Unin ncorpor ratedK KingCo ountyR Round: NewFr ramew workfor rPubli icEnga agemen nt

Aug gust19Sep ptember9, ,2011

Final Report
By

Chanta alStevens Coun ntywideCo ommunityForumsPr rogramMa anager er5,2011 Octobe

AKingCoun ntypubliceng gagementpro ogramintheK KingCountyA AuditorsOffic ce

Auditors Office Mission

Through objective and independent audits and services, we promote and improve performance, accountability, and transparency in King County government.

Auditors Office Vision

Our work is of the highest quality and integrity resulting in significant improvements in accountability, performance, and efficiency in county government, and it promotes public trust.

The King County Auditor's Office was created in 1969 by the King County Home Rule Charter as an independent agency within the legislative branch of county government. Under the provisions of the charter, the County Auditor is appointed by the Metropolitan King County Council. The King County Code contains policies and administrative rules for the Auditor's Office. The King County Auditor's Office provides oversight of county government

through independent audits and other studies regarding the performance and efficiency of agencies and programs, compliance with mandates, and integrity of financial management systems. The office reports the results of each audit or study to the Metropolitan King County Council. The King County Auditors Office performs its work in accordance with applicable Government Auditing Standards.

Audit and reports are available on our website (www.kingcounty.gov/operations/auditor.aspx) in two formats: entire reports in PDF format (1999 to present) and report summaries (1992 to present). Copies of reports can also be requested by mail at 516 Third Avenue, Rm. W-1033, Seattle, WA 98104, or by phone at 206-2961655.

Alternative Formats Available Upon Request

Unincorporated King County Round: New Framework for Public Engagement

SUMMARY
BetweenAugust19andSeptember9,2011,CountywideCommunityForumsconductedaroundofforumsthat askedKingCountyresidentsabouttheirviewsandideasrelatedtothenewframeworkforpublicengagementin theunincorporatedareasthatKingCountyisdevelopinginresponsetoOrdinance20110189. While549responseswerereceived,thisreportonlyincludesthe310responsesthatwerereceivedfromresidents wholiveinandadjacenttoUnincorporatedKingCounty.Almosthalfoftherespondentsrefertohomeasa suburbancommunity.HalfofthemareslightlytoextremelysatisfiedwithKingCountyinstitutions,whileaquarter areslightlytoextremelydissatisfied.Therestareneutralorfailedtorespond.Just22%havenotcontactedKing Countyduringthepreviousyearforanyreason.ThetopsixKingCountycontactsrelateto,indecreasingorder: Sheriffservices,Emergency/911,transit,propertytaxissuesandinformation,elections,andcountyroads. AseriesofquestionsaskedparticipantsfortheirviewsonthelegislationthatcallsforthecreationofCommunity ServiceAreas,recommendsaprimarypointofcontactandaimstoimprovecommunicationsbetweenthecounty andresidents.Themostdecisiveanswerfromthesurveyisthatthreequarterofrespondentsfeelthathavinga dedicatedstaffpersonasaprimarycontactencouragesbettercommunication.Themajorityofrespondentswould bewillingtoattendameetingwithcountyofficialsintheircommunityeverytwotosixmonthstodiscusslocal issuesandconcerns.Theyaremorelikelytoattendifthemeetingisaboutfutureplanninganddevelopment, satisfactionlevelswithcountyservicesandprograms,orlocalvaluesandpriorities.Theyareleastlikelytoattenda meetingonhowtomeasurethesuccessofcountyservicesorprogramsoraboutcountyfeesandrevenuesources. TheyconsiderthemeetingtobemosteffectiveifarepresentativefromtheCountyCouncilorCountyExecutiveis presentandifitisopentoanyoneoranyorganization,butthinkthatanopenendedagendainitiatedby participantswouldbeleasteffective. Thepreferredmethodforpublicinputfor38%oftherespondentsisonlinecomments.Emailisthepreferred methodofcommunicationfortwothirdsofrespondents.Respondingtoinquirieswithin24hoursisthebestway forthecountytoshowitislistening,followedbyhavingmeetingsthatarecollaborativeandabouttwoway communication.Kiosksinthecommunityareleastvalued. IndeterminingtheboundariesofaCommunityServiceArea(CSA),respondentsfeelthatrespectingtheexisting communityidentityisthebestcriterion,followedbyuniformityofthecommunity(rural,suburban,orurban)and theexistenceoflocalgovernmentdistricts.Landuse,governanceandsafetytopthelistofissuesidentifiedby residentsasspecifictolifeinUnincorporatedKingCounty.

