King County Council

Metropolitan King County Council
King County, Washington
Type
Type	County Council of the King County, WA
Leadership
Chairperson	Joe McDermott, (D)
Vice Chair	Rod Dembowski, (D)
Vice Chair	Reagan Dunn, (R)
Structure
Seats	9
Political groups	Democratic Party Republican Party
Committees	List of Committees Budget and Fiscal Management Committee of the Whole Government Accountability and Oversight Employment and Administration Health, Housing and Human Services Law and Justice Transportation, Economy and Environment Regional Policy Regional Transit Regional Water Quality
Elections
Last election	November 3, 2015
Meeting place
1200 King County Courthouse 516 Third Avenue Seattle, Washington 98104
Website
http://www.kingcounty.gov/council.aspx

The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure is the result of a merger of King County and the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, better known as Metro, which was a federated county-city structure responsible for water quality and public transportation.

As a result of a County Charter amendment passed by voters in the November 2008 elections, all elective offices of King County are officially nonpartisan; that being said, all current council members have made their party affiliations a matter of public record.

The County Council meets weekly at 1:30 p.m. on Mondays (or on Tuesdays following a Monday holiday). Meetings are held in the County Council chambers, Room 1001, on the tenth floor of the King County Courthouse located at 516 Third Avenue between James and Jefferson in downtown Seattle.

Nine Councilmembers are elected by district to four-year terms. Councilmembers in even numbered districts are up for election in 2011, while Councilmembers in odd districts are up for election in 2009. Prior to 2009, councilmembers were elected on a partisan basis, and had to declare their political party unless they filed as an Independent. An independent candidate had to receive at least 20 percent of the vote in the Primary Election to qualify for the General Election ballot. This changed upon the passage of Charter Amendment 8 by voters in 2008, which made all elections for county offices nonpartisan. Current councilmembers as of 2012 were elected in 2009 for odd numbered districts and 2011 for even numbered districts, all on a non-partisan basis.