King County 2000 Disbands, Passes Torch

After four years on the good-government scene, King County 2000 has retired.

The group of business, government and community leaders formally marked its disbanding today by handing off some of its unfinished business to other civic organizations.

Although King County 2000 did not achieve all the goals its founders envisioned, ``We've made progress; we've kept issues on the front burner,'' said Neil McReynolds, chairman in the last year of operation.

``We are confident that within the next 10 years our recommendations and the principles on which they are based will have played a central role in creating a governance system for the decades to come.''

King County 2000 was organized in 1986 with former Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman as its first chairman. It was to explore new designs for local government for the region.

The effort did not achieve sweeping changes in the form of government, but its recommendations are reflected in recent state transportation-funding legislation and in the passage of a land-use planning bill, McReynolds said.

The county has a Regional Capital Review Commission, which considers the effects of government proposals for bond issues and excess tax levies for public projects because of King County 2000 recommendations.

The group emphasized changes in public safety, particularly calling for consolidation of fire districts operating in the county. Consolidation has not occurred, McReynolds said, but the fire districts are now sharing equipment and still talking about consolidation.

It also recommended improvements in law enforcement communications. That will occur if voters Sept. 18 approve a .01 percent increase in the sales tax to pay for a variety of improvements for police, the courts and the county prosecutor.

McReynolds said the early expectations of King County 2000 were too high, that its members were talking about problems and issues that had been around a long time and for which solutions were not easy.

``There were a lot of skeptics and a lot of critics,'' McReynolds said. ``But those that followed feel that it has been worthwhile. We've made progress.''

In a retirement breakfast at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, McReynolds passed unresolved issues to other civic groups.

The problems of government structure were handed to the Municipal League. The League of Women Voters got its land use and transportation issues and problems in human service programs went to County Executive Tim Hill.

Fire district consolidation was assigned to an association of fire districts and criminal justice issues were passed to a regional law-and-justice committee.

When McReynolds became chairman of King County 2000 a year ago its goal was to promote implementation by government of its recommendations.

``We did not, of course, labor under the illusion that we would implement the entire report within one year,'' McReynolds said. ``We are King County 2000, not King County 1990. I am convinced, however, that our efforts since September have helped move these ideas forward.''