September 2008 Meeting Summary

By Peter Rimbos, Corresponding Secretary

The Greater Maple Valley Area Council held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, September 8, with 9 members present, 4 members absent (3 with proxies), and 3 positions open.

The following items were addressed:

1) Sheriff’s Precinct-Level Quarterly Community Forum

2) Solid Waste Plan

3) Climate Change & Carbon Sequestration, and

4) King County Comprehensive Plan Update for 2008.

Your Area Council serves as an all-volunteer, locally elected advisory body to the King County Council. It represents all rural unincorporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District.

Sheriff’s Precinct-Level Quarterly Community Forum

Major Dave Germani of the Maple Valley Sheriff’s Precinct held his Quarterly Forum to listen to issues from the public. Issues raised included: service levels given population growth (levels have been maintained); incarceration levels given jail overcrowding (potentially jails might only handle felonies); and overall budget paring issues (see below).

Major Germani described upcoming budget cuts required due to falling King County revenues that could result in an 8.6% cut in the Criminal Justice System budget. This would result in several positions cut--both officers and administrative staff in the Sheriff’s Precincts. Major Germani emphasized levels of safety will be maintained, but that there really is no fat left to cut from the budget.

Solid Waste Plan

Kevin Kiernan, Division Director, and Thea Severn, Planning and Communications Manager, both with King County’s Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP) Solid Waste Division, reviewed the upcoming Solid Waste Comprehensive Plan. This plan, an update of the 2001 Plan, will provide policy for the region’s solid waste management for the next 20 years with a particular focus on the next 6 years.

Major aspects of the plan include the transfer system (urban and rural); solid waste disposal; waste prevention and recycling; and collection. The draft plan is expected to be released by January 2009 for Public Comment.

Waste prevention and recycling are the highest priorities driven primarily by cost considerations. More than half of all materials disposed in the Cedar Hills Landfill could have been recycled/reused. Consequently, the Solid Waste Division has set goals of recycling at least 55% of our waste by 2012 and 70% by 2018 to extend the life of the Cedar Hills Landfill and keep rates as low as possible.

Mr. Kiernan can be reached at (206) 296-4385 or kevin.kiernan@kingcounty.gov and Ms. Severn at (206) 296-4360 or thea.severn@kingcounty.gov. More information is available on the Solid Waste Division website.

Climate Change & Carbon Sequestration

Richard Gelb, Performance Measures Manager, and Matt Kuharic, Program Manager of Climate Change Initiatives, both with King County’s DNRP, discussed potential carbon sequestration opportunities. Carbon sequestration is a way to collect and store carbon dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere and accelerating climate change.

The DNRP promotes forest management that achieves long-term forest health; protection of watersheds; critical areas and habitat to support fish and wildlife populations; protection of threatened and endangered species; conservation and economic viability of working forests; carbon sequestration and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; and adaptation to climate change.

A new initiative that King County is developing could provide landowners the opportunity to collect carbon sequestration credits for maintaining or planting stands of trees, adding organic amendments to soils, and sustainable forestry and agriculture. One potential mechanism to effect this could be through the existing Public Benefit Rating System, whereas a landowner enrolled in the program could see significantly reduced property taxes.

The Area Council encouraged Mr. Gelb and Kuharic to continue to study these types of carbon sequestration programs and invited them to return to brief the community as their plan develops.

King County Comprehensive Plan Update for 2008

The King County Council is now reviewing the final set of recommendations from its Growth Management & Natural Resources (GM&NR) Committee regarding the Comprehensive Plan Update for 2008. The Area Council has participated in all the review and comment cycles since the process began a year ago. Following discussions of three major chapters in the King County Comprehensive Plan Update for 2008 (3--Rural Legacy; 4--Environment; and 7--Transportation) the Area Council voted to support the GM&NR Committee recommendations with some specific exceptions taken on 3 Amendments and 2 Area Zoning/Land Use Maps, as described below.

Rural Amendment 3 proposes public sewers be deleted as a service allowed for public schools in the Rural Area. The Area Council recommends using the phrase “large urban-type facilities such as large schools, large houses of worship, large tennis centers, etc.” In survey after survey our constituents have shown they strongly believe that large urban-style facilities should not be allowed in the Rural Area.

Transportation Amendment 2 proposes a new set of Transportation Concurrency provisions including travel sheds, mobility areas, etc. The Area Council believes that the overall goal of Transportation Concurrency should be to stem unsustainable growth in areas with insufficient infrastructure. Unfortunately, the proposed new system appears to violate this goal and the Area Council encourages the King County Council to ensure proposed Transportation Concurrency provisions recognize and further the goal to stem unsustainable growth in areas with insufficient infrastructure, i.e., the Rural Area.

Transportation Amendment 4 proposes that transportation projects that address existing capacity needs in unincorporated King County shall also be given priority consideration. We questioned what “capacity needs” means. Does it only mean more roads? Does it include more transit? Results from the May Citizens’ Transportation Forums show a strong desire from the public for more transit--both routes & frequency. Once again, the Area Council emphasizes that the Rural Area does not want to see unsustainable growth and, therefore, opposes this amendment.

Area Zoning/Land Use Map Amendment 9 proposes to add 59 Rural Area acres to Covington’s Urban Growth Area. Following annexation this would effectively stretch the Urban Growth Boundary. The Area Council strongly opposes this proposed amendment as it sets a dangerous precedent that could affect any part of the Rural Area.

The Area Council will submit this final set of comments to the King County Council by September 29.

Next Meeting

The Area Council meets on the first Monday of each month (except on legal holidays) at the Sheriff’s Precinct # 3 Headquarters located at 231^st St & SR-169 (across from Fire Station). The public is invited to attend. Each meeting begins with an Open Comment period allowing citizens to voice issues of concern. Our next regular monthly meeting will be held on Monday, October 6, at 7:00 PM.