SurveyResults
DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS
(D-1) What is your Gender? 0 Male Female 50 100 111 192 150 200 250

(D-2) What is your Age Range? 0 1019years 2029years 3039years 4049years 5059years 6069years 7079years 80yearsorolder 2 12 50 4 32 48 70 89 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

(D-3) Over your lifetime, how long have you lived or worked in King County?

0 Lessthan1year 15years 610years 1119years 20yearsormore 2

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

37 32 67 172

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SurveyResults
(D-4) What is your primary racial or ethnic heritage?

0 AmericanIndianorAlaskaNative Asian Black Hispanic NativeHawaiianorotherPac.Islander White BlendedRacialHeritage Other 10 13 3 8 14 6 24

50

100

150

200

250

211

(D-5) What is your primary Employment Status?

0 SelfEmployedorBusinessOwner WorkforanyForProfitBusiness WorkforanyNonProfitOrganization WorkforanyGovernment WorkforanyEducationalInstitution Student Unemployedandseekingwork 3

20

40

60 59

80

100

120

140

120 19 17 16 12 58

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SurveyResults
(D-6) What is the highest level of education you have completed? 0
Grades18 SomeHighSchool HighSchoolGraduate(includingGED) SomeCollegeorTechnicalSchool TechnicalSchoolGraduateorTwoyearCollegeGraduate FouryearCollegeGraduate SomePostGraduateEducation PostGraduateDegree(Masters,Ph.D.,M.D.,J.D.,etc.)

20 0 5 16

40

60

80

100

120

43 20 97 40 81

(D-7) How would you describe the community where you live? 0 Rural Suburban Urban 58 20 40 60 80 82 154 100 120 140 160 180

(D-8) If you live in King County, who is your King County Councilmember? 0 BobFerguson(district#1) LarryGossett(district#2) KathyLambert(district#3) LarryPhillips(district#4) JuliaPatterson(district#5) JaneHague(district#6) PetevonReichbauer(district#7) JoeMcDermott(district#8) ReganDunn(district#9) IworkinKingCountybutliveelsewhere 5 28 40 46 52 0 32 7 66 10 20 15 30 40 50 60 70

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SurveyResults
(D-9) Have you ever testified at a King County public hearing or Town Hall meeting? 0 Yes No 50 73 219 100 150 200 250

(D-10) Overall, what level of satisfaction do you have with King County institutions as a whole? 0 Extremelysatisfied(+++) ++ + Neutral Extremelydissatisfied() 11 22 43 71 3 38 115 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

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SurveyResults
TOPIC QUESTIONS
(T-1) In the past year, what was the reason(s) that you needed to contact King County? Check all that apply

0 Animalcontrol Courts Electioninformation Emergency/911 Humanorhealthservices Landuseissuesand/orinformation Parksortrails Sheriffservices Propertytaxissuesandinformation Roads Solidwaste Surfacewatermanagement Transit IdidnotcontactKingCounty

20 33

40

60

80

35 48 54 39 51 36 56 49 45 22 19 49 69

Numberofresponsesforeacharea respondentscouldpickmorethanoneresponse (T-2) When do you feel resident or community input is most valuable to the county decision making process? Rank your top three choices. Whencountyofficialsneedtounderstandthe impactofapolicydecision Whencountyofficialsneedtomeasurethesuccess ofaprogram Whencountyofficialsaredevelopinglongterm plansonissuessuchaslanduseandeconomic Whencountyofficialsneedtomakebudget priorities Whencountyofficialsaredevelopingsolutionsto communityproblems Whencountyofficialsneedtobetterunderstand localissues 1.05 Averagerankingovertotalnumberofresponses 0.84 1.26 0.26 1.02

0.89

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SurveyResults

(T-5)

Do you believe that having a dedicated staff person as a primary point of contact representing the county within a Community Service Area (CSA) encourages better communication? 50 100 150 200 226 19 250

0 Yes No

(T-6)

How often are you willing to attend a meeting with county officials in your community to discuss local issues and concerns? 0 Monthly 10 20 30 40 50 44 88 79 31 23 60 70 80 90 100

Everytwoorthreemonths Twiceayear Onceayear Lessthanonceayear

(T-7)

What do you think would be the most effective method for public input from your community?

