City Council - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon, everybody. I'd like to welcome you to the 04/07/2026 meeting of the King County Council. I'm Jorge Barron, vice chair of the council, but I'll be serving as acting acting chair today. I'm joined by Vice Chair Reagan Dunn and our council colleagues today, and this meeting is called to order. Before we begin, please join me in acknowledging that we're on the traditional lands of the Puget Salish peoples, past and present. We thank these caretakers of this land who have lived here and continue to live here since time immemorial, bringing their cultural ways of life and greatly enriching our communities. With that, Clerk Hayback, would you please call the roll?

Thank you. Council member Balducci? Here. Council member Dombowski? Here. Council member Dunn.

Here.

Council member Fein. Council member Lewis. Here. Council member Mosqueda. Here. Council member Von Reichbauer. Here. Chair Barone.

Here.

You have a quorum.

Thank you. We do have a quorum. Next, please join us in the pledge of allegiance, which will be led by council member von Reichbauer.

Chair, with your permission, I'm also gonna be joined by Marcus, the captain of the Viking team.

You can help us.

Pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, in wisdom, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you everyone. Vice Chair Dunn, may I please have a motion to approve the minutes of the 03/24/2026 council meeting?

Move approval of the March.

Thank you. The motion is before us. Are there any questions or concerns regarding the minutes?

Seeing none, all those in favor please say aye.

Aye. Any opposed please say nay. The minutes are approved. Clerk K, are there any additions to the council agenda?

I have one addition proposed motion twenty twenty six dash zero zero eight two, an ordinance approving King County's partial participation in the city of Bellevue's tax increment financing project as authorized in RCW thirty nine point one one four point zero two zero and specifying conditions on the county's participation and this is being added for introduction and referral to the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee.

Thank you very much. We're going to turn next to our special items. Today we have a proclamation and a recognition followed by the county service awards led by executive Sahilai. We will begin first with a proclamation recognizing Black Wellness Week in King County. Council member Lewis, please begin when you are ready.

Didn't know we'd have such a big crowd for Black Wellness Week. Good afternoon, everyone. It's my privilege to be present I'm sorry. It's my privilege to present this proclamation about something that's close to my heart. When we talk about black health in America, the numbers tell a clear story, And that's a sobering story.

Close to sixty percent of black adults are living with hypertension. Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes. Rates of diabetes remain significantly higher than those of our racial counterparts. And even when care is available, black adults are less likely to receive mental health treatment. These are not distant statistics.

We see these patterns reflected right here in King County, and they don't exist in a vacuum. They sit atop a long and painful history of how black communities have been systematically shut out of the health systems that were supposed to serve them, which is why the story I'm about to share matters so much. In 1915, Booker T. Washington launched National Negro Health Week because at that time, black communities were being turned away from hospitals and excluded from public health systems altogether. So the community did what black communities have always done.

They organized. They trained nurses. They went door to door sharing health information. They launched community cleanup campaigns, and they built their own spaces for care from the ground up with their own hands. It was pragmatic. It was local. And most importantly, it was led by the community for community. That legacy lives on today, and that is why it's an honor to speak about Black Wellness Week. Launched by Elevate Black Wellness, Black Wellness Week carries forward the spirit of what Booker T. Washington started more than a century ago.

It is a statewide celebration of health, resilience, and community power. For five days each April, organizations across Washington come together to offer health education, wellness resources, and perhaps most importantly, spaces where black communities are seen, heard, and cared for. Elevate Black Wellness has reached more than 150,000 people across Washington with culturally responsive health resources and has helped build Black Wellness Week into a true statewide movement, bringing together partners across the region focused on long term lasting change. I am proud to present this proclamation to elevate Black Wellness and deeply grateful for their leadership. So, Christina, would you please join me at the podium?

So, we are welcoming Christina Blocker, who is the co founder of Elevate Black Wellness. So I'll read the proclamation. Whereas holistic wellness, including physical, mental, emotional, and social health is essential to building thriving communities, and whereas health disparities persist, impacting black residents at disproportionate rates in areas such as chronic disease, maternal health, mental health access, and preventive care. And whereas Washington State observed the inaugural Black Wellness Week in 2024 under governor Jay Inslee and governor Bob Ferguson continued this commitment in 2025, recognizing the importance of addressing health disparities and barriers to well-being within black communities across Washington. And whereas, Black Wellness Week continues the legacy of Booker T.

Washington's natural National Negro Health Week, which historically emphasized community driven approaches to improving health outcomes for black people. And whereas black wellness week is not only about addressing disparities, but also about honoring the rich traditions of health and healing in black communities, fostering resilience and creating spaces where black joy and well-being are centered. And whereas, Black Wellness Week prioritizes wellness and health equity through culturally responsive education, prevention, and access to resources that promote long term well-being. One more whereas. Whereas, the the 2026 observance of Black Wellness Week will take place from April, engaging local organizations, health care providers, and community members across Washington in education, outreach, and advocacy.

Now, therefore, we, the Metropolitan King County Council, proclaim April 2026 as Black Wellness Week in King County and ask all residents to join in this special event, dated the April 2026 and signed by all council members.

First, thank you so much council member Rhonda Lewis, and thank you to the King County Council. It is such an honor to be here with you all today and for sponsoring and council member Lewis, thank you for sponsoring the proclamation and for really standing in to say that health equity isn't a one time statement. It's a sustained commitment. I also wanna recognize executives that he lay for his leadership in championing the first King County's first Black Wellness Week proclamation in 2024. That first yes opened a door.

