Should We Have an Unincorporated Area Council? By Dave Reed

(Article first published in Fall City Neighbors Newsletter, June 2007 Edition) 

An Unincorporated Area Council is a non-profit corporation that is approved by King County to help be a voice for a designated area. UACs are given funding to operate, and act as a conduit to inform their area about the workings of county government, and to inform the County about the needs of the area. There are now six areas represented by UACs, the closest being Maple Valley and Upper Bear Creek area near Woodinville. Membership in a UAC must be open to all in the represented area. The UAC has no taxing authority or vote; its purpose it to advise and inform. In the last 10 or so years, King County’s population has changed from being about 40% rural, to now less than 8% of the people live in a rural area. King County’s current population of 1.8 million is expected to grow by another million in the next 20 years. We see around us the growing influence of municipalities such as Snoqualmie and Sammamish, which now include areas that were rural just a short time ago. King County has become increasingly bureaucratic. There are presently over 14,000 County employees. County regulation has become more complex. Ordinary citizen’s efforts to wade through the morass frequently end in frustration. The overwhelming power of urban influence is seen in County government. To hold its own in this setting, a rural community needs a voice at all levels of County government and with both political parties. A UAC for our area could help. A UAC can originate from an existing organization present in the community, or it can be a brand new group. 

The minimum requirements are straightforward: 

• Non-profit corporation. 

• Membership open to all within its designated boundaries 

• Must not discriminate against individuals/groups on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, income, or political affiliation 

• Membership contributions collected on a voluntary basis only 

• Up-to-date bylaws must be maintained at a public location designated by King County 

• Bylaws must provide for a public process for voting/choosing UAC officers and board members 

• Bylaws must state UAC geographic boundaries 

• Bylaws must establish meeting requirements 

• Bylaws must provide for open, regularly scheduled public meetings 

• Bylaws must address conflict of interest/ethics issues (Attachment C contains some guidelines and suggestions on how to ensure that your bylaws meet this criterion.) 

• Boundaries shall not overlap with any other UAC 

• Should have about 7,500 people within its boundaries (Zip code 98024 has about 4,000) 

UAC officers may be elected by a formal vote of the residents in their area, or by the members of the UAC. The board of the UAC could have as some of its members be representatives of established community organizations. In our case, the Fall City, Preston and Lake Alice Community Associations might be candidates to have representatives on a Board. Perhaps a broader representation of groups such as the Raging River Riders, Soccer Association or Little League may be a good idea for the community. When the requirements are met, an application is filled out and submitted to the county. Approval of the application is discretionary. Special interest groups would not be approved. If there were competing applications, only one would be approved. Once approved, a UAC is eligible for expense reimbursement of $10,000 to cover administrative expenses. Its representatives will attend about four meetings a year with the county executive and his “cabinet”, where the UACs are treated as another agency of county government. They each have an opportunity to present a “State of the UAC” address, and in other ways have the ear of the County’s chief administrators. UACs are present to help make policy, not to just react to bad situations. In my talks with some of the officers of current UACs, they reported that their effectiveness comes from developing credibility with agency directors over time. The position as a UAC gives them the opportunity to do that. 

Some of the other thoughts from UAC officers included: 

• Most of the people who make contact with the County have some kind of a complaint or special issue. When County officials don't see these people except for the special interest, they lack credibility. A UAC avoids this because it is seen as a consistent policy making body that is a representative to the county. 

• There is a kind of power vacuum in the Fall City, Preston, and Carnation area because of no UAC present. This vacuum will be filled by some organization. The question is who will do it. 

• Under-represented rural areas won't be able to resist better represented political forces. 

• The UACs have been in existence since 1995. They have gained acceptance in the County at the highest levels. The UACs are accepted as an agency of County Government. UACs are accepted as advisors to the county council. 

• UAC Presidents have found that the head of each county agency is very responsive to their calls, just like talking to another agency head. 

• The UAC concept is accepted as the way the County works. It is part of the system that allows UACs to build relationships easily with department heads and to have direct access. 

• UACs function as a conduit for local residents on issues to get direct contact and response from the County. It seems hard to argue in these times that another voice at the County for our community would not help. The pressures of continued urban growth will increase over the coming years. It will become more important that our community’s needs be communicated at all levels of County government. 

A UAC would be a good place to start. Its effectiveness will depend on the support it receives from the community. 

David Reed is an attorney, former Snoqualmie Valley School Board Director and Valley resident since 1979.