0 Randomsamplephonesurveys Traditionalpublicmeetings Onlinecomments(throughemail,websites,Google docs,andsocialmedia) Individualmeetingswithpublicofficials CountywideCommunityForums Other 2

20 13

40

60

80

100

120

140

43 120 22 41

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SurveyResults
(T-8) How likely or unlikely are you willing to engage with county officials through your local Community Service Area if the following opportunities are available for you to share your opinions about: MoreLikely LessLikely 173 159 137 126 113 88 70 68 56 30 35 32 18 56 55 38 24 19 7 Countyfees Countyland use andrevenue regulations sources Future Measuring successof planningand county development services and/or programs County budget priorities Localvalues Issuesunique Satisfaction levelswith tomy andpriorities county community servicesand programs 24 56 Unlikely

165

159

165

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SurveyResults

(T-9)

What should a CSA-sponsored meeting include in order to be effective?

Livevideostreamofmeetingsisavailableonline RepresentativesfromtheCountyCounciland/or ExecutiveBrancharepresent Agendaisopenendedandinitiatedbyparticipants Agendaissetwithspecificgoalsforpublicdialogue Meetingsarevideotapedandpostedonlinefor review Publicinputcanbesubmittedviaemailandsocial media Meetingincludesanopenendedportionor opportunityforcommentsbytheattendees Meetingisopentoanyoneoranyorganization

0.26 1.01 0.18 0.78 0.40 0.87 0.79 1.02 Averagerankingovertotalnumberofresponses

(T-11) What is the one best method for you to be notified about opportunities to engage with a Community Service Area?

0 Email Listservs Locallibrary Localnewspaper IndividualCSAwebsites KingCountyTVStation FacebookandTwitter Phonecall Wirelessphoneapp 1 6 4 6 22 6 9 12

50

100

150

200 210

250

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SurveyResults

(T-12) In your opinion, what are the best illustrations that the county is listening to you and your community? Averagerankingovertotalnumberofresponses Responsestoinquirywithin24hoursviaemail,phone calls,orwebposting Regularlyscheduledcommunitymeetings Physicalpresenceofcountyofficialsinmycommunity suchasanoffice CountyKioskinmycommunity ResponsestoinquiriesarepostedonCSAwebsite Communitymeetingsthatarecollaborativeandabout 2waycommunicationbetweenresidentsandcounty 0.08 0.32 0.65 0.42 0.34 0.82

(T-16) choices:

In determining the boundaries for a CSA, please rank your top three

Averageofrankingovertotalnumberofresponses Uniformtypeofcommunity(rural,suburban,orurban) Geographicalrepresentation Populationconsiderations Accesstopublicmeetingareas Numberofcommunitybasedorganizationsper population,suchascommunitycouncils,community Existingcommunityleadershipsuchascommunity councils Existingcommunityidentity(howthecommunityself identifies) Existinglocalgovernmentdistricts 0.79 0.38 0.45 0.95 0.65 0.76 0.85

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SurveyResults
ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK
(T2)Whendoyoufeelresidentorcommunityinputismostvaluabletothecountydecisionmaking process?Additionalthoughts: Afterelections. AllCouncil;MembersneedtounderstandhowtodisengagefromUNmandatedAgenda21initiatives Alloftheabove. Allthetime,gooddecisionsrequirefairnessforthetaxpayer Answersoftenfeel"predetermined"beforeinput Anytimeadecisioneffectsthewalletofthecommunity Atthebeginningoftheplanningstage Atthebeginningoftheprocess Beforeweelectthem,sotheywon'tWASTEourmoneyonprojectslikethetunnel,thatwillbeless efficientthanwhatwehavenow bicycletransitplanforarearesidents,bikepaths,signage,infrastructure Communityinput&councilunderstandingtheresultofthedecisionisnecessarybeforeallpolicy decisionsarefinal Communityinputismostvaluablewhenyouactuallygotothecommunityandcollectinformationina veryauthenticway.Thecommunitydoesnotfeelappreciatedwhenitisjustusedfordataand research.Countyofficialsshouldcareenoughtobethereforthisprocess.Officialsshouldalso understandbarriersaffectingcommunitiessuchaslanguagebarriersandproblemsrelatedtoclass andrace DevelopEmploymentopportunities FeelslikelesssupportforstartupsandentrepreneursinUninc.KingCounty.Why?Microsoft& Costcoaresoclose Growthinruralandgreenareas Growthmanagement Informationneedstobesenttoofficials LowerB&Otaxes,please Needbetterprotectionfrompoliceforrobbersandvandals NIMBYissuescanresultininaction.Sometimeselectedofficialshavetodowhatisrightforthelong run Pleaseprotectourtrailsandparks Residentsneedtobeapartofatleastatonelevel responsetimeforpoliceandemergencyissues T2isjustsilly.Countyofficialsrepresentusandsoshouldbeseekinginputonalloftheabove thegreatergoodofcommunity Toomuchcrimeinourneighborhoodsinthesedays Toughtochooseorprioritizethese...theyareallimportant Usesocialinnovationtohelpcreatejobsbutmakeadifferenceinourcommunitiestoo.Whydoesit alwayshavetobeoneortheother?Wehavetechnologyandsmartpeopleisgovtusingthem? Weneedofficialstounderstandweneedlessregulations!!! Wellpriortodecisionmaking.Atapointofmutualengagementbasedongiveandtakedialogue 11|P a g e

