October 18, 2013

Early Thursday morning (Oct. 17), President Obama signed into law a bipartisan piece of legislation that ended the Federal government shutdown. The new bill funds the federal government through January 15, 2014 and provides for an extension of the country's debt limit until February 7, 2014.

While I'm thankful that the government shutdown has ended and a default on our county's debt obligations was averted, this measure was only a short term fix. Our leaders will soon grapple with these same issues again and I'm hopeful for a different result.

No one wins in situations like these. As I noted in my correspondence to the members of the U.S. Congress that represent County Council District 9 urging them to end the shutdown, there were real consequences to their inaction. Your King County government was just a few short weeks away from not being able to provide important services funded by the Federal government. Not to mention the harm a shutdown can have on an economy still recovering from the economic downturn.

The end of the government shutdown is a welcomed development. I hope our elected officials in Washington D.C. work together in these coming months to develop a long-term budget so we do not face this situation again in January.

Upcoming meetings:

Help shape the future of King County

King County is seeking your input on the next iteration of our strategic plan. The King County Strategic Plan guides the future of county government over the next five years. There are two ways for you to participate:

- Share your experiences and ideas at www.OneKingCounty.info, an interactive, online discussion forum among residents and King County.
Or
- Meet your neighbors and continue the conversation at one of seven public workshops throughout the county.

Final public Budget meeting

There is still time to attend the fourth and final special night meeting on the King County Budget. The County Council's Budget and Fiscal Management Committee will meet in an open public forum to discuss the Executive proposed 2014 King County Budget and to take public testimony.

- Tuesday, October 22 at 6:30 p.m. - King County Courthouse, County Council Chambers, 10th Floor, 516 Third Avenue, Seattle

To learn more about the King County Budget visit www.kingcounty.gov/council/budget.

Unincorporated Community Grant program accepting applications

The third year of the Community Service Area grant program is now accepting applications, and encouraging residents in unincorporated communities to apply.

A total of $60,000 is available through the King County Community Service Area Program for projects, with grants of less than $5,000.

Applications are due Friday, January 10, 2014 and can be found at the following link along with more information on the program: Community Service Area Grant Program.