The Area Council held its regular monthly meeting virtually on Monday, June 7. Major topics discussed were: (1) Countywide Planning Policies Update and (2) Rural Area Issues. Our Guest Speaker was: John Taylor, Director of the King County Department of Local Services, who spoke about the proposed Unincorporated Road Levy Lid Lift.
Tahoma School District (TSD) Update
TSD Board member and Area Council committee member, Val Paganelli, provided an update:
TSD approved the Tahoma Initial Academic and Student Well-Being Recovery Plan, and submitted it timely to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The plan is available for public comment through June 30, and district officials anticipate refreshing it in November of 2021 and April of 2022. To view the plan, https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTR_PuncBFBZx12PtQ1QU0X84AtcraowK16it_EUWN6KzbmmSBuIC8PV2ODPBvm3ilJn699WcK1N110/pub.
To submit a commenthttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDbQZldUVAD28vyN1OTHSDb8AZIKQxAV2CT0er73MCT0bpRw/viewform.
It is the season for end-of-school-year celebrations throughout the district, including virtual awards and car parades. Tahoma High School graduation is Friday, June 11, with a parade the day prior.
TSD director elections: Director Positions 1 and 5 are up for election in 2021. Incumbent, Tami Henkel (Position 1), is not seeking re-election; three candidates filed to be considered. Incumbent, Val Paganelli (Position 5), is seeking re-election; no other candidates filed. Katrina Montgomery (Position 2), recently announced her resignation due to a move out of the area; this vacancy will be filled by application and appointment until the 2022 general election. A map of director districts can be viewed on the School Board web page (see last item, “Board of Director Districts,” in the drop-down menu).
King County Unincorporated Road Levy Lid Lift
King County Department of Local Services (DLS) Director, John Taylor, discussed a proposed Unincorporated Road Levy Lid Lift. He described how DLS Roads Division funding has not been keeping pace, thus resulting in a forecasted reduction in service levels and growing unmet-need Revenues.
The existing Roads Levy can only increase at 1% per year (plus new construction). Gas tax proceeds are flat and expected to decline in the long term. Needed expenditures are many due to aging infrastructure; increasing operating and capital costs; and inflation.
John described the 6-year levy lid lift as a short-term funding option that, if approved by the King County Council would go to unincorporated area voters this November. It would include the following:
2022: Increase levy to statutory limit ($2.25 per $1,000 in Assessed Value).
2023-2027: Levy total amount grows at limiting factor (Inflation + Population Increase).
2028: Levy amount growth returns to legal maximum (1% per year, plus new construction).
Total Roads spending for those 6 years would be dominated by: Safety & Traffic Control (26%); Roads (20%); and Bridges & Drainage (17%).
Area Council members expressed strong concerns over unincorporated residents paying for commuters who live in cities to use King County roads (e.g., Issaquah-Hobart Rd, Petrovitsky Rd, etc.)—an issue raised by the Area Council and other Rural Area councils/associations many times over the years. Also, expressed was the potential that unincorporated residents would be “subsidizing” nearby cities, especially Black Diamond, which are planning to add tens of thousands of new residents to large Master-Planned Developments (two in Black Diamond and one in Covington). Please see the Area Council website’s Transportation Committee webpage (under “Regional Summit Meetings”) for details on its work in these areas: http://gmvuac.org/transportation-2/.
A copy of John’s presentation can be found on the Area Council website’s Unincorporated Road Levy Lid Lift page: http://gmvuac.org/unincorporated-area-road-levy-lid-lift/.
Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs) Update
The CPPs serve as the guiding principles and policies for all Comprehensive Planning for King County and its Cities. The CPPs, which cover Environment, Development Patterns, Housing, Economy, Transportation, and Public Facilities & Services, currently are undergoing an update.
Over the past 10 months the Area Council has lead a joint team of seven Rural Area Unincorporated Area Councils/Associations (UACs/UAAs) to review draft policies developed by the King County Executive’s Office and an Interjurisdictional Team. Our joint team prepared and submitted the following sets of Comments to King County in 2021:
January 11 — Initial Policies.: March 10 — Draft Policy Matrix.: May 4 — Public Review Draft (PRD) released on April 5.: May 21 & May 26 — Final Draft (including Growth Targets) released on May 19.
All the joint team’s comment submittals, as well as further information on the CPP Update, can be found at: http://gmvuac.org/countywide-planning-policies/, as well as the Area Council’s CPP Update page: http://gmvuac.org/countywide-planning-policies/.