SurveyResults
Whatis1,2,or3?Goodtobad,badtogood? WhenCountyofficialsaremakingadecisionthatfavorslargedevelopers Whencountyofficialsneedtofacilitatelocalpeopledevelopingtheirownsolutionstoproblems Whenpoliticalforcesarecausingleadershiptogointhewrongdirection.Toforceelectedstoact responsibly Whenthecountyisgoingtoaffectthelifestyleinanarea Whentheofficialisupforelection whenthepubliceffectsthebudget Whenevertheymakedecisionsthataffectme (T4)Inyouropinion,whatspecificissuesdoresidentsofUnincorporatedKingCountyfacethat residentsofincorporatedareasdonotface?(firstchoice) a)Emergency,policy,crime 911responsetimes Accesstoemergencyservices emergencyresponsetime emergencyservices EMERGENCYSERVICES Emergencyservicesaccess Longemergencyresponsetimes Slowerfirstresponse Slowerresponsetimesforemergencies responsetimeforpolice,fire,andemergencies speedofemergencyservices Accesstopolice.KingCountySheriffshavealotofterritory crimeeventhoughmostisnonviolent cutbacksinlawenforcement dependingonKingCountyforlocalservices,suchaspoliceprotection Lackoflawenforcementprotection Lackofpoliceandemergencyresponseservices Lackofpolicecoverage/resources Inclusioninpolicydecisions Lackofcrimeprevention,notenoughpolice,lackoffundingforyouthprograms LawEnforcement lawsandpoliciesthatpertaintomoreurbansettingsthanrural/suburbansettings Lesslawenforcement Localpolicepresence&availability,especiallyfornon911issues policeandfire policeavailability policecoverlargeareas PoliceCoverageandPublicSafety policeprotection 12|P a g e

SurveyResults
Policeprotection policeprotection Police/fireservice longwaitsforpolicetohelp Notenoughpoliceworkingwithsmallbusinessowners Publicsafety(viapolice)isverydifferentinthecounty publicsafetyspeedinessofservices safety safety Sheriffresponse(FallCity) Sheriffsupport Security Securityandsafety b)Accesstoservices Accesstoadministrativeservices Accesstocommunityprograms accesstoservices Accesstomoderndayamenities(Internet,Celltowers,etc.) awarenessofcountyservices Choicetolivewherefewerservicesareavailable communication:beitpermits/policy/decisionsthataffectme,orwhocanhelpmewithmyproblem Insufficientaccesstoservices lackofaccesstolocalcityservices Lackofservices lackofservicesinourlocalareas Lackofpublicservices servicecuts services Telecommunicationsaccess utilityinfrastructure c)Transportation:transit,roads,other dangerousbicyclesonruralroads Transit Transit Transit Transit Transitavailability Transitissuesnotenoughbusses transportation Transportation transportationroadmaintenance 13|P a g e

