight board structure.

6.  In March 2017, the King County council passed Motion 14822, approving the executive's report responding to Motion 14743.  Among the recommendations within the report approved by Motion 14822 was a recommendation to consider aligning the county's veterans advisory board and veterans citizen oversight board to promote alignment of the county's investments in programs that serve veterans.

7.  In July 2017, the metropolitan King County council passed Ordinance 18555, placing a six-year veterans, seniors and human services levy ("VSHSL") on the ballot. Ordinance 18555 required the county to enact a governance plan if voters approved the VSHSL.  On November 7, 2017, King County voters passed the VSHSL ballot measure. 

8.  In April 2018, King County enacted Ordinance 18722, adopting the VSHSL governance plan.  The VSHSL governance plan requires the executive to transmit a proposed ordinance that creates a VSHSL advisory board, which board shall be constituted in three committees.  The VSHSL governance plan further requires that the veterans committee of the VSHSL advisory board shall also constitute the entirety of the county's veterans advisory board.

9.  Section 6.B. of the VSHSL governance plan requires the executive to transmit for council consideration and adoption a proposed ordinance creating the veterans advisory board, which proposed ordinance shall accomplish the VSHSL governance plan's direction that confirmation of appointees to the veterans committee of the VSHSL advisory board would occur concurrent to confirmation of appointees to the veterans advisory board.

10.  The integration of the veterans committee of the VSHSL advisory board and the King County veterans advisory board into a single body parallels King County's concurrent efforts to integrate all county-funded veterans programs in order to improve customer service for veterans in King County, reduce service system fragmentation and increase administrative efficiency in administering services for veterans.

                     BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:

                     NEW SECTION. SECTION 1.  There is hereby added to K.C.C. chapter 2A.300 a new section to read as follows:

                     A.  As required by Section 6.B. of Attachment A to Ordinance 18722, the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy Governance Plan, the King County veterans advisory board is created.

                     B.  The board shall be composed solely of the appointed members of the veterans committee of the King County veterans, seniors and human services levy advisory board.  A person's appointment to the veterans committee of the King County veterans, seniors and human services levy advisory board shall constitute that person's appointment to King County veterans advisory board.  A person's resignation, removal or completion of service from the veterans committee of the King County veterans, seniors and human services levy advisory board shall constitute that person's resignation, removal or completion of service from the King County veterans advisory board.

                     C.  If the King County veterans, seniors and human services levy advisory board expires or changes such that subsection B. of this section becomes impracticable, the executive shall within one hundred twenty days from the date of the expiration or change transmit to the council a proposed ordinance to provide for the continuation of the King County veterans advisory board.  Until the effective date of the ordinance to provide for the continuation of the King County veterans advisory board, the members of the veterans committee of the veterans, seniors and human services levy advisory board at the time of the expiration or change shall remain the members of the King County veterans advisory board until removed, replaced, reappointed or otherwise continued under the provisions of the new ordinance to continue the King County veterans advisory board.

                     D.  The board shall annually elect from its membership a chair.  In accordance with the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy Governance Plan, the board member elected as either the chair or a vice chair of the King County veterans, seniors and human services levy advisory board shall be the vice chair of the board.  The chair and vice chair of the board shall act in those capacities only when the board is acting in its capacity as the veterans advisory board.

                     E.  The board shall:

                       1.  Advise the executive and the county council on the needs of local indigent veterans, the resources available to local indigent veterans and programs that could benefit the needs of local indigent veterans and their families;

                       2.  Advise the department of community and human services, or its successor, on the administration of the King County veterans program.  For the purposes of this subsection E.2., "King County veterans program" means King County's chapter 73.08 RCW-required veterans assistance program; and

                       3.  Meet at least four times per year to conduct the business of the board.  Meetings of the King County veterans, seniors and human services levy advisory board shall not count towards the fulfillment of the requirement in this subsection.

                     SECTION 2.  This ordinance takes effect only if Ordinance _______ (Proposed Ordinance 2018-0297) takes effect, and in that event, this ordinance takes effect immediately after Ordinance _____ (Proposed Ordinance 2018-0297) takes effect.

                     SECTION 3.  Severability.  If any provision of this ordinance or its application to

any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the ordinance or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.