AWC Legislative Priorities for 2006

On December 2, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Association of Washington Cities adopted the following Legislative Priorities for 2006:

Streamlined Sales Tax

AWC will seek passage of streamlined sales tax legislation with full mitigation.

Local Transportation Funding Options

AWC will pursue local transportation funding options, including the re-instatement of the motor vehicle license fee, the household occupancy excise tax, and potentially new revenue sources.

Public Duty Doctrine and Liability Reform

AWC will continue to pursue legislation to limit local government liability.

GMA Revisions

AWC will support a variety of changes to the Growth Management Act that are beneficial to cities and will promote refinements to annexation statutes and enhancements to funding for infrastructure.

Changing Pension Funding Methodology

AWC will work to ensure that:

• appropriate payments are made towards the unfunded liability of PERS Plan 1, smoothed over several years; and
• new benefits are not established until current benefits are funded.

LEOFF 1 Medical Liability

AWC will:

• seek help from the State Actuary to identify the estimated liability for medical and long-term care costs for LEOFF 1 retirees, by jurisdiction; and
• pursue options for providing financial assistance to local governments for this liability, including the possible use of the LEOFF 1 pension surplus.

Business and Occupation Tax – Apportionment

AWC will work to identify and explore means of fully compensating B&O tax cities for the expected loss of $23.3 million due to apportionment, scheduled to take effect January 1, 2008.

Municipal Court Issues

AWC will support legislation to clarify the authority of cities to contract together for court services and will seek additional funding for indigent defense services.

Capital Facilities Investment (REET)

AWC will advocate for legislation to provide cities additional funding for infrastructure, including additional Real Estate Excise Tax authority.

Tools for Affordable Workforce Housing

AWC will seek additional tools to both retain the existing stock of affordable housing and create more.

Offender Medical

AWC will pursue options for funding offender medical liability and support legislation to expand the uses of the extraordinary criminal justice account to include offender medical costs.

Annexation Reform

AWC will work to find ways to help cities defray the costs associated with annexing unincorporated urban areas. AWC will also work to maintain city authority to assume water and sewer districts and give cities authority to charge a utility tax on water or sewer district services provided within a city.

Gambling/Local Zoning

AWC will support legislation establishing a moratorium on any new card rooms while ensuring that cities retain the authority to ban gambling in existing establishments.

Multifamily Housing Property Tax Exemption

AWC will seek legislation to extend to all cities the 10-year property tax exemption for new, rehabilitated or converted multifamily housing projects.

Sales Tax/Lid Lifts Flexibility

AWC will support legislation to amend the .3% sales tax and 6 year property tax lid lift authority, granted in 2003, to eliminate the mandate that new money not supplant existing funds and the mandate that a third of the money associated with the sales tax increase be used for criminal justice purposes.

City/County Economic Development Authority

AWC will advance legislation clarifying the ability of cities and counties to partner on economic development projects with other public and private entities, not just nonprofit corporations.

 
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