October 30, 2013

Last week I was joined by King County Sheriff John Urquhart and King County Executive Dow Constantine for a tour of the Sheriff's Hicks-Raburn Precinct in Maple Valley. This precinct was a valuable resource to the Sheriff's Office as well as the residents of Southeast King County; unfortunately it was closed in 2012 due to the effects of the Great Recession.

For those who may not be aware, I am pleased to report that as part of his proposed 2014 budget, Executive Constantine has proposed reopening the precinct in an effort to improve police service to southeast King County and to consolidate existing Sheriff's Office resources. It has been one of my top priorities over the past two years and I would like to thank the Executive and the Sheriff for their leadership in proposing the re-opening of the Hicks-Raburn Precinct.

The proposal to reopen the precinct is part of the budget proposal the King County Council is currently reviewing. The Council is expected to act on the County's 2014 Budget next month, and I will continue to work closely with my colleagues on the Council and the Executive throughout the remainder of the budget process to ensure this proposal becomes reality.

The Council's Budget and Fiscal Management Committee has held four public meetings regarding the 2014 King County budget. The Council will hold the final public hearing on the budget November 4. I anticipate that the final budget vote will occur on November 12. I will update you after the final vote on budget issues of note for District 9, including if the funding for the re-opening of the Hicks Raburn Precinct is in the final budget.