And council member Lewis, I really appreciate you committing to this this proclamation in 2026. I have just a few statements to share. King County serves over 2,000,000 people with a goal of healthy, thriving community that belongs to all of us, But that path to get there isn't the same for every community. Black residents in King County face persistent, well documented disparities in chronic disease, maternal health, mental health access, and preventative care. And these are system level gaps that require system level intention.

Targeted universalism asks us to hold two truths at the same time. The goal is universal, and the work to get there has to be specific. When King County invests in closing health gaps for black communities, the systems, services, and infrastructure you strengthen end up serving everyone. One of the things that I'll I'll close with, I just wanna first say that when our country our our counties, the largest county, King County is the largest county in Washington state, to name this week, and it sends a signal across the region to other cities, to community organizations, to health systems that this work is valued and the investment is worth making. King County is joining governor Ferguson in a growing statewide coalition of community organizations and municipalities and counties that are joining in this work to bridge health systems and to support communities through trusted culturally responsive resources.

And this proclamation gives that bridge local reach. Again, I wanna thank council member Lewis for the sponsoring of this proclamation and for being the one to really set this in motion. And and one of my last statements is Black Wellness Week carries not only the legacy of Booker t Washington forward, but to center what is strong, center what is strong in our black communities across the state, which is joy, resistance, resilience, healing, and culturally rooted approaches that we've been doing for hundreds of years. So thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for every black person in this room. And thank you all for creating a thriving King County.

Did

I do good? Did I do good, mama?

Alright. Let's, colleagues, let's join, customer Lewis for the presentation on Plaquemines.

Thank

you very much council member Lewis. Don't go too far though because, you're next again. We are going to be turning next to a recognition of the Rainier Beach Vikings boys basketball team. Right. Which will be led by council member Lewis and executive Sahalai, who I believe is in the house. Come on in. Welcome, Executive Sahalai.

Good afternoon. Thank you. Thank you. We are so proud to welcome to Chambers today the twenty twenty six Washington State 3A boys basketball champions. The Rainier Beach Vikings.

Welcome to everyone who's joining us for this special occasion. Appreciate the exec being here with us. Everyone who's gathered to acknowledge the hard work and excellence demonstrated by this remarkable team. Present with us today are all 12 players and some coaches led by the incomparable coach Mike Bethea, along with a strong showing of family members who have been in those stands every step of the way. We also want to take a moment to recognize two people whose contributions have been essential to this program, athletic director Nicole McCray Petty and principal Annie Patu.

We're so glad to have you with us today to celebrate your eleventh boys basketball state title and your second consecutive championship. Now before I go any farther, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, this team was lucky enough to have Thomas Stevens behind the camera all season long. And I think you'll agree that what he put together is worth a whole lot more than that. Take a look.

So I just want to lift up a few of the highlights that you saw in this video. This team finished the season twenty nine and one. So if you do the math, that is a 97% win rate.

Wow.

That is not luck. That is discipline, preparation, and an unrelenting commitment to each other. Their victory over Lincoln High School of Tacoma on March 8 marked coach Bethea's tenth state championship at Rainier Beach and the program's eleventh overall. And that legacy is one that belongs to this entire community. As any great coach will tell you, it's the players who make the defensive stops, who take the offensive charges, who grab the critical rebounds and score the points when it's when it counts.

And these young men did all of that. But they did something even greater this season. The the team carried real weight having lost two of their classmates earlier in the year. They played with heavy hearts and lifted spirits, honoring their fallen classmates and dedicating their championship to their mentor, coach Dave Belmonte. That is championship character, and that is Rainier Beach.

Rainier Beach, how we feeling? So good to see you all. Thank you to our council colleagues for having us today. I just wanted to come by and congratulate you all on such an amazing season. When I think of Raynor Beach High School, think of a community of students and staff and parents who always contribute to King County in such amazing ways.

This is the community that marched and won free youth bus passes for not only your students, but students all across this region. This is the community that fought and marched for a brand new state of the art building that opened just this last year. Congratulations on that. And this is the community that keeps winning state titles and bringing so much pride to not only South Seattle, but all of King County. We are so proud to be the home of the Rainier Beach Vikings right here in our community.

And guess what? When they beat Lincoln High School, that was King County beating Pierce County just for the record, just so just so you all know. So they you guys made us real real proud on that front too, and we know that you did that in such a tough year losing Trevea and and Taejon in such a just heartbreaking way, and the fact that you all in that kind of darkness keep bringing light to this community. We wanted to make sure that we brought you over here today and showed you respect and the honor that you all deserve. And whether you continue playing basketball after this year or whether you wanna go and pursue law or medicine or arts or run for office one day, we want you to know that your county government has your back.

We're gonna have your back from day one until whatever you wanna do, into the future. So congratulations Rainer Beach. You bring us so much pride and we're grateful for you.

So if if we could, can we get the coach coaches and players up here with us to read the proclamation? And I will read the proclamation. Whereas the Rainier Beach Boys High School basketball team proudly representing South Seattle has once again shattered expectations with an outstanding season, dominating the court and winning the Metro League championship, the Seaking district championship, and the twenty twenty six WIAA class three a state championship. And

Whereas the Vikings defended their state championship title this year with an impressive seventy five fifty three victory over the Lincoln High School apes at the Tacoma Dome, finishing off a truly remarkable and historic season with a record of twenty nine and one. And

Whereas the championship effort was led by standout performances from freshman JJ Crawford, who scored a game high 20 points, Tyron Stokes, number one player in the class of 2026. Mister Basketball in Washington State and voted McDonald's All American, who added 16 points along with seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a blocked shot. And three a state tournament MVP, Micah Ilimanis, also known as Micah Jordan, who added 15 points and got the double double with 10 boards. And

Whereas this year's win gives coach Mike Bethea his tenth state championship title, the most of all time in Washington State.

