The Area Council held its regular monthly meeting virtually on Monday, January 10. Major topics discussed were: Area Council Officer Elections; Countywide Planning Policies; and the Area Council Biennial Survey.
Tahoma School District (TSD) Update
TSD Board member, Val Paganelli, provided a summary of recent TSD activities. Val described the appreciation of students/staff for accomplishments leading up to winter holiday break. There have been impacts of weather and COVID conditions on the system returning to school after break. There is an ongoing commitment to in-person learning and meeting instruction coverage challenges. Equity policy is moving forward with a Work Study session scheduled for later this month.
A. Rana, student member of the TSD, was in attendance and provided a high-school student-life report regarding activities, learning, logistics, and wellness. Such interactions with students is very much appreciated by the Area Council.
Area Council Officer Elections
At its first monthly meeting of the year the Area Council conducts internal elections for its Officers. The positions and duties are: Chair: Maintain Council operations and interfaces and preside at all meetings; Vice-Chair: Serve in the absence of the Chair and Chair the Public Relations Committee which manages Area Council member elections; Recording Secretary: Prepare and distribute Council meeting minutes; Corresponding Secretary: Prepare and transmit all Council correspondence, author articles on activities, and control web site content; and Treasurer: Receive and be accountable for all Council funds, maintain accounts, and pay all obligations.
For 2022 the Area Council re-elected Steve Hiester as Chair; Luke Hansen as Recording Secretary; Peter Rimbos as Corresponding Secretary; and Sue Neuner as Treasurer. The Vice-Chair position is open. All officers then assume their positions and duties for 2022.
Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs) 2021 Update
The CPPs serve as the guiding principles and policies for all Comprehensive Planning for King County and its Cities. The CPPs, which cover Environment, Development Patterns, Housing, Economy, Transportation, and Public Facilities & Services, currently are undergoing an update.
The Area Council led a Joint Team of eight Rural Area Unincorporated Area Councils/Associations to review draft policies and to prepare and submit Comments on the Update throughout a 20-mo process.
The Joint Team provided Oral Testimony at the King County (KC) Council’s December 14 Public Hearing and also submitted Written Testimony prior to meeting. The KC Council approved the 2021 CPP Update and submitted it to KC cities for final review and approval. The final-approved (by King County and all its cities) 2021 CPP Update will be submitted to the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) in the first quarter of this year.
Please see: http://gmvuac.org/cpp-update/ for details and all Joint Team Comment submittals and Testimonies.
Area Council Biennial Survey
The Area Council deals directly with the King County Council Members, Regional Leaders, and State Legislators on issues and concerns affecting the unincorporated area of King County, particularly within the Tahoma School District.
To obtain feedback from members of the Public on various topics such as transportation, growth, environment, lands use and others the Area Council conducts Bi-Annual Surveys.
The 2022-2023 Biennial Survey, which uses Survey Monkey, has been posted on the Area Council’s website (www.gmvuac.org). Members of the Public are encouraged to participate in the brief Survey, which takes ~3 minutes to complete.
State Legislators Meetings
Joint Transportation Initiative (JTI) Chair, Susan Harvey, described upcoming meetings being scheduled with State Legislators in SE King County Districts 5, 41, and 47. These meetings will be an opportunity for legislators to better understand pressures on Rural Area roads and for JTI members to better understand what the Legislature can do to alleviate such pressures.
Upcoming Area Council Meetings
The next Area Council monthly meeting will be held Monday, February 7). This meeting again will be held “virtually” via Zoom.
Once all meetings are in-person, they again will be held at the Maple Valley Fire Station—SE corner of SE 231st St & SR-169 intersection across from the Police Precinct. The Fire Station’s large meeting room remains closed to the Public.
All regular monthly meetings are held on the first Monday of the month (except for Holidays, when they are held on the second Monday), from 7 – 9:30 PM. Meeting announcements are published in the Voice of the Valley, the Area Council’s website (www.gmvuac.org) and local NextDoor platforms. You can also find us on Facebook. Each meeting begins with an open Public Comment period.
Area Council Membership
Your Area Council serves as an all-volunteer, locally recognized advisory body to King County on behalf of all rural unincorporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District (i.e., minus the City of Maple Valley). The Area Council’s Vision Statement is:
“Our community’s Rural Character will be supported by facilitating strong local ties and communication between the public, organizations, and government; promoting locally owned businesses and supporting quality education; protecting the environment, and maintaining landowners’ rights and responsibilities; promoting controlled and well-planned growth with appropriate infrastructure; ensuring proper representation for rural interests and needs; and supporting the health and safety and the privacy of our vibrant community.”
The twelve-seat Area Council currently has two open seats. If you have an interest in joining please send an e-mail to: info@gmvuac.org or attend a monthly meeting and express your interest. To join you need to live within the Tahoma School District.
All, even those who do not live within the Tahoma School District, are eligible to join and serve on any of the Area Council’s three major subject-matter Committees: Environment, Growth Management, or Transportation, as well as the Ad Hoc Economic, Public Relations, and Train Show Committees.
The Area Council welcomes your participation. For information on each of these committees please see the Area Council’s web site: www.gmvuac.org and use the drop-down menu under Committees. Again, if you have an interest in joining any Area Council committees, please send an e-mail to: info@gmvuac.org. Thank you.
