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Your Weekly Update on What's Happening at the King County Council
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Last week, Councilmember Sarah Perry and I introduced legislation to help residents respond to the severe storm damage in East and Southeast King County resulting from the Nov. 19 bomb cyclone. On Wednesday, this legislation cleared a significant hurdle and was unanimously passed out of the Committee of the Whole. It will be heard by the full County Council this coming Tuesday for final passage.
The proposal focuses on significant challenges for those residents who suffered the worst of the storm damage. The legislation calls for additional resources to aid in the recovery, including permitting assistance for damaged homes, farms and businesses, and calls for the creation of a grant program for residents who have incurred out-of-pocket living expenses as a result of extended power outages. These expenses could include fuel for generators, short term hotel charges, food spoilage, dumping fees, tree and branch removal and other storm related expenses
This is a good first step in providing some short-term relief for people who were hurt by the storm while also looking ahead and planning for the next time one of these storms hits us.
As you know, many in our district bore the brunt of impacts from this storm - not just in power outages, but in being put out of their homes and facing immense costs and effort to put those homes back together.
Here are some resources available now:
All my best,
 Reagan Dunn
King County Councilmember
District 9
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Earlier this year, I was proud to announce that King County was awarding the City of Bellevue over $9.2 million to support its Cougar Mountain Connections project, which aims to acquire and conserve 18 acres of land adjacent to the Coal Creek Natural Area.
The land contains critical environmental areas and an existing City of Bellevue trail that connects the Cougar Mountain Regional Park and Red Town trailhead on the east side of Lakemont Boulevard to the city's trail system in the Coal Creek Natural Area.
 Reagan Dunn and the Save Coal Creek group
With the help of Funds from King County, Bellevue City Council is planning to vote on making a 12.2 acre purchase of land for this project on December 10th. This potential purchase conserves a key connection in the Coal Creek and Cougar Mountain Regional Park corridor and was made possible in part by the King County grant of $9.2 million from the King County Conservation Futures Fund.
The Cougar Mountain Connections project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to conserve our green space, fill in a critical wildlife corridor, and preserve local history while also adding more trails to one of our region’s most popular hiking destinations. I am proud to have supported this effort. I am also extremely grateful to Save Coal Creek for highlighting the need to conserve these lands for generations to come and to the City of Bellevue for working to make this project a reality.
These past few weeks, I have been advocating for state and federal support to help residents recover from the bomb cyclone. As I continue to fight for King County residents to get the assistance you need, you can help us receive assistance by reporting your damages to King County. King County Emergency Management wants to know if the November 17-25 windstorm caused damage to your residence (this could include damage from the bomb cyclone, straight-line winds, flooding, mudslides, and/or landslides). This information may help us request state and/or federal government disaster assistance.
We are focused on collecting information for your primary residence, not for sheds, fences, or yards. Also, keep in mind that assistance programs cannot cover costs that are covered by your insurance. If your primary residence or your business was damaged by the weather, we’d like to hear from you. Here is the link to report your damages. Visit www.kcemergency.com for more information.
The Alan M. Painter Grant Program — formerly known as Community Service Area grants — is now accepting applications for 2025. The grants fund community projects that allow residents of the unincorporated areas to engage with and be more connected to their communities.
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