And whereas the team played in honor of coach Dave Belmonte, who spent over sixty years coaching in Seattle and was a friend, mentor, and beach boy for life. And

Whereas the team played in memory of their friends and classmates, Treve and Tajon, who tragically lost their lives earlier this year and whose absence is felt within the school and throughout the whole community.

Whereas the team was led by coach Mike Bethea with assistance from coaches Harold Wright, Jamal Crawford, Abebe Denise, David King, Mike Ladd, Bull Stewart, Kyle Abernethy, and Charles McFarlane with support from Tommy Stevens, Aidan Doe, Ryan Jager, and Virginia Bethea, and

Whereas the team consists of KJ Hightower, Achilles Reyna, JJ Crawford, Tyron Stokes, Luis Harris, Gavin Guillermo Juvenco, Tariq Chabaz, Cam Babs, Wes Armstrong, Knowledge Wright, Marquise Ily Maniz, and Micah Ily Maniz.

Now, therefore, we, the Metropolitan King County Council

And the King County Executive

Recognize and congratulate the 2026 Rainier Beach Vikings boys basketball team for their outstanding commitment, accomplishment, and teamwork as level of excellence in high school basketball in the state of Washington. Dated the April 2026, signed by the King County Executive, Executive Saha'alai, and all nine members of the King County Council. I'm going to ask Coach Mike to come up and say a few

words. First of all, always want to give all honor to God because without him I don't think any of this would be possible. You know before you can have a testimony you have to have a test and these young men were tested all year long. Mean from on the court, off the court, some of the things we asked them to do from playing in a tournament down in Portland, driving back from Portland at night, getting on a plane the next morning to go to Phoenix and play, from playing a game on a Friday night, getting on a plane on Saturday morning to fly to Boston to play, and getting back on the plane Sunday night and coming back home and having to play another tough game while maintaining all of their studies and stuff. I mean, it just speaks volumes about how these young men are and how proud I am of them.

And one of the one of the biggest things that I'm most proud of with this group yesterday well, you you you know the tragedy that went down. Trebe, who was one of our team managers, Tajon, who actually had played for us at one time. So these guys are not just sitting back and and being idle. They are also members of the NAACP youth council. And one of the things that they are fighting for, they're putting their actions into works.

They're fighting against gun violence. They talked with the superintendent yesterday. I'm not going to take up all this. I'm going to let a couple of them just talk a little bit about what it is that we're trying to get accomplished down there to make our community and our schools safer. Achilles, Wes, Cam, can you guys step up?

Hi,

I'm Achilles Reyna. Some things that we just want to do to kind of make the community safer, especially from gun violence, especially what happened a couple months ago, trying to, have some metal detectors in the schools so that we can keep students away from guns and to make sure that because school's supposed to be somewhere safe for students to come and learn, make friends, and nobody should be scared trying to leave or come into school. So that's just one thing that we're trying to implement into our school systems in the community to make things safer.

My name is Leslie Armstrong, and my team at Achilles said, I feel like another thing we could do to stop the gun violence and make us make us students in the community who sit feel safer is having security guards, police officers, law enforcement, lots of things like that surrounding the school and being in the neighborhood so that we could just have a better sense of security and safety when we're going to school.

My name is Cam Babs, and, you know, I go Rainier Beach, obviously. But then so, basically, I mean, there's, a lot of things that can be addressed about gun violence, but the main thing is I feel like it should just be, like, the way people get guns is just, like, it's too easy. So I feel like the more easier it is to get, the more likely, you know, gun violence is gonna happen. So I just feel like getting guns should just be more limited, which could be, like, you know, like what Elam Westin and Keylis were saying, add more security around the schools. So, like, you're heading home, it's not like, you know, you're not scared. Like, for example, Toure and Tazan were just trying to go home and then lost their lives at a bus stop. So yeah.

So again I just really want to thank you and just let you know about what we have going on in our community and the young men that we're trying to pass that baton to. Knowing that it's gonna be putting well in good hands and they're gonna carry that torch because, you know, we are going to make sure that we are doing our part not just to make you proud but make our whole King County proud of what's going on in the South End Of Seattle. Thank you so much.

So, Coach, we have just a little something from executive gotta get used to that executive Zahalai and the council members. Something that maybe you might want to put in your trophy case or whatever just to remember this day.

Oh, definitely.

Yes. Let's take

a photo of him there.

So if you all want to just go back behind the council, we'll take a group photo up there. Coach, let's make sure you're in the middle real quick. Hold in the

Colleagues, in a second we're gonna have the county service award to recognize the wonderful contributions of King County staff. But before we do that, we're going to be we're going to take a short recess to allow for some transitions. So the council will be in recess for approximately three minutes. All right everybody. I am calling this meeting back to order.

And as I mentioned, we are now going to be moving into the County Service Awards that will recognize the wonderful contributions of King County staff and their commitment to public service. So thank you all to all of you in advance. And with that, I'm gonna now turn it over to Executive Sahalai for the presentation of the awards. So Executive Sahalai, come on down.

