From the Director: City Priorities Moving as Session Pace Quickens
By Stan Finkelstein, AWC Executive Director
City priority bills continue to move as the Senate and House focus on floor action through Wednesday, March 16.

All bills must be approved by the respective chamber by this deadline or are considered dead for the 2005 session. Legislation related to the budget is exempt from this and other deadlines.

AWC began the year with a few central themes:

• Provide cities tools, including direct financial assistance, for infrastructure improvements associated with economic development.
• Provide direct financial aid to the smallest cities with no tax base.
• Provide cities maximum flexibility with current revenue sources.
• Do not impose additional burdens or restraints on cities or towns.

Although we have just passed the halfway mark of the Session and there remains a great deal of work to do, legislation advancing the first three themes is in play, and there are relatively fewer negative bills.

The following bills address local infrastructure needs and assist with economic development efforts. The Legislature is also addressing the needs of our smallest cities via SB 6050, which provides direct financial aid to cities and towns with no tax base.

• HB 1903 - Creating a Job Development Fund
• HB 2196 – Providing Additional REET Taxing Authority in Lieu of Impact Fees
• SB 6046 – Financing Local Economic Development Projects Associated with Brownfield Sites
• SB 5370 – Establishing the Economic Development Strategic Reserve

A number of other bills providing local revenue flexibility are being advanced. HB 1155 and HB 1465 relax burdens on the use of the 0.3% sales tax and property tax lid lift authority granted in 2003. Details on all of these bills are provided in this Bulletin. These bills will face significant challenges over the next month or so but they are in play.

Meeting with the Governor

Governor Gregoire was kind enough to meet with city and county Association Presidents and Executive Directors for the second time during the last three weeks as we outlined for her our priority legislation, including the bills referenced above. She is very sympathetic to local governments and wants to help but recognizes resources are very limited. We appreciate the time she provided us and will continue to work with the administration to advance our interests.

Deadlines Come Quick – Action Often Needed Immediately

As noted above, House bills must be approved by the House, and Senate bills by the Senate, prior to March 16. If not, they will be considered dead for this session. Future legislative deadlines come quickly. Your quick response to requests for help with contacting your legislators is key. Please watch for Action Alerts and try to make contact immediately. As always, feel free to contact the AWC staff if you have questions on an issue prior to contacting your legislator. Thanks for your help to date, and please take a minute to review the Action Items outlined in this newsletter – a short email or quick phone call will help!

 
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