SurveyResults
lackofbusservice Limitedpublictransportation PublicTransit PublicTransportation poorroads,sidewalks roadimprovementsinunincorporatedareas Roads roads/transportation roadupkeepmaybe reliabletransportation ruralroadmaintenanceandstandards trafficcameras d)Landuse,environment Annualfloodingisarealproblemaroundhere appropriateLandUse CAO controllinglanduseanddevelopment Conversionofagriculturallandtorecreationaluses(likehorseriding). conversionofrurallandtourbanuses Development Encroachingdevelopmentinruralarea Exploitationbyadjacentcities. Flooding GrowthManagementPolicythreateningpropertyrights growthmanagement/landuse landusage landuse landuse LandUse Landuse Landuse landusediffersinruralareas landuseissues landuseissues landusepolicy burnban landissuesdisputesorgovernmentregulations LackofregulationofGrowthmanagement zoning zoning makingdecisionsregardingproperty PacificRacewaysexpansion 14|P a g e

SurveyResults
PacificRacewaysmakingtoomuchnoise Oversightofbuildingprojects PRIVATElanduserestrictions(developmentandwetlandimpact) PropertyRights PropertyrightsANDsurroundingarearestrictions Regulationofprivatelanduse. Unreasonablelanduserestrictions Lessclarityofwhatyoucandoonyourland TheCAOistoorestrictedandcreatedbypeoplelivinginSeattle significantvolumeofyardwasteanditscosteffectivedisposal waterissues Animalcontrol Bearsandotheranimalsonprivateproperty e)Governance,representation,resources,taxes Countyisfirstlevelofgovernance dilutionofvoice donothavedirectrepresentation feelthattheyarenotrepresented HavinginfluenceondecisionsthatKingCountymakes lackofdiversityintermsofpoliticalrepresentation Lackofeasilyaccessibleandresponsivegovernment Lessrepresentation Lessvoiceincountydecisionsandaffairs Onlyhaveonecouncilmanonaboardof9 Onlyonecouncilmembertorepresentourarea feelingofbeingoutsidethe"important"areasofthecounty lackofaccountabilitybybureaucrats lackofrepresentationinrelationshiptothe"Seattle"partofthecounty countydecisionshavenorelevancetomyarea localcitylaws Lossofthelocalcontrolmunicipalitiesposses OutsideofourUACs"thecounty"istoofarremoved easeofcontactingrepresentatives representation Representationbyonethatisnotlocaltoyourarea Representation/Clout Individualsbeingheard. WedonothaveadequaterepresentationinthegovernmentofKingCounty.Onerepresentative alwaysgetsvoteddown. Weneedbetterrepresentation! Noclearchannelsofcommunication 15|P a g e

SurveyResults
Enoughvoicestobeheard Annexationsandchangesinruraldensityofhousing Forcedannexation forcedincorporationheadachesofwho/when Whyismyareabeingannexedwithoutusknowingaboutit? Financialsupport fundingissues higherpropertytaxation Higherpropertytaxation higherpropertytaxes Iamnotawareofdifferencesexceptfortaxes Fewerresources TaxationwithoutRepresentation Taxes lackofresources lackofresourcesavailablenearby lackofresourceslocally Wepaytaxesthatgettrickledintothecity.Idontwanttosupportthingsthere,orIwouldlivethere andusethem. None.Thecitiesjustdoabetterajobofmanagingtheissuesandfinding$. f)Socialservicesandchallenges accesstocommunitysocialservices lackofsocialservices Homeless/Housing/Food Homelessness housing littleornohumanservicesagencies Lessjobs CityHomeless morehomelesssheltersareneededyearround Makingsurethatdisadvantagedindividualscontinuetoreceiveeducation&healthandhumansrvs Beingintheminority,havingnovoice Thedisparityintheeconomicopportunitiesforminorities. Schoolsaregoingdownespintheseareas (T12)Inyouropinion,whatarethebestillustrationsthatthecountyislisteningtoyouandyour community?Additionalthoughts Mightbenice,exceptthatthereisatendencybygovernmentemployeestosendboilerplate responses.Theydon'treallyreadorgiveawhitabouttheconstituent'sinput. Complainttrackingsystemformoretransparencyinhowthecountyhandles,andresolvescomplaints Actualchangethatreflectsourneedsisbeingmade 16|P a g e

