Puget Sound Regional Council

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) is a regional planning organization that develops policies and makes decisions about transportation planning, economic development and growth management in the four-county Seattle metropolitan area surrounding Puget Sound. It is a forum for cities, towns, counties, transit agencies, port districts, Native American tribes and state agencies to address common regional issues. ["Puget Sound Regional Council. "Interlocal Agreement for Regional Planning in the Central Puget Sound Area" http://www.psrc.org/about/what/interlocal.htm ]

Geography

The Puget Sound Regional Council serves the central Puget Sound region of Washington state. The region is made up of King County, Kitsap County, Pierce County and Snohomish County, which together encompass 6,290 square miles and contain 82 cities and towns. The five major cities are Seattle and Bellevue in King County, Tacoma in Pierce County, Everett in Snohomish County, and Bremerton in Kitsap County. The region's population was estimated at 3,582,900 in 2007. [Washington State Office of Financial Management. "April 1, 2007 Population of Cities, Towns, and Counties Used for the Allocation of Selected State Revenues" Accessed 3/24/2008 http://www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/april1/finalpop2007.pdf]

History

The Puget Sound Regional Council was created in 1991 by an interlocal agreement among the region's jurisdictions. It was designated as the federal Metropolitan Planning Organization and the state Regional Transportation Planning Organization by Washington Governor Booth Gardner in 1991.

Activities

PSRC conducts long-range planning (20-30 years in the future) for growth management, transportation and economic development. PSRC also prioritizes and distributes a portion of federal funding for transportation in the region [Puget Sound Regional Council. "Policy Framework for PSRC's Federal Funds," April 27, 2006 http://www.psrc.org/projects/tip/selection/2006/2006policyframework.pdf] , and provides regional data and analysis. PSRC houses the Puget Sound Economic Development District and sponsors the Prosperity Partnership.

One of the PSRC's major landmark projects is VISION 2040, a strategy for dealing with significant growth in population and employment forecast for the central Puget Sound region by the year 2040. [Puget Sound Regional Council. "2006 Forecasts of Population, Households and Employment" (Accessed 3/24/2008) http://www.psrc.org/data/forecasts/index.htm]

Others include "Destination 2030," which is a 30-year transportation plan for the region, and the "BNSF Corridor Preservation Study." The BNSF corridor study recommended replacing most of the Woodinville Subdivision rail line that runs through Seattle's eastern suburbs with a bicycle and walking trail, as well as preserving freight services along the northern segment. For the longer term (10 to 40 years), the study recommended planning for high-capacity commuter rail. [Puget Sound Regional Council. "BNSF Corridor Preservation Study" (May 2007) http://www.psrc.org/projects/bnsf/reports.htm]

Organization and Funding

The Puget Sound Regional Council is governed by elected officials from its member government agencies, who meet annually as a General Assembly to vote on major decisions, approve the budget and elect new leaders. A 32-member Executive Board meets monthly to make decisions on behalf of the General Assembly. Assisting in this decision making process are several advisory boards, which are composed of local elected officials as well as representatives of business, labor, environmental and community interests. [Puget Sound Regional Council. "Bylaws of the Puget Sound Regional Council" (March 16, 2000) http://www.psrc.org/about/what/bylaws.htm]

The largest portion of funding for the PSRC's activities, about 74 percent, is provided by the federal government. Twenty percent is from dues paid by PSRC members, and the remaining 6 percent is from state grants. [Puget Sound Regional Council. "PSRC Biennial Budget and Work Program Fiscal Years 2008-2009" (April 5, 2007) http://www.psrc.org/about/budget/fy2008-09budget.pdf]

References

External links

* [http://www.psrc.org/ Puget Sound Regional Council (official website)]
* [http://www.prosperitypartnership.org Prosperity Partnership (official website)]