Drafter
Clerk 10/16/2023
Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the veterans, seniors, and human services levy advisory board; and amending Ordinance 18792, Section 1, as amended, and K.C.C. 2A.300.540.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. In July 2017, Ordinance 18555 placed a six-year veterans, seniors, and human services levy on the general ballot. King County voters approved the 2018-2023 veterans, seniors, and human services levy in November 2017 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.
2. In 2018, Ordinance 18722 adopted the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy Governance Plan which created and prescribed the composition and duties of the board to oversee the expenditure of the veterans, seniors, and human services levy proceeds.
3. In 2018, Ordinance 18792 adopted and established the veterans, seniors, and human services levy advisory board described in the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy Governance Plan, to oversee the distribution of the veterans, seniors, and human services levy proceeds consistent with subsections 4.A and B. of Ordinance 18555. K.C.C. 2A.300.540 codified Ordinance 18792 and will expire on July 1, 2025.
4. In 2023, Ordinance 19604 placed a renewal of the veterans, seniors, and human services levy on the ballot. King County voters approved the renewal in August 2023 by seventy-one percent to fund regional health and human services and capital facilities for veterans and military servicemembers and their respective families, seniors and their caregivers, and resilient populations, for 2024-2029. The ordinance also requires the continuation of the veterans, seniors, and human services levy advisory board to serve in its capacity in accordance with K.C.C. 2A.300.540, and for the levy's required implementation plan to make recommendations for any refinements to the levy's governance. The ordinance also updated several terms reflected in K.C.C. 2A.300.540.
5. On August 17, 2023, the King County veterans advisory board reviewed and consulted on the structure and separation of the veterans advisory board and the veterans, seniors, and human services levy advisory board veterans committee.
6. On October 12, 2023, the Executive transmitted the 2024-2029 Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy Implementation Plan to guide implementation of the 2024-2029 veterans, seniors, and human services levy. The adopted plan, adopted in Ordinance 19719, includes recommendations for refinements to the veterans, seniors, and human services levy advisory board specified in K.C.C. 2A.300.540.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Ordinance 18792, Section 1, and K.C.C.2A.300.540 are hereby amended as follows:
A. The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
1. "Caregiver" means a person ((who, without pay, cares for or supervises another person who requires such care or supervision due to disability, chronic illness or , in the case of a senior, age-related decline. Government-provided benefits or financial assistance provided directly to a person for being a caregiver are not considered "pay" for this definition)) who cares for or supervises another person who requires care or supervision due to disability, chronic illness or a need for support in activities of daily living. "Caregiver" includes individuals providing care for a family member or someone with whom they have an ongoing personal relationship independent of their caregiver roles.
2. "Military servicemember" means a person who is serving as either an active duty, national guard member or a reservist member of the ((U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or Coast Guard, or in the National Guard)) United States armed forces;
3. "Priority populations" means veterans and military servicemembers and their respective families, seniors and their caregivers, and resilient communities.
4. "Regional health and human services" means a wide range of those services, programs, operations and capital facilities that promote outcomes relating to healthy living, housing stability, financial stability, social engagement, service system improvement and service system access to meet basic human needs and promote healthy living and healthy communities, consistent with Ordinance 18555, Ordinance 19604, or any successive levy ordinances, unless otherwise required by ordinance.
5. "Regional impact initiatives" means those regional health and human services that provide or support responses to issues that affect all three of this levy's priority populations and which regional health and human services can help address such as, but not limited to, nonprofit health and human services workforce stability, language access, responding to the regional homelessness crisis or addressing community safety.
6. "Resilient communities" means persons or communities that are susceptible to reduced health, housing, financial or social stability outcomes due to systemic and historical exposure to trauma, violence, poverty, isolation, bias, racism, stigma, discrimination, disability or chronic illness. Examples of resilient communities include but are not limited to: communities of color; immigrant and refugee communities; persons with disabilities; survivors of domestic violence and other gender-based violence; persons who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex or asexual; and survivors of human trafficking.
((5.)) 7. "Senior" means a person who is at least fifty-five years old.
((4.)) 8. "Technical assistance and capacity building" means ((assisting small organizations, partnerships and groups to enable those entities to provide regional health and human services and capital facilities funded by the levy proceeds. "Technical assistance and capacity building" may include, but is not limited to, providing or funding legal, accounting, human resources and leadership development services and support.)) assistance for providers of regional health and human services responding to requests for proposals or assistance to implement, improve, or expand their delivery of regional health and human services in King County.
((5.)) 9. "Veteran" means a person who has served as either an active duty, national guard member or a reservist member of the ((U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or Coast Guard, or in the National Guard)) United States armed forces.
((6.)) 10. "Veterans, seniors, and human services levy" means the ((levy)) levies approved in 2017 and 2023 in accordance with Ordinance 18555, Ordinance 19604, and any successive levies, unless otherwise required by ordinance.
