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AN ORDINANCE adopting the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy Implementation Plan, required by Ordinance 18555, Section 7.B., to govern the expenditure of veterans, seniors and human services levy proceeds to achieve outcomes related to healthy living, housing stability, financial stability, social engagement and service system access and improvement for veterans and military servicemembers and their respective families, seniors and their caregivers and vulnerable populations.

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STATEMENT OF FACTS:

1.  In 2005, Ordinance 15279 placed a six-year veterans and human services levy on the general election ballot.  King County residents approved the veterans and human services levy for 2006 through 2011 to fund services for veterans and their families, military personnel and their families and other individuals and families in need across King County.

2.  In 2011, Ordinance 17072 placed a renewal of the veterans and human services levy on the primary election ballot.  King County residents voted to approve the renewal, continuing for 2012 through 2017 the levy's services for veterans and their families, military personnel and their families and other individuals and families in need across King County.

3.  In July 2017, Ordinance 18555 placed a six-year veterans, seniors and human services levy on the general election ballot.  King County voters approved the levy in November 2017 with more than sixty-eight percent of the vote.  Approved for 2018 through 2023, the levy's proceeds will be used to plan, provide, administer and evaluate a wide range of regional health and human services and capital facilities for veterans and military servicemembers and their respective families, seniors and their caregivers, and vulnerable populations.

4.  To govern the veterans, seniors and human services levy's first year, King County adopted the veterans, seniors and human services levy transition plan by enacting Ordinance 18638 in December 2017.

5.  Ordinance 18555, Section 7.B., requires the executive to develop and transmit for council review and adoption by ordinance an implementation plan for the veterans, seniors and human services levy.  The implementation plan, once effective, will supersede the levy's transition plan and govern the expenditure of the levy's proceeds until the levy expires in 2023.  The required implementation plan is Attachment A to this ordinance.

6.  In addition to the requirement for the implementation plan to describe levy expenditures generally, Ordinance 18555, Section 7.B., enumerates specific requirements for the implementation plan.  The requirements set out by Ordinance 18555, Section 7.B., include defining the terms planning and administration; identifying the percentage of levy proceeds allocated to planning and administration activities; defining housing stability; identifying criteria that address geographic differences and trends in housing stability; identifying levy-funded activities that support the operations of health and human services providers to serve their clients and communities, including strategies to promote retention, recruitment and pay of high quality service providers; identifying and describing accountability measures, including measurable outcomes or results for each of the levy's three populations; describing a regular performance monitoring program; describing how performance monitoring will be coordinated with performance monitoring and reporting with other dedicated human service funds; including within the accountability measures the goal of housing seventy-five percent of the number of seniors who are also veterans or military servicemembers in King County who, as of July 21, 2017, are homeless; describing the methodology by which senior homeless veterans are identified and counted as housed; providing for the tracking of progress against the goal of housing homeless senior veterans; and describing how performance monitoring and reporting will focus on results and not simply on numbers served.

7.  Ordinance 18555, Section 4.B.1. through 3., each contain a provision requiring that in each of the levy's last five years at least twenty-five percent of the levy's annual proceeds described in each of those subsections shall be used to fund capital facilities and regional health and human services that promote housing stability.

8.  In 2015, the county council passed Motion 14317 updating and revising King County's vision, mission, guiding principles and goals.  The county's goals include improving the health and well-being of all people in King County, increasing access to quality housing that is affordable to all, implementing alternatives to divert people from the criminal justice system and ensuring that county government operates efficiently and effectively and is accountable to the public.  The county's guiding principles emphasize that pursuit of the county goals should:  address the root causes of inequities to provide equal access to opportunities for all; engage with partners, stakeholders and public and private organizations to achieve goals; align funding, policy and operational goals of King County government; and provide effective, efficient local governance and services to unincorporated areas.  These policies guide the plan attached to this ordinance.

                     BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:

                     SECTION 1.  The Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy Implementation Plan, Dated July 11, 2018, Attachment A to this ordinance, is hereby adopted to

govern the expenditure of veterans, seniors and human services levy proceeds as authorized under Ordinance 18555.