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October 2008 Meeting Minutes
7:00 PM Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Roll call Review and approve agenda Public comment on topics which are not listed on the agenda Approval of minutes
7:10 PM Public Health/Solid Waste Handling Permit Renewal, Cedar Hills Yolanda Pon Yolanda said that the Cedar Hills Landfill permit expired this year, and they are currently going through the process of resubmitting documentation for renewal. Part of the regulation requires that a complete application be submitted, and then the public is notified of the hearing on the permit application. The announcements went into multiple newspapers, and October 27 is the last date for submitting comments. On October 31, the Dept.of Ecology and Public Health go through the application. The application received from King County Solid Waste division provides the following information:
Once the review process is complete, they will respond to the comments and put them in a report.
The question was asked: "When was the last permit issued, and what changed?" Answer: The site-wide permit was issued in 2003, but now they are proposing another excavated area. They also have improvements and other projects that they are working on, which weren't part of the last permit.
The question was asked: "Is it the State Dept. of Ecology that is responsible for monitoring?" Answer: Both the Environmental Health Services division and the State are responsible for monitoring. Some monitoring is done monthly, and some is done quarterly. Off-site domestic wells are part of a sample plan and are tested.
The question was asked: "Is there a third party between you and them?" Answer: Public Health has a third party involved in the testing.
A question was asked: "Is the information published?" Answer: Yolanada said that the hydrologist they use works for the Dept. of Ecology. King County Solid Waste does the testing of the wells in the area, and Public Health receives a copy of their report, which is available for review.
The question was asked: "Is there an outside lab that the public can go to if they want another opinion? Answer: The Dept. of Ecology has strict protocol that they need to follow, and there isn't a budget for additional testing. Yolanda said that she could ask to go along on the testing if there were any questions.
7:40 PM DCHS Jackie MacLean, Director of Community of Human Services Jackie gave us a breakdown on where the Human Services budget is spent, particularly in our area, which can be found on their website. They receive $13 million a year for veterans programs. They now get $50 million in sales tax for mental health and drug dependencies, and there are 37 different strategies to implement for the next 11 years. One of their main focuses is helping people who do not have Medicaid. Currently, they are training people to be chemical dependency case managers, and there is a project to train sheriff and emergency responders on how to react to people with mental health issues. The budget is approximatley $350 million becuase of the need in King County; however, this is discretionary.
The question was asked: "How much do the cities provide to her department?" Answer: Cities don't provide much.
The question was asked: "Why is rural tax money used to assist people in the cities?" Answer: Property tax and sales taxes are where her department's money comes from, and people don't necesssarily want to get services in their own area. The example she gave was the food bank; some people do not want to go to their local food bank, and others don't necessarily want to get mental health or drug counseling in their own communities.
The question was asked: "How many of those you serve are undocumented or illegal aliens?" Answer: It is not their job to be the immigration police. They only have money for people on Medicaid. This extra money provies services for people who are just on the cusp of Medicaid. Jackie also said that they are currently looking for volunteers for their advisory committees.
The question was asked: "Does money for public defenders go through the general fund?" Answer: It does.
The question was asked: "What happens to people who are not covered by Medicaid?" Answer: They fall through the cracks until they do something really bad or end up in the emergency room. 85% of the work they do is contracted out to nonprofits. Their overhead is 7%. The good news is that the Housing Authority bought Wonderland Estates and unfortunately there isn't any more room for mobile home parks. They also do major home repairs up to $25,000. Click here for more information.
8:00 PM DDES Changes and an Update Holly Sawin and Joelyn Higgens Ravensdale Mobile Home Park has been an ongoing DDES area of concern. There was a code issue where a unit was brought in that did not have the proper heating units. There have also been issues with junk and debris. A meeting was held about a month ago in Reagan Dunn's office to look at what they can do in terms of low income housing. Holly thinks there may be some outreach to local area citizens. Reagan Dunn will be meeting with the property owners to discuss the ongoing issues. She also said that Solid Waste has some grant money for people to clean up debris that has been dumped and it will be renewed for next year. There wil be $10,000 available next year.
The question was asked: How does one apply for the money? Answer: Vouchers are applied for through DDES. She also said that all people involved in building permits will be moving to the Oakesdale building in Renton. Joelyn commented that for the next six months, there is an ABC program where people can apply for permits who did not apply for them in advance.
8:20 PM Train Show Update - October 18 & 19 John Huson is working on an article for the Maple Valley Reporter and the Voice of the Valley.
Eric will stay the night Friday and Saturday. Friday: Gordon, Peter Saturday: Rob, Dave, Patrick, Kevin Sunday: Bev, Gordon, Warren
8:30 PM Council Business and Committee Assignments
8:40 PM Police Budget Dave had a letter published in the newspaper and would like to have it submitted to the King County Council supported by the GMVUAC. Dave will submit the letter for review.
9:30 PM Adjourn
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