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Proposal for Community Service Areas offers a new

public engagement framework for King County’sunincorporated areas that would help give voice tomore than 280,000 King County residents outsidethe boundaries of its 39 cities.

Giving voice to residents inKing County’s unincorporated areas2011

All residents

should be ableto have meaningful involvement in the

decisions that impact their communities, and

that’s just as true for thosewho live in unincorporated

areas as those in cities. – King County Executive

Dow Constantine

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King County serves as the localgovernment for residents of unincorporated areas – the rural and urbanparts of the county not included in the boundariesof any city. The county established the CitizenParticipation Initiative in 1994 to provide a venuefor ongoing communication with unincorporatedarea residents. Through this initiative, the Countyrecognized six Unincorporated Area Councils(UAC), comprised of volunteer members electedby local area residents. But there are largeswaths of unincorporated King County and manyresidents living in them unrepresented by a UAC.

In 2010, the King County Council’s adoptionof the 2011 Budget directed the Of ce of Performance, Strategy and Budget to providea plan to establish a newframework for the county’sengagement strategy forunincorporated areasconsistent with the King

County Strategic Plan. Costsavings is among the goals.

BACKGROUND

Executive Dow Constantine is proposingnew reforms to ensure that communication,outreach and engagement efforts reach allresidents, particularly communities thathave been historically under-represented inunincorporated areas. The proposal would createCommunity Service Areas that would representall unincorporated communities. Informationgathered from the Executive, King County Councilstaff, UAC presidents and community forumshelped generate ideas for the proposed reforms.The proposal expands upon and replaces the1994 Citizen Participation Initiative. It retains thevalue and expertise of the existing unincorporatedarea councils while expanding outreach to all

unincorporated area residents.

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2011 Outreach and

Engagement Planhighlights• The creation of Community Service Areas

(CSAs) that encompass all of unincorporatedKing County, including areas withoutrepresentation by UACs, allowing for greaterparticipation by all residents in an annual CSAwork program and annual meetings.

• Interbranch teams of existing staff fromacross the spectrum of county programs andservices would coordinate public outreachand service delivery in each CSA, in closecollaboration with the county councilmemberfor that district. Staff would continue workingwith UACs while expanding outreach to includework with community councils and otherorganizations.

• The proposal preserves existingCommunity Service Centers that provideremote access to county services, as well asexisting liaison staff for the UACs who wouldnow serve as a single point of contactfor residents.

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• Provides all unincorporatedarea residents with anopportunity to participate;

• Makes it easier for people tointeract with King County;

• Empowers residents to choosetheir level of involvementacross a spectrum of publicparticipation;

• Acknowledges and respectsthe unique characteristicsof communities: geographic,cultural and otherwise;

• Helps the county transitionto being a rural service

provider, and ease thetransition for residents;

• Involves the cities that willeventually annex urbanunincorporated areas;

• Makes ef cient use of limited

public resources;• Integrates the county’s

public engagement, servicedelivery and customer serviceframeworks; and

• Engages the County Council

and other branches of county government.

Guiding Principles for

a New Outreach andEngagement Program

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Find the report at www.kingcounty.gov/exec/rural

Alternative formats available by calling206-296-6500 or TTY 711.

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NEXT STEPS

The Executive announced the proposal on April 18, 2011 after sending legislation and areport to the King County Council for consideration. For more information, contact Lauren Smith atlauren.smith@kingcounty.gov.

We want robust public engagement that informs, involves, and empowers people and

communities from throughout the region.– King County Executive

Dow Constantine