Good afternoon everybody. So good to see you all. It's always an absolute honor to be able to recognize the dedicated work of our King County staff. And so I'm gonna start with a couple of our twenty year service honorees and it is again an absolute privilege to be able to recognize these individuals and thank you so much to the family members who are here. We know that nothing is possible without you and your support. Thank you for letting us borrow your incredible family members. We're gonna start off with Ruby Carlisle for twenty years of service. Ruby, come on down. Come on. Join us up here, Ruby.

And feel free to bring up anybody that you want to be up here with you. Yeah. Come on up. Come on up. Let's make sure we recognize everybody. Thank you so much, Ruby. Thank you. You can come stand right over here. During her first two years with Metro, Ruby was assigned to East Base as a part time driver. When she went full time, she was shifted to Atlantic Base, the only trolley base in the system and was terrified.

Ruby knew nothing about operating a trolley bus and had heard horror stories from her fellow operators. She made it her mission to overcome her fears and become a highly skilled trolley operator. She seems to have succeeded as Atlantic Base has become her home for the last eighteen years. Ruby received the operator of the month award in 2012 and 2023. She has also been a member of the Metro based procurement team and currently serves on the Atlantic based Safety Awareness Committee as a lead wellness champion and is a senior member of the Mentors Moving Metro program.

While not working, Ruby enjoys spending time with her family including her three grandchildren and traveling. Her time with King County has afforded her a great life that's been truly rewarding and blessed. Please join me in honoring for twenty years of service, Ruby Carlisle. Alright. Next up from Metro Transit Buffsops division, Joyce Weiderman for twenty years of service.

Joyce, come on up. Joyce says it is an honor to be here today but that she cannot stand here and be recognized without also recognizing the people who got her here.

It's not me.

Where are you Joyce? Good to see you Joyce. Joyce came to the area twenty years ago from a very toxic marriage with seven kids in tow, straight to her younger sister Linda. Linda helped Joyce get through and pointed her straight towards Metro. It has been the best job of her life and a great job for Linda who is also a bus driver and Joyce's oldest son Sean who is a rail operator.

Shout out to them everybody, a family, family of services. Joyce stands here today healthy and happy that she has been able to support her kids into adulthood because of the constant support from her beautiful baby sister and the amazing people of King County Metro. Her greatest accomplishments have been seeing her children grown and thriving in their careers as a diesel mechanic, auto mechanic, I can't even pronounce this word, aesthetician, forklift operator, welder, and light rail operator. She is a proud mom. Joyce is looking forward to retirement, getting to travel, and spending more time with her children and grandchildren.

Please join me in honoring for twenty years of service, Joyce Weiderman. Next up, also from Metro Transit Bus Ops division, Robert Lohr, twenty five years of service. Thank you so much Robert. Thank you. Rob started his career as a transit operator and loved being out in the public serving others.

He took his experience and love of serving and carried it into roles at Metro. Rob believes in leading from the position you are in and has served on several projects and committees such as the chief liaison and core committees. When not working, Rob can be usually found playing outside with his jeep, jet ski, motorcycle, kayak, canoe, or some of his other toys. Rob also volunteers through his church and enjoys helping others. Please join me in honoring for twenty five years of service, Robert Lohr.

Thank you.

Again, from Metro Transit bus ops division, we have, I'm gonna pronounce your name as best that I can, but I love you, Duroop Chand. So

close. As

as a Girmay Zahalai, I'm gonna let you go ahead and say your name for the crowd so that everybody can pronounce it right.

You did

it right.

I did it right? Are you sure?

Yes. Okay. Thank you. Congratulations.

All right. Mr. Chand was hired as a part time transit operator in May 1991 advancing to full time status in 1995. He was promoted to first line supervisor in 2000, a role held until 2017 where he oversaw daily operations and operator performance. He was then promoted to base chief responsible for managing base operations, supervising staff, and ensuring service excellence. He is married and has two boys, the older of whom also works for light rail at Bellevue Vehicle Maintenance. Where is your boy? Come on up here. Come on up here. Mister Chan likes bowling, watching soccer games, and playing with his little dog Milo.

He is planning to retire in four years after forty years of service. Not if I have anything to say about that. We're gonna have you on board for a long time. Please join me in honoring for thirty five years of service, Durub Chan. Next from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention Administrative Services, Michael West for twenty years of service.

Michael West. Thank you so much, Michael. Thank you. Michael was first hired into the budget office in 1999 as a budget analyst. One of his early challenges was the administrative dissolution of the Department of Youth Services and the allocation of its budget.

In 2000, he joined the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention and has since worked on local corrections issues. In 2004, he went to Snohomish County, boo, to assist in opening its new jail annex. He returned to DHAD in 2006 and has helped to develop and implement multiple new DHAD systems since then. Additionally, Mike has served as a legislative liaison since 2006, recently completing his twentieth legislative session this March. When not at work, he competes in referees in power lifting competitions.

Holy moly. Please join me in honoring for twenty years of service, Michael West. Next from the Department of Human and Community Services Behavioral Health and Recovery Division, Stephanie Moyes, which rhymes with boys, it says in my Stephanie, are you here? Thirty five years of service. Thank you so much, Stephanie.

Thirty five years. Thank you so much. Good to see you. Stephanie's career began in the prosecuting attorney's office under Norm Mailing's leadership where she became well versed in understanding the complex criminal justice system. This influenced her desire to improve public policies on community health and wellness resulting in her earning a Master's in Public Administration.

