Today several Councilmembers and staff attended the annual climate action summit convened by the King County-Cities Climate Collaboration (K4C) and hosted by King County Executive Dow Constantine.

 

The K4C is a formal partnership based on the principle that local governments can achieve greater action on climate solutions by working together. Since its inception, K4C has grown to 14 member jurisdictions, representing 75 percent of King County's two million residents.

 

Using this K4C structure since 2011, King County and a growing list of local cities -including Mercer Island, which was a founding member- have been working across political boundaries to set targets, pool resources and make progress in reducing regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 
 

The K4C has supported formal adoption of shared countywide GHG emissions reduction targets, that are also endorsed by the City of Mercer Island: 25 percent by 2020, 50 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050 (compared to a 2007 baseline).  The collaboration has also developed a comprehensive shared vision and policy framework that addresses clean energy, green building, land use, forests, and other topics.  

The State Auditor's Office (SAO) has published its most recent independent audit of the City's finances, marking  23 years in a row of clean audits - a very uncommon and notable accomplishment.  The full audit (from fiscal year 2016) is now available on the City's website.

"I'm pleased to see yet again how well the City's financial team oversees our finances," said Julie Underwood, City Manager.   No other indicator provides a better measure of an organization's financial management practices and stewardship of public resources, according to Finance Director Chip Corder.

All local governments in Washington are audited regularly by the SAO , in accordance with state law. It is a detailed process that takes several months to complete and rigorously assesses how the City manages, uses, and safeguards public resources, and determines whether the City's financial statements are accurate and complete.

The  Community Advisory Group  (CAG) appointed by the City Manager to discuss the financial challenges and identify possible solutions is now halfway through its meeting series. View the CAG meeting schedule here.

Learn more about this issue and read an extensive FAQ on the City's custom webpage:  www.mercergov.org/FinancialChallenges

Learn more about the TIP here .