von Reichbauer Recommends Decisive Actions Against “Safe Injection Facilities”

August 7, 2017

Summary

Encourages Mayors and City Councils in County Council District 7 to prevent the siting of safe injection facilities in their respective cities AND potential annexation areas

Story

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer is urging public officials in the cities of Algona, Auburn, Federal Way, Pacific and Milton to take decisive action to prevent the location of a safe injection facility in their communities. All five cities are represented by von Reichbauer on the County Council.

von Reichbauer is working to prevent the location of any “safe injection facilities” in South King County. His message to city officials calls on cities to be proactive in this time of uncertainty. The letter recommends that cities include language preventing the location of any safe injection sites in neighboring potential annexation areas, because cities are not served well when a prohibited activity shows up across the street from the city limits.

Although the King County Council passed legislation limiting the location of a safe injection facility only to cities that consent, this doesn’t include areas of unincorporated King County adjacent to cities. By encouraging broad legislative action, Councilmember von Reichbauer hopes to keep “safe injection facilities” out of both cities that don’t wish to have them as well as their neighboring potential annexation areas.