Drafter
Clerk 02/19/2015
Title
AN ORDINANCE providing for the submission to the qualified electors of King County at a special election to be held in King County on April 28, 2015, of a proposition authorizing a property tax levy in excess of the levy limitation contained in chapter 84.55 RCW for a consecutive nine-year period at a rate of not more than $0.07 per one thousand dollars of assessed valuation for the capital, transition, and financing costs for the Puget Sound emergency radio network project.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. King County's current emergency public safety radio network ("KCERCS") is owned by four governmental entities: the city of Seattle; the Eastside Public Safety Communications Agency ("EPSCA"); the Valley Communications Center ("ValleyCom"); and King County. Each co-owner owns and manages separate sites, equipment and software and has its own customers.
2. KCERCS was substantially completed in 1997. It is aging and is requiring increasing repairs.
3. The vendor for KCERCS intends to stop supplying all replacement parts and repairing all used parts by December 31, 2018. King County must replace its emergency public safety radio network or risk performance degredation.
4. The King County council previously established a capital improvement project for this purpose.
5. King County executive staff has been working with the co-owners and users to plan the replacement of KCERCS with a new network that is known as the Puget Sound emergency radio network ("PSERN").
6. The PSERN project would cost approximately $246 million, not including the cost of financing. King County will need additional tax revenues if it is to go ahead with the project.
7. If the funding measure is put on the ballot and approved by the voters, fire districts' levies may be reduced and services diminished.
8. The King County council finds that any reduction in fire district staff or services resulting from the PSERN levy would be contrary to t...
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