Written by If I lived in an urban area outside of city limits, this kind of story would be of significant concern to me. Click here
According to the news report, it’s almost as if the Sheriff’s office is giving up in tracking down some classes of criminals. It sounds like burglars, check forgers, identity thieves, car prowlers, and even cold-case murderers will be getting a free pass if they initially escape the scene of the crime.
I’m happy to report that Renton police will still be going after all these crooks if the crime occurs within city limits.
You can thank the good old liberal Ron, “Tax to the Max” Simms. Trails, trees, and trash are more important than protecting the public. Typical tax and spend liberal. Emergency services should always be #1. County needs to cut other wasteful programs and start selling off property that’s expensive to maintain. Liberalism is an incurable disease.
it’s all strategy
KC doesn’t go out and say “we have a budget issue and we need more for libraries, human services, development review, etc.” No. Instead, they put out there that to afford to protect and serve, the public needs to step up to pay more taxes to support essential services, figuring it is easier to get people to support this type of increase than it is for less critical services.
what about stoners and speeders and red light runners??
Please choose really BAD guys to chase down!
Bad for Renton
Leave it to Ron Sims to spend all sorts of money to change the name of the county to “Martin Luther King” County, but fail to protect the people that MLK was trying to help.
Symbolism over substance.
Now, Renton is going to have to deal with an even more lawless Skyway. We should move the Ezell’s Chicken, nuke the place from orbit, and put Ezells back.
Re: Bad for Renton
If you don’t know what Ezells is…… you’re missing out!
http://www.ezellschicken.com/locations.html
Awesome! The people there are awesome too!
Good Chicken . . . .
We could always go to the one on NE 4th. Oh wait, we do!!
It Will Impact Renton
Do you think that the criminals committing crimes in unincorporated King County are just going to stay in unincorporated King County? They’ll just as likely live in Renton and loot Fairwood. Having criminals on the street (and in our neighborhoods) ruins everyone’s quality of life, not just those in unincorporated King County.
And the big question is, how did they get $68 MILLION in the hole in one year? They didn’t see this coming?
Re: It Will Impact Renton
Simple. LIBERALISM!!!!!
Re: It Will Impact Renton
Yes, indeed. That is why that hotbed of liberal thinking- Thurston County- is even more in debt than King County. Their Sherrif’s Department is bankrupt. The truth is, the criminal justice system is a mandatory obligation for all counties, liberal or conservative. The skyrocketing costs are bankrupting the system.
Re: It Will Impact Renton
The problem with government is that they’re spending other people’s money. It’s a contest to see who can spend the most. Why can’t there be incentives for dept heads to cut back. I was in government. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “we need to spend all of this training budget or we won’t get it next year.” It’s that way for all depts, parks, fire, police, etc.
I know the county is still hiring for other positions so this came in as a shock on the 5pm news yesterday. The scope and depth of the cut is huge and it will affects us all.
Isn’t fairwood still in county? I used to think Renton should bring in Fairwood but my mind has changed in the last year. Everytime I went by the fairwood area, the shops and street seems more dated and falling behind Renton Proper. There’s a lot of service to provide and too small a business tax base. I say let KC keep Fairwood.
-New Renton Resident
Forced to take crap
Renton is kinda being obliged to take under funded-places from King County. No offense to the good people that live there – Benson is dead weight to old Renton, and Fairwood and Skyway would be as well.
As far as I understand, King County ends up underfunding the rural portions in favor of special projects and services that only benefit Seattle – like two stadiums, light-rail, Sounder, Metro.
We should have the courage to say no to more anexations- unless King County gives us the funds to do what’s needed: Add sidewalks, open police stations, higher code compliance officers etc….
usually the forecasts show a revenue neutral situation
I think typically the projections for costs versus revenues for potential annexation areas are neutral or slightly positive. Despite the commonly-held belief of potential annexation residents that annexing is the city’s doing and is only being done to enhance revenue.
Second, just because an area is being annexed does not guarantee its infrastructure would be enhanced. In fact, typically there are multiple cost projections for potential infrastructure needs: how much to get it up to KC standards (often lower than the city’s) versus how much to get it up to Renton’s standards, versus how much to maintain the status quo (i.e. if it is a gravel shoulder instead of a sidewalk, how much to keep regraveling it annually).
Fairwood residents decide, not Renton
It seems a common misconception is that Renton somehow would bring in Fairwood (or any other unincorporated area) through an action of the city.
As the Benson Hill annexation has illustrated (and the numerous others in recent years all around the City of Renton’s borders) it is a petition and passing vote of the residents of the unincorporated areas that brings an area into Renton.
Re: Fairwood residents decide, not Renton
It shouldn’t be that way.. Renton should be able to block the new additions. Any merger really should go to a vote in both the incorporated town and the potential annexation area.
I don’t want Skyway that’s for sure. The place doesn’t even have a good sewer system.
They are going to cut 100 officers and 30 prosecutors in King county. This will be a green light for criminals to run wild on crime sprees. I would recommend that citizens outside the city limits seriously consider having a firearm handy for protection. As of now, King county PD is slow to respond. It will only get worse.
It’s our obligation!
>>I would recommend that citizens outside the city limits seriously consider having a firearm handy for protection.
Well said!
It’s our obligation to have the ability to protect ourselves! Police officers are not here to protect us – they are officers of the peace.
If that means that we need a gun, then it’s our obligation and duty to obtain one and train ourselves in it’s proper use.