SurveyResults
Aftertherecent$20increaseinlicensetabfees,Iseenoevidencethatthecountyis"listening"tothe community Appropriateactionistakeninareasonableamountoftime Avoidthe"appearance"thatamatterissettledbeforecitizeninputisprovided Councilvotesthatsupportourinterests ElectleaderstothisnewCSAthing Feedbackrespondingtocomments/recommendations Immediate(lessthan1hour)responsetomostissues Lovemypubliclibrary!Pleasehavemeetingsthere Makeschoolsbetter;ourchildrenaren'tlearning Morethanoneoptionshouldbeavailable. Newsletters Noneoftheabove,theydonotexist notlistening Phone&mail Physicalevidenceofworkaccomplishedwithinthecommunity Positivecommunityrelatedactions Publicacknowledgment Regularnewsletterswouldbegood Seeingactiononcommunityissues,notjusttalk snowremoval SocialMedia thatchangesarebeingmade TherearefewexamplesofCountyofficialslistening Thisquestionisbasedonurbanservices.Wehavenolocalmeetingroom,storefrontofficespaceor kiosklocationswithinmilesofourruralcommunity. UACformatworkswellwithofficialspresentingandlisteningatopenpublicmeetings Youractionsspeaktheloudest (T14)UnderthenewCSAmodel,whatprocessescanbeadoptedtoenhancetransparency? Additionalthoughts: Allmeetingsarerecordedonvideo,indexedandkeptavailableonlineindefinitely Attendedbycountycouncilrepresentative BroadandAccessibleFOIAaccess CREATE...acablechannelforUKCareas!!! Decisionsareexplained

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SurveyResults
DepartmentofEcologyhasasystemcalledERTSfortrackingspillreports.Thoughnotwellpublicized, IcangetmyERTS#formycomplaintandfollowwhoitisassignedto,whotheycontact,whatthey observe,andanyactionstakenbythestafforagencytoaddresstheproblem.Thecountyneeds somethingsimilartoimprovetransparency,andallowforbettercoordination,especiallyforcross platformormultiagencymatters.Thiswillallowmetricstobeappliedtohowthecountyrespondsto problems,betterreportingofresults,andimprovementsbacktothepublic,improvingtheuniform natureofresponse,qualityofresponse,andpublicconfidencethatthereactuallyareresponses.It shouldalsoaddefficiencyandreducecosts,redundancies,andmoreeffectivelyapplyandprocess resourcesforrespondingtocommunityissuesandcomplaints. documentationandeverythingsavedoreasilyaccessiblematerialstranslated effectivemeetinginvitations Idonotunderstandthequestion? Informationonatimelybasis localnewspaper,emailtothosewhoindicateinterest Meetingagendaandnotespostedonline Moreconcertedoutreachtocommunitiesofcolorenhancestransparency Nolocalcablechannelsavailableinourarea noneoftheabove PersonalanswerstoquestionsIpresentbyemailorphoneorinperson Shareinfoourfollowupemailsandlistservs SocialMedia Timelyandbroadnotification,videoavailableonlineafterthemeeting Whatgoodistransparencyifthecountydisregardsthewillofthepeopleandvotestospend taxpayersmoneyforwhatthecounselthinksitshouldbespentonregardlessofpublicinput? Whydoweneverhearaboutmeetings?Doesn'tKingCtyknowhowtofindusbymail? (P9)Ifyouthinkanymajorissuesweremissed,pleasetellushere. VeryclearideaforeachandeverycitizenofunincorporatedKCthatKCisawareoftheirpresenceand whoinKC'sperspectiverepresentsthem AmajorissueisthatmanymembersoftheUAC'smistrusttheobjectivenessof5anduntilthatcanbe rectified,thoseresidentswillbeunwillingtoengagewiththeforumprocess. Askhoweachcommunityisdealingproactivelywiththeissueslistedinthetopicdiscussedinthe videos AWESOME! Constructinglowimpactsheltersalongwithareasopentocamping/streetliving Countywideplanningpolicies.Itsuggeststhaturbanservicesaregiventocities.Whataboutthe unincorporatedareaswhenawaterorsewerdistrictistakenover(assumed)bycities.Cityboundaries donotfollowwatershedboundariesusedasserviceareasforwaterandsewer Effortsregardinghowtoengagelowincomeindividuals.Theseindividualsareoftenhesitantto provideinput,cometoforumsetcandyetsomeoftheissueshaveasignificantimpactonthem. HowKingCounty'staxdollarsaredistributed

