WHEREAS, in November, 1998, Mayor Schell and Council President Sue Donaldson assembled the Public-Private Partnership Task Force (PPPTF) and asked it to establish a set of standards for future public-private partnerships between the City of Seattle and private entities; and

WHEREAS, public-private partnerships play an increasingly important role in government’s pursuit of its goals, and partnerships with private entities (including non-profit organizations) are pursued by the City of Seattle in order to achieve benefits for the public which would not materialize in the absence of the partnership; and

WHEREAS, the Public-Private Partnership Review Process is intended to clarify and improve the present ways that targeted partnerships are negotiated and public benefit is pursued, and is intended to provide timely and intensive review by the public and its elected representatives; and

WHEREAS, the City of Seattle and its citizens will benefit from carrying out intensive public review of targeted partnerships, by utilizing a protocol that enables better comparison between projects and aids in giving information to the public in certain major areas: the project’s relationship to City priorities; calculation of public benefit; assessment of related impacts; compliance with state and local laws; and citizen engagement.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING:

Section. The recommendations of the Public-Private Partnership Task Force, as amended and attached hereto as Exhibit A, are approved as general guidelines for use by City Departments on and after January 1, 2000, in negotiating agreements and obtaining public review of public-private partnerships which meet the definition of targeted partnerships.

Section. As recommended by the Public-Private Partnership Task Force, the Council shall reconvene the Task Force one year from the effective date of this Resolution to review the effectiveness of the guidelines and make additional recommendations.

Section. The Council hereby requests that the Law Department in conjunction with the Ethics and Elections Commission: a) review the Public-Private Partnership Task Force recommendation that the City develop contract language that subjects the City’s partners in targeted partnerships to the actual conflict of interest, use of facilities, and gift restrictions of the City’s Ethics Code, provides a method for reporting potential conflicts as they occur during the term of the partnership agreement and sets forth remedies for breach; (b) develop appropriate contract language as allowed by law; and (c) amend the Ethics and Elections Commission enabling ordinance to identify the Commission as the enforcer of these contract provisions.

Section. Nothing contained in this Resolution is intended to be nor shall be construed to create any legal rights or form the basis for any private cause of action or create any legally enforceable obligation on the part of the City, its officers, employees or agents.

Adopted by the City Council the _____ day of _____________, 1999, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this _____ day of ________________, 1999.

________________________________________

President of the City Council

Filed by me this ______ day of _________________, 1999.

________________________________________

City Clerk

THE MAYOR CONCURRING:

______________________________

Mayor

(Seal)