King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer Addresses Criminal Justice Changes at the Auburn Rotary Club Meeting

April 26, 2011

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King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer and Auburn Rotary Club President Cindi Strong at the weekly luncheon.

King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer was featured as the special guest speaker for the Rotary Club of Auburn’s weekly luncheon. Councilmember von Reichbauer spoke about the changing role of King County’s government as it deals with the region’s biggest issues.

“The scope of what the County does has changed dramatically since I was first elected to the King County Council, particularly in the area of criminal justice”, said von Reichbauer.

To illustrate his point on the growth of criminal justice spending, Councilmember von Reichbauer supplied some budget figures from past decades. In 1991, King County’s general fund budget was $297 million, of which 55% was spent on criminal justice. Ten years later, in 2001, 61% of the $492 million general fund budget went towards criminal justice. Today, criminal justice spending comprises over 76% of the 2011 general fund budget of $621 million. This dramatic growth has turned King County’s government into a quasi law enforcement agency.