((7. "Vulnerable populations" means persons or communities that are susceptible to reduced health, housing, financial or social stability outcomes because of current experience of or historical exposure to trauma, violence, poverty, isolation, bias, racism, stigma, discrimination, disability or chronic illness. "Vulnerable populations" include, but are not limited to: survivors of domestic violence; survivors of sexual assault; survivors of human trafficking, including labor trafficking and sex trafficking; survivors of commercial sexual exploitation; persons who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or intersex; persons with a disability; African Americans and other persons of color who have been disproportionately impacted by policies and practices resulting in housing instability or housing insecurity; family caregivers for persons with a disability; immigrants and refugees; low-income residents of rural communities; persons living in poverty; persons at risk of or experiencing homelessness; youth involved in the child welfare system, including youth in the foster care system, and young adult alumni of the child welfare system; minors who have been separated from both parents and other relatives and are not being cared for by an adult who, by law or custom, is responsible for doing so; persons reentering society from criminal justice system involvement; and persons at risk of criminal justice system involvement due to disproportionate practices of enforcement, mental illness or substance use disorders.))
B. As required by Section 6.A. of Attachment A to Ordinance 18722, the veterans, seniors, and human services advisory board is created.
C.1. The board shall consist of thirty members. The executive shall appoint the members of the board in accordance with this section and subject to confirmation by the council in accordance with K.C.C. 2.28.002. Members shall be appointed to three year terms, except as provided in subsection C.4. of this section. Elected officials are ineligible for board membership while they hold office. All board members shall reside in King County. The board shall be constituted in a committee format, with three ten-member committees:
a. the veterans committee, which shall ((also constitute the entirety of King County's veterans advisory board required by chapter 73.08 RCW. In accordance with RCW 73.08.035, nominees to serve on the veterans committee shall be solicited by the council from either the local branches of nationally recognized veterans' service organizations or the veterans’ community at large, or both. Lists of nominees received by the council shall be provided to the executive who shall provide such lists to the city of Seattle and the Sound Cities Association for their consideration in nominating, in accordance with this section, persons to serve on the veterans committee. Members of the veterans committee must be veterans as defined in RCW 73.08.005(5) and no fewer thana majority of the veterans committee members shall be members from nationally recognized veterans' service organizations)) be comprised of veterans;
b. the seniors committee, which shall be comprised of seniors, caregivers for seniors, or other community members with relevant expertise or experience serving seniors or their caregivers. At least a majority of the members serving on the seniors committee shall be at least fifty-five years old; and
c. the ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee, which shall be comprised of individuals who are members of a ((vulnerable population)) resilient community or other community members with relevant expertise or experience serving ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities. A potential ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee member's contribution to the committee's representativeness of the diversity of ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities in King County shall be considered in selecting a potential ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee member for nomination or appointment.
2.a. The King County council shall nominate to the executive for appointment to the board eighteen eligible persons. Six of the persons shall be nominated to serve on the veterans committee, six of the persons shall be nominated to serve on the seniors committee, and six of the persons shall be nominated to serve on the ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee. Of the persons nominated by the council, each councilmember shall nominate for appointment two persons ((who reside in the member's council district)). Nominations by the council for appointment to serve on the initial board shall include: a ((resident)) nominee from each of council districts one, two, three, seven, eight, and nine to serve on the initial veterans committee; a ((resident)) nominee from each of council districts three, four, five, six, seven, and eight to serve on the initial seniors committee; and a ((resident)) nominee from each of council districts one, two, four, five, six, and nine to serve on the initial ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee. When at least one council-nominated position on all of the board's committees becomes available, meaning the incumbent has served two terms on the board, is not nominated by council to serve an additional term on the board or declines nomination by council to serve an additional term on the board, the council may pass a motion to direct council district rotation for the council nominations for appointment to the available positions on the board's committees;
b. The city of Seattle shall nominate to the executive for appointment to the board three eligible persons, one to serve on the veterans committee, one to serve on the seniors committee, and one to serve on the ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee;
c. The Sound Cities Association, or its successor, shall nominate to the executive for appointment to the board three eligible persons, one to serve on the veterans committee, one to serve on the seniors committee, and one to serve on the ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee; and
d. The Seattle-King County Advisory Council for Aging and Disability Services, or its successor, shall nominate to the executive for appointment to the board two eligible persons to serve on the seniors committee.
3.a. If the executive does not appoint a person nominated under subsection C.2. of this section, then the executive shall request that the nominating entity nominate another eligible person. The executive shall identify in the appointment letter for each board member both the nominating entity and to which of the three committees the board member is being appointed.
b. In addition to those board members who the executive appoints after nomination under subsection C.2. of this section, the executive shall appoint two eligible persons to be members of the veterans committee of the board and two eligible persons to be members of the ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee of the board.
