Res 97-262
RESOLUTION NO.
97-262
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FEDERAL WAY, WASHINGTON, APPROVING WITH CONDITIONS
A COUNTY-WIDE BALLOT PROPOSITION FOR FUNDING
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PURSUANT TO RCW
84.52.069, AS AMENDED.
WHEREAS, RCW 84.52.069 allows counties and certain other
taxing
districts,
subject
to
voter
approval,
to
impose
an
additional regular property tax of up to $.50 per thousand dollars
of assessed valuation in each year for six consecutive years for
the purpose of funding emergency medical services ("EMS"); and
WHEREAS,
on September 2,
1997,
the
Federal Way City
Council passed Resolution No. 97-259 approving with conditions a
county-wide ballot proposition for funding EMS pursuant to RCW
84.52.069, as amended; and
WHEREAS, the City of Federal Way (the "City") supports
EMS as a regional service that requires a continuing leadership
role for the County; and
WHEREAS, the King County Council on september 8, 1997, as
a companion to the Ordinance authorizing the November 4,
1997
election on EMS, passed ordinance No. 12849, the Preamble of which
states "[T]he current, near total reliance on a six-year voter-
approved
levy puts
the
[emergency medical
services]
program's
funding in regular jeopardy and connotes that the county considers
Res. #97-262, Page 1
I
~(Q)~lf I
it an optional program... [T]he county council
is committed to
researching
more
secure,
permanent
funding
sources
for
this
important program"; and
WHEREAS, the City supports the foregoing statement in County
Ordinance No. 12849, agrees that a voter-approved propetty tax is
not a preferable funding mechanism, and is committed to finding a
new, permanent funding source for the EMS system in partnership
with the County; and
WHEREAS, on November 4, 1997, the King County voters rejected
a six-year 29 cent per $1,000 of assessed valuation levy proposal;
and
WHEREAS, on December 4, 1997, representatives from around the
region agreed to placement of an interim, three-year, not more than
29 cent per year levy before the voters at a special election to be
held on February 3, 1998; and
WHEREAS, the City supports the proposed three-year, not more
than 29 cents/$l,OOO per year assessed value EMS levy and other
actions described herein as a bridge to a new financing structure
for the EMS system that is more secure and more permanent,
and
which establishes an immediate departure from"'business as usual"
in the funding of the EMS system; and
WHEREAS, in order to continue funding for emergency medical
services for three years, beginning in 1999, RCW 84.52.069 requires
that King County must receive the consent of all of the cities with
Res. #97-262, Page 2
a population in excess of 50,000 to place the EMS levy before the
voters; and
WHEREAS, Federal Way has a population in excess of 50,000; and
WHEREAS, it has been to the benefit of the citizens of the
Ci ty to support King County Fire Protection District' No.
39's
( "KCFPD
#39")
participation in the county-wide partnership of
delivering Advanced Life Support
("ALS")
and Basic Life Support
("BLS") services; and
WHEREAS, the delivery of EMS is an essential function of the
fire and life safety responsibility of KCFPD #39, and
WHEREAS,
the adopted EMS Strategic Plan has emphasized the
need for proactive methods aimed at controlling the future growth
in the demand for services, thereby making the initially proposed
levy rate of not more than twenty-nine cents '($.29) per thousand
dollars ($1,000) of assessed valuation each year for 3 consecutive
years viable; and
WHEREAS,
the failure of the EMS levy on November 4,
1997
resul ted in the potential
loss of strongly integrated ALS/BLS
services delivered in conjunction with KCFPD #39 to the citizens of
the City; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that it is in the
best interests of the City that such a county-wide levy again be
placed on the ballot; and
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FEDERAL WAY
HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS;
Res. ~7-262, Page 3
Section
1.
The
City of
Federal Way hereby approves
resubmission to the voters of a ballot proposition for a county-
wide additional regular property tax levy of not more than 29 cents
per $1,000 assessed valuation each year for a period of three
consecuti ve years
for funding county-wide EMS pursuant to RCW
84.52.069, as amended, at a special county-wide election to beheld
on February 3, 1998.
Section
2 .
The
City
supports
the
levy
with
the
understanding that the County agrees by appropriate amendment to
Ordinance No. 12849 to create the EMS Financial Planning Task Force
no later than February 15, 1998; provided, however that:
a.
city representatives on the Task Force shall be
appointed
directly
by
each
jurisdiction
so
represented
(in
the
case
of
Seattle,
Bellevue,
Federal Way, Kent and Shoreline) and the Suburban
Cities Association (in the case of the two smaller
city representatives).
b.
In preparing its "analysis of long-term funding
alternatives that would allow the county to reduce
its
reliance on property tax
levies
to
support
emergency medical services" as required by
Ordinance No. 12849, the Task Force shall (1)
explore all reasonable operational models for
financing and delivering EMS service;
(2) identify
and recommend possible efficiencies and operational
Res. #97-262, Page 4
models that could reduce or otherwise contain long-
term as well as interim costs of the EMS system;
and
(3)
focus
its
long-term
recommendations
on
alternatives to financing EMS through means other
than
periodically
voter-approved
property
tax
levies.
c.
The membership of the EMS Financial Planning Task
Force called for by Ordinance No. 12849 shall be
amended to consist of the King County Executive, two
representatives from the County Council, 1
representative from each city within the county with
a population over 50,000, two representatives from
small
cities
appointed
by
the
Suburban
Cities
Association, two fire district commissioners and two
citizens-at-large from the unincorporated area.
The
Task Force shall be supported by an interjuris-
dictional staff team.
d.
The County will direct the EMS Advisory Committee
recommended
by
the
1998-2003
Emergency Medical
Services Strategic Plan, dated June, 1997, to work
in cooperation with the EMS Financial Planning Task
Force,
and that the EMS Advisory Committee place
its
highest
priority
on
implementing
cost
containment strategies identified in said Strategic
Res. # 97-26~ Page 5
Plan that can reduce the cost of the EMS system as
soon as possible.
Section 3.
Severabilitv.
If any section,
sentence,
clause or phrase of this resolution should be held to be invalid or
unconstitutional
by
a
court
of
competent
jurisdiction,
such
invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity or
constitutionality of any other section, sentence, clause or phrase
of this resolution.
Section 4.
Ratification.
Any act consistent with the
authority and prior to the effective date of the resolution is
hereby ratified and affirmed.
Section 5
Effecti ve Date.
This resolution shall be
effective immediately upon passage by the Federal Way city Council.
RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FEDERAL WAY,
WASHINGTON, this l day of lJc£.i~ ,199.].
CITY OF FEDERAL WAY
~~~~
MAYOR, MAHLON S. PRIEST
v
Res. # 97-262, Page 6
~'T'
CrT ~~~
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
~¿NDI K. :NDELL
FILED WITH THE CITY CLERK:
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL:
RESOLUTION NO.
12-08-97
12-08-97
97-262
Res. # 97-26~ Page 7