Stephanie transitioned to the Department of Community and Human Services where she is now a division and reentry services, a diversion and reentry services section manager for the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division. She has a great team that works to assist individuals with high acuity behavioral health needs that often intersect with the legal system. Highlights of Stephanie's time with King County include co leading the King County twenty thirteen awareness campaign on human trafficking and creating paid vocational training cohorts for union jobs that lead to livable wage employment for justice involved individuals. Her time away from the office involves competing in triathlons and officiating elite professional level triathlons. Wow.

Please join me in honoring for thirty five years of service, Stephanie Moores. Thank you so much. Next up from the DCHS Developmental Disabilities and Early Childhood Supports, Holly Wu for forty years of service. Oh my goodness. Thank you so much, Holly. Thank you. Inspired by her mother's work with the King County. Is this your mother right here?

This is my mother.

Oh my goodness. Give her a round of applause, please everybody. Thank you. What's your name? Vicky.

Vicky. This is Vicky everybody. Inspired by Vicky's work with the King County Office of Civil Rights, Holly began with King County as an administrative assistant in the Department of Community and Human Services where she spent her entire career. Holly has had the privilege of helping infrastructure grant to build a statewide network of benefits specialists, working with county and state partners to develop and advance Washington's employment first policy and supporting the rapid launch of an isolation and quarantine site during COVID. This work reflects her commitment to public service and to expanding access and opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Outside of work, Holly enjoys time with friends, loved ones, and her two Pomeranians, Cookie and Gizmo. This summer she is looking forward to a family cruise to Japan to celebrate several family milestones including her fortieth work anniversary with the county. Please join me in honoring for four zero years of service, Hollywood. Wow. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you, Vicky. Vicky, thank you. Thank you.

Everybody gather room. Next up from Department of Executive Services Facilities Management Division, Hector Robles Gola. Hector for twenty years of service. Thank you so much Hector. Absolutely.

Hector's first experience with King County was through a short term contract position. He liked the environment and decided to apply for a full time position, which was then approved. The early years of his career started at the King County Public Health Department in Northgate and then moved to the Chinook Building downtown. Fast forward, Hector has now been with King County as a custodian for twenty years. Hector's favorite things about his job are the people.

He enjoys the conversations he gets to have with everyone throughout the day as he passes so greatly appreciates the communication between his team and how everyone helps everyone. In his free time outside of work, Hector enjoys spending time with family, keeping up with current events and the politics, and watching his grandson grow up. What's your grandson's name? Hunter. Where are you? Are you right there? Good to see you, Hunter. Thank you so much for being here. How about your son here? Major Reddy. Good to see you. Thank you so much. Thank you all so much. What's what are your names?

I'm Josie. Josie. Francis.

Thank you.

Give Francis Bay.

Yes. Give them all a round of applause, everybody. Thank you so much. For twenty years of service. Hector Roblesgola.

From the Department of Executive Services Records and Licensing Services, we have Susan Broome for twenty five years of service. Twenty five years of service. Thank you, Susan. Susan worked initially as a police record specialist for the sheriff's office before noticing that the position of mail courier was open. The position offered an opportunity to be out and walking all day while providing excellent customer service to King County employees.

As a two time USA Olympian in rowing and used to being active, this job was a perfect fit. Holy moly. Wow. Susan has trained numerous fellow employees on the courier routes. She always enjoyed this opportunity introducing them to valuable service mail services provides for King County employees.

Over her twenty five years, she has loved her job and considers herself fortunate to have held this position. She is newly retired and looks forward to volunteering, traveling, reading, and maintaining her physical fitness. Susan and her twin sister will be taking a trip to South Carolina and New York City in mid May. She looks forward to many more travel five years of service. Susan Broome. You got that. Thank you so much. Nice to meet you too. What's your sister's name?

Christine.

Christine, thank you so much for being here too. Yeah. Come on up.

Get up there.

Next from the Department of Executive Services Records and Licensing Services. Jennifer Anschel, thirty years of service. Jennifer, thirty years of service. Thank you so much, Jennifer. Jennifer's King County career has been entirely with the best division office and licensing.

She enjoys helping her teammates with projects and ensuring customers get the correct vehicle tabs, vessel decals, registrations, and snow park passes. Outside of work, Jennifer likes going to the movies for comedies and traveling, areas on the water. Hawaii is her current favorite destination. For the past decade, Jennifer has been singing soprano with a community choir performing a variety of music. Her love of music led to a very memorable work project.

The licensing team's ESJ committee hosted weekly focus groups maintaining their team values. Jennifer created and presented music across cultures sharing the importance music plays and cultures around the world, connecting people in ways that no other medium can. Please join me in honoring for thirty years of service, Jennifer and Schnell. Thank so much, Jennifer. Thank you so much.

Okay. Bye. Yeah. Next up, from the Department of Local Services Roads Division, Wesley Harvey for thirty years of service to King County as well as a veteran to our nation. Give him a round of applause, please. Thank

you so much, brother. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Who's here with us?

My wife, Michelle.

Thank you so much, Michelle.

And the whole department.

And the whole department. Department, come on up. Whoever wants to be up here. Come on up. Wesley started with King County as a utility worker with DNRP's solid waste division. Three years later, he transferred to a position as a signs and marketing specialist and sign installer with the DLS Road Services Division. Since joining the department, he has worked his way up from sign installer to lead and now currently a supervisor. Wesley enjoys the work he does and has an appreciation for the work we all do. King County has been good to him and he truly treasures the experiences this job has provided for him and his family. He enjoys spending time with his wife Michelle, their grandkids, and their dog Duchess.

