Julia Patterson to continue as Chair of Budget and Fiscal Management Committee

January 18, 2011

Summary

Preparing for challenge of addressing “difficult budget issues”

Story

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Julia Patterson will continue to chair the Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee and lead the Council’s 2012 budget deliberations. Councilmember Patterson’s second consecutive year as budget Chair is part of the Council’s 2011 reorganization, adopted unanimously today by the full Council.

The Budget and Fiscal Management Committee maintains oversight of the current year's budget, and is the lead decision-making body during the adoption of the 2012 budget.

“During my time as Chair of the 2011 budget committee I worked hard to ensure the Council adopted a budget which sets a precedent for the fiscal challenges we will face in the years to come,” said Patterson. “A new year is upon us, and many painful decisions still lie ahead, but I am confident in our ability to once again address our difficult budget issues while protecting the immediate needs of our residents.”

Along with Chairing the Budget Committee, Councilmember Patterson will continue her role as Chair of the King County Flood Control District and will also serve on a number of outside committees, working closely with city and county officials from across the region. This includes her continued service on the Regional Transit Committee and the Sound Transit Board.

This year Councilmember Patterson will step down from her role has Chair of the King County Board of Health. During her time as Chair for the past 5 years, Councilmember Patterson’s leadership has been instrumental in a number of health-related initiatives including legislation in 2007 to require nutritional menu labeling and the elimination of trans fat in all County restaurants, and implementation of the County’s first health care reform initiative in 2009. She will continue to serve on the Board as a member in 2011.

Councilmember Patterson was first elected to the Council in 2001. She was elected Council Chair in 2008 and was Chair of the Council’s Committee of the Whole in 2007.

Patterson represents the fifth Council District, which includes the cities of Des Moines, Kent, Renton, SeaTac and Tukwila, as well as a portion of the West Hill unincorporated community.