‘Doesn’t sound like they’re much of an authority on anything’: Jake and Spike call for scrapping KCRHA after nearly $17M shortfall

KIRO hosts Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill called for scrapping the King County Regional Homelessness Authority after a new review found a nearly $17 million funding shortfall that Seattle and King County taxpayers will have to cover.

“Doesn’t sound like they’re much of an authority on anything,” Jake said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

The shortfall leaves Seattle and King County taxpayers with a nearly $17 million bill. The review found that the agency spent more than even full use of its grants would have supported. Seattle’s budget director found no evidence of fraud, and an earlier $8 million discrepancy turned out to be an accounting error.

In a joint statement, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson called the $17 million unrecoverable balance “unacceptable.” They pledged to work together on repayment while protecting services for people experiencing homelessness, according to PubliCola.

Jake questioned why the city and county would keep the agency running.

“Why not just shut it down? You now have all the evidence that you need. This is a bad bet. They’re bad with money,” Jake said.

Spike breaks down the overspending

Spike explained that the agency based its spending on grant money it expected to receive, and that money depended on meeting service goals.

“They failed to meet a threshold that cost them that potential grant money,” Spike said.

Jake summed up the result.

“So they spent money they didn’t have. Big surprise,” Jake said.

Jake also mentioned $2.4 million in interest on top of the shortfall. He expects King County taxpayers to cover the cost.

Council members renew calls to dissolve agency

Seattle Councilmember Maritza Rivera and King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski have renewed their calls to dissolve the authority.

“Since its inception, KCRHA has been overspending its budget, not reconciling its accounts, and accumulating debt,” Rivera said in a statement. “We have already taken back our homelessness contracts; it’s time to entirely dissolve the agency.”

Dembowski called the agency “broken beyond repair.”

Spike has supported a regional approach to homelessness in the past.

“I get the need and the benefits of having a regional approach that encompasses numerous communities that are facing a similar problem,” Spike said.

But he now believes the agency’s track record calls for a different approach.

“Well, it’s time to scrap this way of doing this service, this model for providing the service to a regional problem,” Spike said.

Spike pointed to years of trouble at the agency, which Jake noted has had five CEOs since it began.

“Clearly, at every step, every turn, every decision seems like it’s been a bad one, the wrong one,” Spike said.

Jake argues local efforts bring accountability

Jake argued that small, local efforts hold officials more accountable than a regional authority does. In his view, communities like Redmond and Edmonds know the people running their programs.

“There’s no accountability, as we’ve seen, because everybody’s just throwing money at them, hoping that the problem gets better. But that’s never how it works,” Jake said.

“I can’t argue those points,” Spike said.

Jake recalled a lesson from early in his radio career working with radio host Michael Medved: All politics is local.

“The things that are really affecting your life. Unfortunately, it’s your HOA, it’s your school board, it’s your local mayor of your tiny little town where you live,” Jake said.

Jake doubts the agency is making enough progress to justify its existence.

“How many homeless people are they helping? Not enough,” Jake said.

Rivera’s and Dembowski’s proposals to dissolve the agency are on hold while the city and county consider next steps.

“So I think they should dissolve it,” Jake said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3