Wesley is also a veteran of The United States Army. Thank you for your service, sir. He enjoys spending time on his boat fishing, teaching his grandkids how to fish is his passion. Please join me in honoring for thirty years of service, Wesley Harvey.

Thank you so much, brother. Good to see you. Come

on up. Come on up, everybody. Come on, come shot. Leon, stop hiding. Leon,

thanks. Oh, I'm

the road. Sorry. Not sure.

Guessing Cameron can't see you.

Wesley says that's the rowdiest department in King County, just so everybody knows. That's what he thought. Those weren't my words. That's what he said. Department of Local Services, Rhodes Division, Rose Laysmith, thirty five years of service. Thirty five years. Thank you so much Rose. Thank you. Rose began her career as an environmental engineer during the early implementation of the sensitive areas ordinance. After several years, she transitioned to an in house road design.

She then expanded her expertise into traffic engineering, consultant liaison work and project management. She was later promoted to managing engineer of the roads design unit and after a county reduction in force also served as County Traffic Engineer. Rose now leads the engineering section and project delivery office directing talented multidisciplinary teams. In this role, she sets strategic priorities, ensures high quality project delivery and oversees the successful execution of complex capital programs. Her teams have delivered many notable projects including the North Sammamish Plateau Access Road, Novelty Hill Road with two roundabouts, Toll Hill Bridge, and King County's first safety over crossing for wildlife.

She is proud she is a proud mother of two sons, Brian and Steven, and enjoys international travel, time with family and friends, and pickleball. Please join me in honoring for thirty five years of service, Rose Lacemith. Come on up, team. Come on up. The rowdiest department.

Next up from the Department of Public Health Environmental Health Services Division, Garrett Turner for twenty years of service. Garrett, come on up. Thank you, Garrett. Garrett was first hired as a customer service specialist for the Household Hazardous Waste Program, helping King County residents dispose of chemicals from their homes that couldn't go in the trash. For over a decade, he answered the questions of tens of thousands of people.

He eventually shifted into a health investigator role. He has worked in the rodent control, illegal dumping, pet business, and waste screening teams. He has also worked with the solid waste team to inspect weekend city recycling events and garbage hauling vehicle fleets. Garrett is thankful to King County for allowing him to help make the community a better place for everyone to live. He is blessed with two wonderful daughters, Justice, age 12. Raise your hand Justice, age 12 And Felicity, age 10. Raise your hand Felicity. Who are his whole world. Please join me in honoring for twenty years of service, Garrett Turner, everyone. Thank you so much, Garrett and family.

Thank you so much. Absolutely. Thank you. Do one of you wanna hold this for dad? Next up from the Department of Public Health, Community Health Services, we have Palagia.

Twenty years of service. Come on up. Okay. Pala. Twenty years ago, Pala started as a social worker with maternity support services and infant case management at Columbia Public Health Center.

Since then, she's had many roles in the public health department including providing clinical supervision to social workers at public health centers and being a coordinator for various community contracts. She is truly grateful for the opportunities to engage, connect, learn, and serve many people from different communities, cultures, abilities, and experiences. During her time off, Paula enjoys exploring the diverse food scene, hiking trails, and beaches in the great Pacific Northwest. Please join me in honoring for twenty years of services, Palagia. Congratulations.

I forgot to mention my daughter. She works here.

Say her name.

My daughter, Tara, works here. Forgot to mention her.

Oh. Where does she work?

Here.

Oh, the hell no. I didn't even look at you. Thank you. Congratulations.

Thank you all for your service. Come on up. Thank you so much. All right, next up from the Department of Public Health Community Health Services, we have Heather Mason, twenty years of service. Come on up Heather.

Heather has spent her twenty year career at public health in the sexual and reproductive health program. Some of her successes include earning the highest level of accreditation for a public health clinic, securing $25,000,000 grants and supporting an evaluation proving a public health produced curriculum as evidence based. Heather participated in several lawsuits against the federal government in 2017 to 2020, including the 2018 successful King County lawsuit to restore teen pregnancy prevention funding. This led to a class action suit for the country and was touted as one of King County's great accomplishments. She has also helped secure county and city funding and develop policy recommendations.

Please join me in honoring for twenty years of service, Heather Mason. And she's here with her son, Finn. Thank you so much, Finn. Come on up, Finn. You gotta hold the sign with your mom. I

didn't do anything.

Next up from the Community Health Services Division, Starla Wright for thirty years of service. Starla Wright for thirty years of service. Come on up, Starla. When Starla was attending the University of Washington RN to BSN program in Bothell, she met a few ladies in the program who were employed by public health. Starla shared her work experience and interests and they agreed it was all in alignment with the King County Public Health Program.

They encouraged her to apply and once she did, there was no turning back. While at public health, one of her co workers who was a very active foster parent encouraged Starla to sign up to provide foster care. She did sign up and fostered, provided respite and adopted two children. Outside of work, Starla oh, what are your kids' names?

Oh, this is Kiana, my daughter and my daughter-in-law Genesis.

Hi Kiana. Hi Genesis. Hey Brother The whole family everybody. Thank you. Outside of work, Starla loves to knit, crochet, give crazy hairdos to her standard poodle. She also enjoys running sound and doing graphics for her church. Please join me in honoring for three zero, thirty years of service, Starla Wright. Thank you so much, Starla. Absolutely. We're gonna take a picture right up here if everybody wants to gather up here.

