All Press Releases for December 30, 2014

With 2014 Success on Budget, Transportation, Community Development and Sustainability Initiatives, Sound Cities Association Provides Leadership for 36 Member Cities in King County, WA

The Sound Cities Association, which represents 36 member cities in King County, Washington, enjoyed unprecedented success in its 2014 efforts to build long-term community and economic prosperity in the greater Seattle area and Washington State.



Regional and national leaders turn to SCA to provide insight, guidance, and direction on matters of public importance. We are a strong voice for nearly one million people.

    SEATTLE, WA, December 30, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- By successfully addressing top issues, including fiscal responsibility, transportation, community development and environmental sustainability, 2014 was an outstanding year for the 36 member cities of the Sound Cities Association in King County, Washington.

"Thanks to the active involvement of our members, SCA has been able to truly impact and address the top issues facing our cities," said John Marchione, SCA President and Mayor, City of Redmond, who provided a year-end report to members at the December meeting. "Regional and national leaders turn to SCA to provide insight, guidance, and direction on matters of public importance. We are a strong voice for nearly one million people."

During the meeting, Mayor Marchione was honored as the out-going president, and Renton Mayor Denis Law was recognized for his service as out-going past president.

"Thanks to the leadership of Mayors Marchione and Law, SCA had enjoyed unprecedented success in efforts to build long-term community and economic prosperity of our region and state," commented Deanna Dawson, SCA Executive Director.

The following is a summary of 2014 SCA accomplishments:

SCA promotes sustainable, healthy communities:

- SCA is leading on climate change efforts, including adopting policies supporting reducing countywide sources of greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020, 50% by 2030, and 80% by 2050.

- SCA also supported a policy requiring that the County assess and report countywide greenhouse gas emissions associated with local buildings, and update its comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions inventory to quantify all direct local sources of greenhouse gas emissions as well as emissions associated with local consumption.

- In order to address the dramatic increase in the amount of oil being transported through our region by rail and vessel transport through our bodies of water, the potential impacts on public safety and economic disruption from a possible crude oil spill incident, SCA adopted a position supporting increased measures to promote oil train safety.

- Adopted a position of support for increasing the Youth and Community Athletic Facilities (YAF) competitive grant program, support healthy citizens and communities, contribute to economic development, and give our youth access to the outdoors.

- SCA was instrumental in efforts to keep public health clinics open throughout the county, and avoid clinic closures in communities with existing inequities in income, race, and health, and where services are most needed. We know we need to focus in on prevention in order to address these inequities and to create healthy communities, and we are committed to working on long-term solutions to the public health funding crisis.

"We know that the budget for the Health Department is at a crisis point and SCA member cities are committed to working closely with the County to create long term, sustainable solutions for Public Health," said Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, also a SCA Board Member. "We thank the County for partnering with Auburn to find solutions to keep the Auburn clinic open, as well as partnering with cities to keep the Federal Way, Northshore, and White Center clinics open while we look for long-term, stable solutions to our funding crisis."

SCA is a leader on transportation:

- SCA has been part of a regional coalition calling for action to address the critical transportation needs facing King County and our member cities, and to provide sustainable funding for roads, transit, and other transportation needs.

"Transit service is critical to our city, and Metro had slashed routes in our city by 66%," said Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson and SCA Vice President. "Thanks to SCA efforts, we are on the road to finding solutions that could restore needed service, and provide a model for future right-sizing of the system."

- We've pushed the County to ensure that Metro Transit will be a regional transit system, not a system that meets the needs of only a portion of the county's residents, and advocated for reforms and greater financial transparency at Metro.

- SCA was instrumental in efforts to create a new regional transit task force to review and make recommendations on changes to service guidelines.

- Recently we brought together mayors and council presidents from 24 cities to hear cities' transportation priorities and develop a plan to address our critical transportation needs.

- We have been pushing for a statewide transportation package because we know that a healthy transportation system is a critical foundation of our state and local economies and our quality of life, as well as our global position as the nation's most trade-dependent state.

- And we're working with leaders from throughout the Puget Sound region to craft a subregional plan to address our transportation needs, should the state fail to act.

SCA promotes fiscal responsibility:
- When Proposition 1 failed, the initial response from Metro was to simply cut service. Our efforts were instrumental in ensuring that the County kept buses on the roads in our cities. The County will not be making a series of future cuts, and we are working to use cost-effective alternative transit service to restore service to communities hit hardest by cuts made in 2014.

- SCA's efforts blocked a proposal to raise rates at the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency by 44% in one year. Instead, the Agency will adopt a more prudent rate of increase, and has agreed to collaborate with SCA on future policies affecting cities in a way that will protect the environment while also protecting the bottom line.

- SCA worked to ensure that King County Solid Waste Division's plan for building facilities is fiscally prudent and reflects the needs of the community. Based on efforts from SCA, the County is no longer planning to build a Northeast Transfer Station, saving millions of dollars.

- SCA worked to stop a proposal at the County to dramatically increase fees charged to farmers markets and vendors at community festivals. This proposal would have stifled efforts to support local farms and create healthier communities through providing fresh, local, healthy food to our residents.

"The previously proposed increase in fees would have been a real hardship to small vendors, and would stifle efforts to support local farms and create healthier communities through providing fresh, local, healthy food to our residents," said Mayor Law. "We thank the King County Council for listening to our concerns, and rolling back these proposed fee increases. Farmers Markets benefit our communities by providing local, fresh, healthy foods and also act as small business incubators to increase or give a platform for startup Washington businesses. Keeping fees at a reasonable level supports these small businesses, and encourages new markets in "food deserts" throughout the county which will help combat obesity, and increase health in our communities."

- SCA partnered with the King Conservation District to create a new program of work that includes support for a strong, sustainable regional food system, an urban tree canopy program, and shoreline and riparian habitat protection.

"Our efforts were recognized by the County Council, who unanimously supported the proposal we helped to craft, and the Conservation District, which recently honored SCA as the "2014 Best partnering Organization," said City of Shoreline Deputy Mayor and SCA Board Member Chris Eggen.

SCA's voice is being heard, and increasingly sought out:

- Regional leaders turn to SCA to provide insight, guidance, and direction on matters of public importance. SCA has historically appointed members to 25 regional boards and committees.

- In 2014, SCA was granted additional seats for its elected officials on the Domestic Violence Initiative, and the Regional Law, Safety, and Justice Committee, because other regional leaders value having SCA at the table.

- SCA has also been invited to a number of new tables. In 2014 alone, SCA was asked to participate in the following eight additional regional boards, committees and task forces.

"Because of this success, we again had a record number of applicants to regional boards and committees," Dawson noted. "Our organization is increasingly inclusive, diverse and relevant."

For more information, please visit www.SoundCities.org.

About the Sound Cities Association
The Sound Cities Association (SCA), which was formerly known as the Suburban Cities Association, was established more than 40 years ago to help King County cities act locally and partner regionally to create vital and thriving communities through advocacy, education, leadership, mutual support and networking. Today, SCA represents 36 member cities and provides a voice for nearly one million people.

For Further Information:
Deanna Dawson
Executive Director, SCA
(206) 433-7170 (direct)
(206) 310-0599 (cell)
[email protected]

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