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A MOTION establishing the King County Flood Control Zone District 2011 State Legislative Agenda.
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WHEREAS , the King County Flood Control Zone District, King County Council, and the King County Executive have worked together through their respective government relations staff and desire to bring their positions on issues facing the 2011 Washington State Legislature to the attention of the Washington State Legislature, and
WHEREAS, the King County Flood Control Zone District desires to work cooperatively with other local governments and other organizations such as the Washington State Association of Counties, the Washington Association of County Officials, the Suburban Cities Association, and the Association of Washington Cities to achieve its 2011 legislative goals, and
WHEREAS, the King County Flood Control Zone District is dependent on a strong fiscal partnership with the State, and
WHEREAS, counties have been given the authority by the State to create flood control zone districts to undertake, operate or maintain flood control projects, and
WHEREAS, floods affect everyone statewide, posing risks to public safety, and to regionally important employment centers and transportation centers; and major regional infrastructure including fiber optic cables, state highways, and water supply pipelines, and
WHEREAS, King County has experienced 11 federally declared flood disasters since 1990, and
WHEREAS, the King County Flood Control Zone District provides regional coordination and prioritization of flood control measures for the more than 50,000 acres of mapped floodplain and a population that has increased from 925,000 to more than 1.9 million people in the last 50 years, greatly increasing the potential impacts from flooding, and
WHEREAS, the King County Flood Control Zone District has completed 61 flood protection projects since its creation in 2007; work that would have taken 17 years under previous funding levels, and
WHEREAS, the continued housing market slide has had an unexpected and serious effect on the revenue source for the King County Flood Control Zone District, and
WHEREAS, as a result of a decline in assessed property values, some areas of the county are expected to reach the state-imposed $5.90 local property tax levy ceiling in 2011, forcing the most junior district to reduce or stop collecting revenues in this case, the King County Flood Control Zone District, and
WHEREAS, levy suppression has already diminished the resources available to the King County Flood Control Zone District, and
WHEREAS, natural events have occurred due to storms and earthquakes which have put critical public infrastructure, businesses, homes, farms, and vulnerable populations at risk of catastrophic flooding, and
WHEREAS, the King County Flood Control Zone District is dedicated to exploring new ideas with the state for sustained funding flood protection;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the KING COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL ZONE DISTRICT: The King County Flood Control Zone District seeks relief from the state's $5.90 property tax ceiling so that the district can continue to collect countywide revenues to allocate toward flood protection.