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SurveyResults
IunderstandthatmajorchangesarebeingimplementedfortheexistingUAC's,includingstripping theirfunding.Iverymuchobjecttothisunlessitisbasedonspecificproblemswiththeindividual UAC.TheUACinmyarea,GMVUAC,providesahighlevelofservice,hasstrongtiestothecommunity, andisavaluedcommunityinstitution.ImplementingtheCountywideCommunityprograminaway thatdamages,orisperceivedasdamagingourlocalUAC,willcauseresentmentandresistancetothe program. Isthisanothertax? KingCountyandtheKingCountyCouncilwouldbemuchimprovediftheylistenedtoandabidedby thewillofthepeople,neverfailingtorememberthatIT'SNOTYOURMONEY KingCountyisgeographicallytoolargetobegovernedeffectivelyfromdowntownSeattle.Itiseven morefrustratingwhencountyresourcesareusedtobolstertheSeattleCitybudget.Strained resourcesneedtobefocusedonthoseunincorporatedareaswherenomunicipalitycanprovide same. Longhistoryofnotlisteningtoruralopinionsonissuesthataffectruralareas(i.e.,CAO) Makeyourvideoswithcaptionstoincludepeoplewhoarehearingimpaired Masstransitspendingisoutofcontrol,andisofpracticallynovaluetoruralorevenmostsuburban communities.WekeeppouringmoneyintoMetroandSoundTransit,withlittletoshowforthe investment,allwhiletrafficcongestionreliefisprioritizedlowerandlowerinthebudget.Forcingusto giveupourcarsisnotthesolution.Wevalueourfreedomofmovement,anddon'tliveinareaswith thedensitytosupportcosteffectivemasstransit. NeedtoaddresswhetherAgenda21issueswillbeimposedonus.MYVOTEISNO!!! Notsurethatitismissed,butIthinkitisveryimportanttoincludeculturallyandlinguisticallydiverse populations,thedisabledwhomayhavetransportationbarriers,andtypicallydisenfranchised populationssuchasindividualswhoarehomeless.Languageandculturalbarrierstoattendanceand participationshouldbeconsideredintheForums. Onceagain,afteryears,themainpointwasmissed.Votersarenotgiventheopportunitytoimpact whathappensinunincorporatedKingCounty,otherthanvotingforaCountycouncilrepresentative whorepresentsabigcityaswellasunincorporatedcounty.Itagainfeellikeanefforttomollify unhappyvoterswithacomplexprocessthatwillnotmakeanydifference. Publicsafety,graffiti(sp),vandalism,gangs,methuseareallmoreprevalentthaneverbeforeeastof Kent.Ithinkit'scaughtthecommunitiesoffguard.Weneedmoresocialserviceandrecreation programs. Roadrepair The"meltingpot"issues.Mexicans,Somalis,Afghanis,Bosnians,Russians,Koreans,Chinese, Vietnamese,Cambodians,EastEurope,Africa,andotherSouthAmericans...Whatarewedoingto helpintegratethem? Thecountygov'tneedstogetawayfromthevaguenessandproposesomethingindetailandthenlet itgettornapartandreassembledtothesatisfactionofthemajority. Thetruthaboutthelackoffundsandabilitiestoperformalmostanyserviceunderthecurrenttax structure There'snotmajorissuebutIhopeyouwillalwayskeepthemanypeoplewithoutcomputersinmind. Underthecurrentsystem,unincorporatedareasdonothaveanadequatevoiceorrepresentation duringthebudgetprocesswheretheleveloftheirlocalservicesareweighedagainstbudget considerationsthataremoreregionalinnature. 19|P a g e

SurveyResults
Weneedtoaddressrampantgrowthinourruralareas. WhatishappeningtotheexistingUACs?Theywork,arewellrespected,knowtheissues.1,residents inareaswithoutexistingUACsshouldberepresentedlocally,socreatemoreUACs.Allthe.things listedCSAswillprovideALREADYexistthroughtheUACs.Countyofficialscomeouteverymonthwhen requestedtotalkwithourcommunity.TheAllUACMeetingswiththeExec.,Councilmembers,and CountyofficialsALREADYareheldannuallyinrotatinglocations.Theyareverywellattendedbylocal people.AreCSAssimplyawaytoensureallRApeoplerepresented?Ifso,don'tdoawaywiththe existingUACs. Whatisthegoalforparticipation?Expandedparticipation?Sadlymanyonlyparticipatewhenthereis anissuedirectlyeffectingthemandthenonlyforthetermofthatissue.Howdowecontinueto improvecivicengagementanddoitinawaythatistrulyrepresentativeofmany,sometimes divergentviews?HowdoestheCountydevelopadequateandequitableresourcestorespondto communityissues?

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