On May 26 the King County Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC) met to discuss Public comments. At its meeting on June 30 the GMPC is expected to approve a final CPP Update. Each city in the County will go through its own approval process by September 30. The GMPC will submit its final CPP Update to the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) by December 31.
Rural Area Issues
There are many overriding issues important to Rural Area residents. The Area Council, in conjunction with members of the Public, as well as other Unincorporated Area Councils and Unincorporated Area Associations (UACs/UAAs), has developed over the years the following initial list of key issues, which was discussed:
1. CAPITAL FACILITIES—Do not locate regional capital facilities outside the urban growth area unless it is demonstrated that a non-urban site is the most appropriate location for such a facility. Do not provide urban services in rural areas. Design services for limited access when they are needed to solve isolated health & sanitation problems, so as not to increase development potential of the surrounding rural area. Provide a realistic plan to close the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill.
2. CODE ENFORCEMENT—Prioritize Code Enforcement; Enforce Haul-Route Agreements.
3. INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES—Do not allow Industrial-scale operations including: Materials Processing Facilities (requires change to KC Code 21A.08.080 — Manufacturing); Composting Facilities; and Winery/Brewery/Distillery retail tasting facilities.
4. PERMITTING—Tighten “vesting” rules for when a permit application is found to be “complete.” Do not allow Upzones.
5. PLANNING—Ensure consistency of plans among adjacent jurisdictions (e.g., city and county) as required by the State’s Growth Management Act to ensure consistency for connecting routes.
6. CONCURRENCY—Develop, implement, and evaluate concurrency programs and methods that fully consider growth targets, service needs, and level-of-service standards. Work to coordinate rate of future growth in small suburban cities to be concurrent with the provision of adequate capacity on state highways to serve the city-to-city traffic flows. Institute fees for Urban pass-through traffic on County roads.
7. TRANSPORTATION—Replace all existing impact mitigation and concurrency management standards and regulations with a new system based on vehicle-miles-of-travel as a common basis for measurement of development impacts, mitigation, and multi-modal system capacity.
The Area Council intends to revisit this list (i.e., add, modify, and/or delete portions) at its July Monthly meeting. Following Area Council approval, it will represent a set of Guiding Principles, which will be a “living document” to be updated as situations change and will be posted on our website.
Upcoming Area Council Meetings
The next Area Council monthly meeting will be held Monday, July 12 (one week later than the normal first Monday of the month due to the 4th of July Holiday). It will be another “virtual” meeting via Zoom. Access information will be posted on the Area Council’s website www.gmvuac.org.
The Area Council has begun to discuss when and how to start having some in-person meetings again. Such a decision will be based on State and County COVID guidelines, Once decided, meetings again will be held at the Maple Valley Fire Station—SE corner of SE 231st St & SR-169 intersection across from the Police Precinct.
All regular monthly meetings are held on the first Monday of the month (except for Holidays, when they are held on the second Monday), from 7 – 9:30 PM. Meeting announcements are published in the Voice of the Valley, the Area Council’s website (www.gmvuac.org) and local NextDoor platforms. You can also find us on Facebook. Each meeting begins with an open Public Comment period.
Area Council Membership
Your Area Council serves as an all-volunteer, locally recognized advisory body to King County on behalf of all rural unincorporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District. The Area Council’s Vision Statement is:
“Our community’s Rural Character will be supported by facilitating strong local ties and communication between the public, organizations, and government; promoting locally owned businesses and supporting quality education; protecting the environment, and maintaining landowners’ rights and responsibilities; promoting controlled and well-planned growth with appropriate infrastructure; ensuring proper representation for rural interests and needs; and supporting the health and safety and the privacy of our vibrant community.”
The twelve-seat Area Council currently has three open seats. If you have an interest in joining please send an e-mail to: info@gmvuac.org or attend a monthly meeting and express your interest.
Citizens who are not members of the Area Council or do not live within the Tahoma School District still are eligible to join and serve on any of the Area Council’s three major subject-matter Committees: Environment, Growth Management, or Transportation, as well as the Ad Hoc Economic, Public Relations, and Train Show Committees. The Area Council welcomes your participation. For information on each of these committees please see the Area Council’s web site: www.gmvuac.org and use the drop-down menu under Committees. Again, if you have an interest in joining any Area Council committees, please send an e-mail to: info@gmvuac.org. Thank you.
