[Capr-announce] KCD Budget Hearings

[Rodney McFarland]

The King Conservation District Board of Supervisors needs your help!

 

In March, you helped hand the Sims'/Phillips' candidate his hat and retained
local farmer Bobbi Lindemulder on the KCD Board of Supervisors. Some of you
testified at the hearings when KCD solicited input while working on their
2007 budget.

 

The supervisors listened and have proposed a major change in the way they
put together their budget. Last year the county forced KCD to earmark $6 out
of the $10 fee to the county WRIA groups. The supervisors were forced to
just hand over a set amount to the county, the cities, and the WRIAs to do
with as they pleased, while KCD was unable to keep enough to do their own
work. The Critical Areas Ordinance requires KCD to be the lead agency in
helping landowners put together CAO acceptable farm plans and they do 70 to
100 plans each year. The King County Department of Natural Resources and
Parks (DNRP) has the same responsibility to help landowners with rural
stewardship plans and have done a whopping one plan in the last 18 months.

 

Buoyed by the Attorney General's opinion that the King County Council only
controls the assessment, not the budget, the supervisors have put together a
proposal designating the funds for specific types of work and projects
instead of allocating them to specific entities. 

 

The KCD draft proposal is for:

     $10 per parcel annual tax

 

     $3,910,661 to "Salmon Recovery Initiatives"

     $1,293,969 to "Landowner Assistance & BMP Implementation"

     $  373,813 to "Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives"

     $  172,529 to "Natural Resources Monitoring & Evaluation"

 

CAPR leadership feels this represents a start toward reasonable priorities,
with a share for landowners and agriculture, not just fish, and has endorsed
this budget. The WRIAs will still get funding if their projects demonstrate
they are the best use of the money. Sims' office has told KCD that this
budget will be "Dead on Arrival" and implied that KCD will get nothing if
they stick with this new budget method.

 

Please participate in the public comments/hearings being held this month and
encourage the supervisors to stick with their proposal so that KCD doesn't
become just another King County money pit like DNRP.

 

The schedule for comments/hearings is as follows.

 

June 19 - July 3. Written comments to King CD, 935 Powell Ave SW, Renton
98055.

Or email district at kingcd.org

 

Wed, June 28. 6 - 8 p.m., Green Lake Library, 7364 Green Lake Dr. N.,
Seattle

 

Wed, June 28. 6 - 8 p.m., Preston Community Ctr., 8625 310th Ave SE, Preston

 

Mon, July 10. 6 - 8 p.m., King County DDES hearing rm, 900 Oaksdale Ave SW,
Renton

 

 

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