King County Executive Dow Constantine recently recounted some of the things for which the county government is responsible
For one thing, said Constantine, King County provides traffic infrastructure. But it also must protect the most vulnerable people in the communities, provide for public safety and justice, provide infrastructure for economic development and wastewater treatment for homes and businesses and protect the region from potentially crippling pandemics.
In the last year, Constantine noted, the county also has worked to protect businesses and homes from potential flooding of the Green River.
But making all of it happen in hard times is a constant struggle, Constantine said.
“We’re facing enormous challenges, challenges with which I get to wrestle seven days a week,” Constantine recently told members of the Auburn Rotary Club at Copper Falls restaurant.
Constantine said the county’s general fund has taken a $140 million hit in the last two years, and is facing another $140 million shortfall in the next two years. He said general fund revenues have declined in the last two years, and the county has exhausted its store house of one-times savings and gimmicks.
“… I had a manager who told me that flat is the new up,” Constantine said.
Wrestling with these problems, Constantine said, calls for the county to do everything it can to keep its core services functioning.
“We’re reducing our fleets, we’re continuing with our hiring freeze. I have not only frozen but rolled back salaries within the executive’s office. We have an awful lot of empty cubicles. I want to emphasize that in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are required.”
While stressing the importance of partnerships with local cities, he conceded that until now many cities have not considered King County a reliable or effective partner. He aims to change that.
Earlier this month, Constantine sent the final draft of the first-ever King County Strategic Plan to the King County Council for approval, suggesting a number of goals and improvements.
“I cannot defend the status quo that is not working for the citizens of King County,” Constantine said.
