Auburn City Council supports Harborview ballot measure

On Oct. 19, the Auburn City Council threw its unanimous support behind King County Proposition 1.

Proposition 1 authorizes King County to issue up to $1.74 billion in general obligation bonds to provide funds for public health, safety and seismic improvements to Harborview Medical Center facilities.

The council, without demur, said aye.

“I just wanted to express my support for this,” said Councilmember Larry Brown. “Harborview Medical Center is the crown jewel for emergency and public health, and it’s well worth the investment.”

In other action, the city council:

■ Updated its two-year-old controlled substance possession ordinance to square it with recent changes in state law.

“This makes it simpler, so we don’t have to do more of this the next time there’s a change,” said Councilmember Chris Stearns prior to the vote.

■ Mayor Nancy Backus was authorized to execute a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe wherein the tribe agrees to kick in dollars and support for non-motorized city projects on and next to Auburn Way South.

Among the city’s projects: to build sidewalks east of Riverwalk Drive from Howard Road to Auburn Way South; and to fill in gaps on the south side of the highway from the R Street bridge to Muckleshoot Plaza, and from Hemlock Drive to Poplar Street Southeast.

The MOU also provides the framework for the city to support improvements pursued by the tribe, among them a trail project to build non-motorized connections on and along Auburn Way South from the tribal center at Southeast 392nd to Poplar Street Southeast

The tribe’s trail project will likely be implemented in several phases starting from the tribal center and then expanding west.