King County Executive Girmay Zahilay has had a busy first six months in office, addressing flood responses, regional challenges, and a tight budget. On June 10, Zahilay delivered his first State of the County address at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center, highlighting the county’s flood response and expressing appreciation for the staff and community partners who worked to save lives and support those impacted.

Four-Prong Approach

Zahilay’s plan for the county includes a four-prong approach: Breaking the Cycle, Building for Affordability, Being in Community, and Better Government. The Better Government aspect focuses on accountability and function, addressing concerns about challenges that have tested public confidence, including a $35 billion funding gap at Sound Transit and financial management problems within county departments.

To deal with these issues, Zahilay has created an internal audit director position and is conducting base budget reviews for the first time in King County’s modern history. He is also working to create a centralized function to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse.

Collaboration and Community

Zahilay emphasized the importance of collaboration and community, announcing a proposal to double the investment in childcare for kids through the Best Starts for Kids levy. He also shared plans for a new transit road map, Metro’s Next Stop, which would deliver nine new bus routes and improve speed and reliability.

Zahilay has restructured the executive office, implementing a plan to have more community ambassadors in the field and embedding regional managers across the county. He has also created a tribal relations lead within the executive office, developing the first-ever tribal consultation policy in King County’s history to ensure that tribal sovereignty is respected and incorporated into county decision-making.

Original reporting: Renton Reporter — read the source article.