Federal Way Mirror, September 28, 2011

Page 1

.com

YOU’LL LIKE WHAT YOU SEE IN THE MIRROR

County touts budget as stable BY GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com

King County Executive Dow Constantine presented his proposed 2012 budget to the King County Council, highlighting that the county has preserved service levels in many areas that were threatened in recent years by the economic downturn. “I stood here last year, and I spoke to you about a budget I did not want to present,” Constantine said to the King County Council in a special presentation Sept. 26. “I said it was an imperfect and unpleasant budget. Our budget was a vessel that was afloat, but was at risk of being pulled under by the great recession. Today, I’ve come to these chambers with a budget of which we should all be very proud.” Constantine credited the collaboration of King County employees, and the unions that represent them, with helping to create a more stable budget for 2012. “We are preserving services and putting aside savings,” he said. “My proposed budget is balanced, with no further cuts to services in the general fund, by working with employees to make the government more efficient. Surrounded everywhere by seas of red ink, we have made King County an island of relative stability.” The proposed budget totals $5.3 billion, with $648 million in the general fund. [ more COUNTY, page 2 ]

re r .

6 89076 19979

7

| 50¢

ELECTION 2011 | City council candidates answer short questionnaire [6]

VOL. 13, NO. 381

MIRROR

F E D E R A L WAY

DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

OPINION | Roegner: Examining Federal Way’s strong mayor era [4] Column: Surrounded by an aggressive pack of coyotes [4] CRIME BLOTTER | Sad, strange and true tales from the Federal Way police log [3] CALENDAR | Check out highlights from the upcoming FW Symphony season [8-9]

SPORTS | Beamer girls soccer remains WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 unbeaten after comeback win [10]

BREAKING NEWS | Go online for the latest news [federalwaymirror.com]

Job creation can kick-start economy City considers proposals for development grants BY GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com

Where are the jobs in Federal Way? It’s a familiar refrain of the past few years. The city’s business sector has struggled to attract high level employers, leaving many

Federal Way residents with sizable commutes north or south to find work. During the Sept. 20 city council meeting, administrative services director Bryan Enge reviewed some of the projects the city can fund in 2012 to help kick-start Federal Way’s economy. Enge said programs funded through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) are

focused toward jobs and economic development. “We’re working on the community economic revitalization funding program. We have roughly $700,000 available for projects in 2012,” he said. “Primarily, what we’re focused on in terms of spending these funds was on priority of projects that stimulated jobs and economic development.” Enge said the city received six

proposals, but will only move forward in considering five; one proposal was essentially not up to par for requirements. The five proposals still under consideration are one from Orion Industries, two from Highline Community College, one from the South Sound Regional Business Incubator (SSRBI), and a “human services” proposal from Dynamic [ more ECONOMY, page 2 ]

Federal Way Police Department’s Weapon of Mass Deliciousness team won second place and the People’s Choice Award. The team consisted of Deputy Chief Andy Hwang, Cmdr. Steve Stan McCall, Cmdr. Steve Arbuthnot (not pictured), Chief Brian Wilson.

South King Fire and Rescue’s Megabites team of Joe Ganem, Damon Ganem (pictured) and Mitch Lee won third place at the Chili Cook-off. Pictured right: South King Fire and Rescue’s Shark Pit recaptured first place. Pictured: Brad Chaney, Jeff Hamel, Mike D. Lawson, Tyler Wilkins-Haigh, Eric Suckoll. See more photos at federalwaymirror.com.

The fourth annual Federal Way Farmers Market Chili Cook-off raised about $4,000 to benefit Special Olympics Washington and South King Firefighters Foundation. See a slideshow from the Sept. 24 charity event online at federalwaymirror.com. PHOTOS BY ANDY HOBBS, The Mirror

Chili Cook-off 2011: Firefighters bounce back against cops


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.