4.a. Of the board's initial veterans committee members, the six council-nominated members and one of the members appointed by the executive under subsection C.3.b. of this section shall be appointed to initial terms of two years.
b. Of the board's initial seniors committee members, the six council-nominated members and one of the Seattle-King County Advisory Council for Aging and Disability Services-nominated members shall be appointed to initial terms of two years.
c. Of the board's initial ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee members, the six council-nominated members and one of the members appointed by the executive under subsection C.3.b. of this section shall be appointed to initial terms of two years.
d. A person may serve no more than one additional term on the board after completing the person's first term, whether the first term is a partial or full term.
e. If a board member vacates before the expiration of the member's term a board position that was nominated by one of the entities listed in subsection C.2. of this section, the entity that nominated the person to the board position shall nominate an eligible replacement to serve out the balance of the vacated term. If a board member vacates before the expiration of the member's term a board position that was appointed by the executive under subsection C.3.b. of this section, the executive shall appoint an eligible replacement to serve out the balance of the vacated term.
((5.)) D. The board shall:
1. ((o))Oversee the distribution of veterans, seniors, and human services levy proceeds dedicated to promoting housing stability, healthy living, 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, consistent with Ordinance 18555, Section 4.B.1. through 4.B.3.)) the levy's priority populations;
((b.)) 2. ((o))Oversee the distribution of veterans, seniors, and human services levy proceeds for regional impact initiatives including investments for technical assistance and capacity building ((investments, consistent with Ordinance 18555, Section 4.A.));
((c.)) 3. ((a))Adopt bylaws governing how the board discharges its duties, which bylaws shall specifically provide for a procedure by which the board or any of its committees may identify and provide advice to the county council or the executive on matters that affect the veterans, seniors, and human services levy specifically or the veterans, seniors, and human services levy's priority populations generally;
((d. transmit a report by July 1 each year, beginning in 2019, to the executive, county council and the regional policy committee, or its successor, on the state of the veterans, seniors and human services levy, the fiscal and performance management of the veterans, seniors and human services levy and on the veterans, seniors and human services levy's accomplishments from January through December of the preceding year;)) 4. Review and consult on annual reports on the veterans, seniors, and human services levy that are required by ordinance and that the executive provides to the county council, the regional policy committee or its successor, and the community;
((e.)) 5. ((e))Elect annually from its membership a chair and two vice chairs. The vice chairs shall be elected from each of the two committees to which the elected chair does not belong so that board leadership includes all three committees; and
((f.)) 6.a. ((c))Collaborate amongst the board's committees to achieve investment and oversight coordination of the entire veterans, seniors, and human services levy, with each committee specifically focused on overseeing the expenditure of proceeds for its respective veterans, seniors, and human service levy priority population and each committee specifically focused on providing advice on matters that uniquely affect its respective veterans, seniors, and human service levy priority population((:)).
(((1))) b. The veterans committee shall oversee the distribution of the portion of the veterans, seniors, and human service levy's proceeds expended for, ((purposes identified in Ordinance 18555, Section 4.B.1)) regional health and human services for veterans, military servicemembers, and their respective families. The veterans committee may also provide advice to the executive and council on matters uniquely affecting veterans, military servicemembers and their respective family members in King County((;)).
(((2))) c. The seniors committee shall oversee the distribution of the portion of the veterans, seniors, and human service levy's proceeds expended for ((purposes identified in Ordinance 18555, Section 4.B.2)) regional health and human services for seniors and their caregivers. The seniors committee may also provide advice to the executive and council on matters uniquely affecting seniors and their caregivers in King County((;
(3) Until such time that the conditions in either Ordinance 18555, Section 4.B.2.(a) or (b) are satisfied, the seniors committee and veterans committee will jointly oversee the distribution of the portion of the veterans, seniors and human services levy's proceeds restricted by Ordinance 18555, Section 4.B.2., which sets aside funds for capital facilities and regional health and human services for seniors who are also veterans or military servicemembers and their respective caregivers and families. After the conditions in either Ordinance 18555, Section 4.B.2.(a) or (b) have been satisfied, the veterans committee shall not have any oversight responsibility regarding levy proceeds expended under Ordinance 18555, Section 4.B.2.; and
4. The vulnerable populations)).
d. The resilient communities committee shall oversee the distribution of the portion of the veterans, seniors, and human services levy's proceeds expended for ((purposes identified in Ordinance 18555, Section 4.B.3)) regional health and human services for resilient communities. The ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities committee may also provide advice to the executive and council on matters uniquely affecting ((vulnerable populations)) resilient communities that are served by the veterans, seniors, and human services levy in King County.
((D. The board shall hold its first meeting by the later of March 30, 2019, or sixty days from the date on which at least six members have been appointed to each of the board's committees.
E. This section expires July 1, 2025)) E. In accordance with K.C.C. 2.28.006, the executive may propose and the council by ordinance may provide for per diem compensation for the board.
F. If the veterans, seniors, and human services levy expires or changes such that subsection D. 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 repeal or amendment of subsection D. of this section.