Next up from the Public Health Prevention Division, we have Lynn Lay, 30 of service. Lynn for thirty years of service. Thank you so much, Lynn. Thank you. Lynn began working in a TB clinic in March 1996 as an outreach worker. She has been promoted three times and is now working as a PPM II Nurse Manager Assistant. One of the projects she is most proud of is the TBTC ten year study to improve the effectiveness of TB prevention, preventative medication. She is happy to see TB patients are getting better. At home, Lynn likes cooking, spending time with her family here and her family in Vietnam. She enjoys short trips and international travel.

Lynn is also learning yoga and Sanskrit chanting. She looks forward to her next overseas trip to extend her horizons. Please join me in honoring for thirty years of service, Lynn Le. It's us again. Oh, it's us again, yeah.

All right. And last but certainly not least, from the Prevention Division again, thank you Prevention Division, we have Kim Wong, thirty years of service. Thank you so much Kim. Thank you. After graduating from nursing school, Kim began her nursing career with public health Seattle and King County in 1994 as an RN in the TB clinic.

For more than thirty years, Kim has had the privilege of serving our community through tuberculosis prevention, treatment and patient centered care. Over the years she has grown through diverse roles in triage, LTBI management, contact investigation, case management and serving as charge nurse. Through a competitive selection process in 2017, Kim was selected as Personal Health Services Supervisor leading a multidisciplinary team dedicated to serving our community and strengthening TB care. As her leadership responsibilities expanded, her role transitioned to loves the work and is grateful to continue supporting the team to serve our community with compassion, collaboration, and excellence. Please join me in honoring for thirty years of service, Kim Wong.

Thank you so much, Kim. Thank you. Come

on up, team.

One more round of applause for all of our dedicated staff, everybody. Thank you. Council chair, council colleagues, thank you so much for allowing me here. Thank you.

You very much. Thank you, executive Sahalai, for joining us and for all of our county staff. Thank you for all your public service. Very much appreciated. Thank you. Alright. Colleagues, we will now turn to the Clerk Have, will you please read the items into the record?

Thank you. Item six are the two proclamations and recognitions we just heard. Proclamation of April 2026 is Black Wellness Week in King County in recognition of the twenty twenty six Rainier Beach Viking boys basketball team for their outstanding accomplishments. Item 10 is proposed substitute ordinance number twenty twenty six zero zero two six relating to the sale of the surplus property located at Northeast 1 40th Avenue, Woodinville, Washington in Council District 3. Item eight is proposed ordinance number twenty twenty six dash zero zero three six authorizing the King County Executive to enter into an agreement with Washington State Department of Commerce Public Works Board for loan financing for a wastewater capital project.

Item nine is proposed ordinance number twenty twenty six dash zero zero three nine relating to the real estate excise tax number two fund. Item 10 is proposed ordinance number twenty twenty six dash zero zero six one relating to the 2025 levy of property taxes in King County for collection in the year 2026 and amending ordinance two zero zero three zero section for. Item 17 is a motion is proposed substitute motion number twenty twenty six Dash zero zero two five related to public transportation approving the King County Metro Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan 2025 and the King County Public Metro Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan 2026 in accordance with the Federal Transit Administration's Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan Regulations and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And item 28 is recognition of the annual blessing of the fleet.

Thank you very much, Clerk K. Do we need to read 29? You already read it.

That one's being referred to committee so we're good for that

one.

Great. Okay. Thank you very much. And I also want to note for the record that Council Member Fain has joined us. Thank you very much, Council Member Fain. With that, the council will now take public comment on those ordinances, motions, proclamations, recognitions of today's agenda for action. Do we have people sign up for public comment before I read the instructions? Two in. Okay. Alright.

So in order to allow everyone equal time to provide public comment, I would like to set the following ground rules. Please limit comments to two minutes. Remain seated until time for your public comment and do not make audible noise during the meeting. It's also a reminder that public comment may not be used for the purpose of assisting a campaign for election of any person to any office or for the promotion of or opposition to any ballot proposition. And in addition per council rule 10, disruptive behavior count or may lead to the commenter being asked to leave the meeting. Why don't we get started with folks in person, please?

Thank you, Chair Barron. First name on the list is Jeremy Ward.

Welcome, Jeremy, and thank you for your patience.

Thank you. Wanna thank the council chairs and esteemed members for this opportunity to speak today. I'm here today as a voter, a taxpayer, King County employee, and Project seventeen union member. My comments are around the supplemental budget. I acknowledge that while supplemental is on the agenda, it will not be discussed by counsel today, so I'll try to be quick. The RTO costs in the supplemental. The RTO costs are not transparent. Based on the transmittal, it is not clear to us what the RTO cost really is. The number in the supplemental, even if it's a one time cost, is remarkably low given the cost that will be required to acquire and fit out space for workers. We need full transparency around RTL costs.

We want to assure taxpayers are getting the most out of their money and that spending is targeted to the most critical needs. We are asking help from council to find out what the real cost of RTO would be, both for initial costs and for ongoing costs. We have seen a $22,000,000 number as the cost for RTO. We believe that's a one time cost. This 22,000,000 would amount to a subsidy for downtown landlords.

