Drafter
Clerk 6/21/2007
Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the operation and maintenance of the Seattle Streetcar on behalf of the city of Seattle, adopting an agreement between King County and the city of Seattle and consenting to the city of Seattle's exercise of power reserved to King County in accordance with RCW 35.58.260.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A The Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle ("Metro") was authorized by public vote in 1972 to perform the metropolitan transportation functions of a metropolitan municipal corporation.
B. In 1994, King County assumed the rights, powers, functions and obligations of Metro in accordance with chapter 36.56 RCW; consequently, all the powers and functions of Metro have been vested by state law in the legislative authority of King County.
C. Under RCW 35.58.260, upon being authorized to perform the metropolitan functions of a metropolitan municipal corporation, Metro assumed from the city of Seattle all rights the city possessed with respect to construction, acquisition, maintenance, operation, extension, alteration, repair, control and management of passenger transportation. Before the city exercises such powers in the future, the city is required to obtain King County's consent.
D. The city intends to construct and own, and has begun construction on, a one-and-three-tenths-mile streetcar running from Westlake Center in Seattle to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center near the south end of Lake Union. The streetcar will connect the South Lake Union and Denny Triangle neighborhoods with downtown Seattle and connections to other regional and local transit services and thereby increase transit ridership and reduce single occupancy vehicle trips to and from those neighborhoods.
E. The city formed Local Improvement District 6750 to provide $25,700,000 to construct and equip the streetcar line.
F. The city has experience in building a streetcar as the original owner of the Waterfront Streetcar.
G. King County has experience operating and maintaining streetcars in the city as operator of the Waterfront Streetcar. In addition, King County will be operating the Central Link light rail system on behalf of Sound Transit.
H. It is the objective of King County to enhance transit service in established urban centers and work with local jurisdictions to pursue innovative solutions and partnerships. An agreement with the city for streetcar services is consistent with those objectives.
I. King County, through development of the Transit Comprehensive Plan and Transit Strategic Plan, may adopt new policy concerning streetcar operations.
SECTION 2. The county executive is hereby authorized to execute, substantially in the form of Attachment A to this ordinance, an interlocal agreement between King County and the city of Seattle for the operation and maintenance of the Seattle Streetcar.
SECTION 3. The city of Seattle is hereby given the county's consent to construct, acquire, maintain, operate, alter, repair, control and manage the proposed one-and-three-tenths-mile Seattle Streetcar.
SECTION 4. The county executive may not approve a written extension of the interlocal agreement, or negotiate a revised agreement, that is inconsistent with the transit comprehensive plan or the transit strategic plan in effect at such time.
SECTION 5. 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.