The Metropolitan King County Council today authorized the emergency funds needed to relocate County services and protect critical County facilities in the Green River Valley, in advance of the threat of flooding from the storm-damaged, federal Howard Hanson Dam.
“It is imperative that the County take the necessary actions to protect our employees and the facilities in which they work in the Green River Valley,” said Councilmember Larry Gossett, chair of the Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee that reviewed the legislation. “Today’s actions help us prepare to take the steps we need to ensure continued operation of vital county services.”
“In the event of a major flood, it is crucial that King County be able to guarantee basic services, such as wastewater treatment, to its citizens,” said Council Chair Dow Constantine. “These measures will also allow King County to maintain its key justice system functions during an emergency.”
The $34.6 million appropriation funds work already under way to, among other things:
• Negotiate for jail space to relocate inmates from the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC).
• Negotiate for leases to relocate Superior Court, District Court, the Prosecuting Attorney, the Public Defender, and Judicial Administration from the MRJC.
• Hire a contractor to build a wall of concrete blocks and earthen berms around the MRJC, and provide flood protection around other critical, valuable County facilities.
• Negotiate for leased space for Aukeen District Court and affected public health facilities.
• Lease a temporary animal shelter for five months.
• Lease generators capable of producing 16 megawatts of electricity to continue pumping treated sewage out of the South Treatment Plant in the event of a power failure.
• Erect a water barrier around the South Treatment Plant.
• Move the Elections Office out of the Earlington Building to the King County Airport Operations Center.
“It would be irresponsible if King County was not prepared,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson. “The County has already acted to protect the November election, but if other critical services are not protected, flooding in the Green River Valley could leave our employees at the Regional Justice Center unable to provide basic services to citizens, and raw sewage headed to our wastewater treatment facility could back up and pollute Lake Washington. This funding provides reassurance that County services, services that are critical to protecting people, property, and democracy, will continue in the event of a flood.”
The ordinance provides funds to lease a temporary King County animal shelter for five months, but prohibits the use of the funds for purchase of an animal services facility. The County Executive has already announced that animals will be relocated from the animal shelter in Kent and the facility closed by November 1 in anticipation of the flood threat, and proposed the transition of both animal control and sheltering services to a new entity by June 30, 2010.
Of the emergency funds authorized today, $27.2 million will come from the sale of bond anticipation notes and $7.4 million from the County’s Wastewater Treatment construction fund. The legislation requires the Executive to report back to the Council every two weeks on how the money is being spent. Money that is not used during this flood season will be returned to the General Fund and the wastewater fund to be held in reserve in the event of another Green River flood threat next year.
The Council doubled the amount of funds placed into a flood contingency fund from $4.5 million to nearly $10 million by reducing other areas of the Executive’s budget request.