Why should we spend millions to help downtown landlords when there are thousands of people living on the streets? 22,000,000 could pay the cost of materials for 4,400 tiny houses. Taxpayer dollars must be used to support the greatest needs of the community instead. King County is already experiencing a budget deficit. Spending on RTO would not help us to get out of that deficit.

Want to transition a little bit to talk about the impact of RTO. So flexibility is key. A one size RTO policy is not fiscally responsible nor does it support employees to best serve the community. If you go into our county workspaces, you'll find up and down the aisles, people have traveled all the way into Downtown Seattle just to be on teams meetings and cubicles all day. It makes no sense. And King County should support managers to design the most effective and cost efficient work schedule with their employees. The county can accomplish this by merely enforcing the existing telecommuting policy. Thank you for your time and thank you for the opportunity to present to council today.

Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Thank you, Jeremy.

And I believe that's the last person that we

have in chambers. If you're in online and trying to provide public comment, please raise your hand or use the star nine if you're on the phone. We'll see if there are any okay. We don't see any further requests for public comments, we will turn we will close the public hearing. Turning to the first action item on today's agenda, which is the ordinance consent agenda. Vice chair Dunn, would you please move consent agenda items seven through 10?

Move consent agenda items seven through 10 for approval.

Thank you. Consent agenda items seven through 10 are before us. Clerk Kaye, would you please call the roll?

Thank you. Council member Balducci? Aye. Council member Dombowski? Aye. Council member Dunn?

Aye.

Council member Fain? Aye. Councilmember Lewis. Aye. Councilmember Mosqueda. Aye. Councilmember Perry. Councilmember Von Reichbauer. Aye. Chair Barron.

Aye.

The vote is eight ayes and Councilmember Perry excused.

Thank you. By our vote, we

have

adopted proposed ordinances twenty twenty six dash zero zero two six dash zero zero three six dash zero zero three nine and dash zero zero six one. Turning next to the hearing examiner consent agenda, Clerk Hay, would you please, oh, will you please read the items into the record?

Yeah. Thank you. Item 11 is proposed Substitute Ordinance Number twenty twenty six dash zero zero zero three concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to approve subject to conditions the application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space submitted by Mark Newcomb and Kathy Seaman for property located at in Snoqualmie. Item 12 is proposed substitute ordinance number twenty twenty six dash zero zero zero four, concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to approve subject to conditions. The application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space submitted by Joe and Dana Gangner for a property located in Enumclaw.

Item 13 is proposed sub ordinance number twenty twenty six dash zero zero zero five, concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to approve subject to conditions. The application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space submitted by Jeremy Calvert for property located on Vashon. Item 14 is proposed to the ordinance number twenty twenty six dash zero zero zero six concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to prove subject to conditions the application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space submitted by Troy and Kristen Barrows for property located in Enumclaw. Item 15 is proposed substitute ordinance number twenty twenty six-seven concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to approve subject to conditions the application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space submitted by Melissa Moore and Eric Seidenberger for property located on Vashon. And item 16 is proposed substitute ordinance number twenty twenty six-eight, concurring with the recommendation of the hearing examiner to approve subject to conditions the application for public benefit rating system assessed valuation for open space submitted by Darren and Sherry Qualls for property located in Enumclaw.

Thank you very much. Vice chair Dunn, would you please move hearing examiner consent agenda items 11 through 16?

Move, hearing examiner consent agenda items 11 through 16 for approval.

Thank you. Consent agenda items 11 through 16 are before us. Clerk K, would you please call the roll.

Thank you. Council member Balducci. Aye. Council member Dembowski. Aye. Council member Dunn.

Aye.

Council member Fain. Aye. Council member Lewis. Aye. Council member Mosqueda. Aye. Council member Perry. Council member von Reichbauer. Aye. Chair Barone.

Aye.

The vote is eight ayes and council member Perry excused.

Colleagues by our vote, we have adopted proposed substitute ordinances twenty twenty six dash zero zero zero three dash zero zero zero four zero zero zero five zero zero six zero zero seven and zero zero zero eight. Turning next to the motion consent agenda, Vice Chair Dunn, would you please move consent agenda item 17? Move

consent agenda item 17.

Thank you. Consent agenda item 17 is before us. Clerk K, would you please call the roll?

Thank you. Council Member Balducci. Aye. Council Member Dembowski. Aye. Council Member Dunn.

Aye.

Council Member Fain. Aye. Council Member Lewis. Aye. Council Member Mosqueda. Aye. Council Member Perry. Council Member Von Reichbauer. Aye. Chair Barone.

Aye.

The vote is eight ayes and Council Member Perry excused.

By our vote, we have adopted proposed substitute motion number twenty twenty six dash zero zero two five. If there is no objection, the published agenda together with any changes made in today's meeting will stand approved as the first reading and referral of ordinances and motions items 18 through 26 and item 29 as listed. Under other business, I wanted to let my colleagues know that we have a recognition of the annual blessing of the fleet that is being presented by my office and the community. This is an annual tradition in my district now in its ninety eighth year, and we'll be presenting that on April 12. Thank you, to my colleagues for your continued recognition of this beloved event.

With that, do my colleagues have any other business for the good of the order? Council Mermosqueda.

I just wanted to acknowledge as well, chair, that we are going to be on council recess next week in case that hasn't been mentioned for the public just so they know we won't be here next week.

Thank you. Councilor Morozcueta, that is correct. We will not have a meeting a week from today. Customer Lewis, did you have anything? No. Okay. Great. With no other business before the committee, this meeting is sorry. The council, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you.