 On Tuesday, the King County Council adopted a 2023-2024 budget that responds to the evolving needs and priorities of King County residents and advances several Eastside priorities, including: safe and sustainable homes and communities, transportation, and pathways to jobs.
The two-year budget is the biggest policy document the Council shapes and adopts. It makes major investments in some of our most important countywide priorities, like $166 million to fund affordable housing near transit centers, supportive housing operations and coordinated crisis response efforts to homelessness; $220 million to continue electrification of buses; and $55 million for community safety, including efforts to reduce gun violence, new Metro transit security and community engagement staff, body worn cameras for King County Sherriff’s deputies, creating pathways away from jail for our youth and more.
 I’m proud we were able to include significant investments in the following Eastside projects and organizations:
- Continuing investment in the Health through Housing program to open two badly needed permanent supportive housing sites in Redmond and Bellevue to help address homelessness.
- $500,000 to support Friends of Youth as they establish a new East King County permanent emergency shelter for youth.
- $300,000 to support LifeWire as they transform an apartment complex in East King County into a comprehensive center for survivors of domestic violence with housing and onsite services.
- $18,500 each to Centro Cultural Mexicano, Indian American Community Services and Jewish Family Service for housing services, including rental and move-in assistance.
- $7 million to get planning and design for the pandemic delayed RapidRide K Line back on track. The K Line will run fast, frequent and reliable transit service between the Totem Lake Transit Center in Kirkland, downtown Bellevue, and Eastgate Park & Ride in Bellevue.
- $250,000 to support an expansion of a successful pre-apprenticeship program in construction to Interlake High School in the Bellevue School District.
- $50,000 in grant funding to the King County Library System to expand youth literacy programs, and to honor the late KCLS Director and champion of early literacy, Bill Ptacek.
 With concerns about climate change and road safety increasing, it’s a good time to explore technology that has the potential to help people get around efficiently and safely without their cars. To that end, I was pleased my colleagues supported adding two studies I proposed to the budget:
- A study that will result in a proposal for a rebate pilot program for low-income residents who want to purchase e-bikes, like successful programs in Colorado and Oregon. With nearly 60% of private vehicle trips covering six miles or less, according to 2017 data from the Federal Highway Administration, e-bikes can be a viable substitute for a car and should be accessible to low-income residents.
- The National Safety Council reported that in 2020 speeding was a factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities, killing 11,258, or on average over 30 people per day. In light of these sobering statistics, I requested a study to assess the viability of installing Intelligent Speed Assistance devices in up to 1,400 county-owned vehicles to demonstrate how this technology could improve roadway safety by reducing speed, while also lowering costs for the County.
You can read more about my work to improve our transportation system here:
Interested in reading more about the final two-year King County budget? Check out the Council’s budget webpage:
 We are currently looking for someone to represent District 6 on the WaterWorks Grant Ranking Committee, which recommends how to allocate over $2 million in water quality improvement grants every other year. The WaterWorks competitive grant program funds improvements like green stormwater infrastructure (rain gardens and cisterns), education and community engagement, research and monitoring, stormwater retrofits, source control, pollution prevention, and stream and riverbank restoration throughout King County.
If you have experience or interest in water quality issues, experience or interest in grants or contracts, the ability to evaluate proposals using criteria, and the ability to work with a committee to reach consensus decisions, please send a letter of interest and resume to Madeline Cavazos, at madeline.cavazos@kingcounty.gov by 5:00pm Wednesday, November 30.
It’s Adoption Day!
 Today I joined Judge Melinda Young, the Mariner Moose and over a dozen families at King County Superior Court for Adoption Day
Each year, we observe Adoption Day to raise awareness about the importance of helping foster children find permanent, safe, and loving families. Today, I was honored to join King County Superior Court and over a dozen families as they finalized their adoptions and to present a proclamation from the King County Council declaring November 18 Adoption Day. This joyful event shows the huge positive impact of adoption and the importance of sharing homes and hearts with children in need.
Spread the word!
Please forward this email widely and invite others to sign-up to my email updates to receive important and timely information for District 6 constituents.
Sincerely,
 Claudia Balducci
King County Council
District 6
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