Affordable Housing Session at AWC’s Annual Conference

AWC held an affordable housing session at the Annual Conference in Yakima. Our thanks to the following for their contributions to a lively and informative session:

Councilmember Mary-Alyce Burleigh, Kirkland (Moderator);
Paul Purcell, Founder & President, Beacon Development Group;
Gary Crutchfield, City Manager, Pasco; and
Councilmember Jean Garber, Newcastle.

Paul Purcell provided information about recent national and statewide housing trends and their implications for cities as well as overall context regarding challenges to creating affordable housing. Gary Crutchfield provided insight into Pasco’s Rental Licensing System, recently upheld by the Washington State Supreme Court, which requires landlords to license and certify rental units meet habitability standards, fostering housing rehabilitation in the rental market.

Additionally, Jean Garber provided background about how Newcastle recently utilized the newly expanded multi-family property tax exemption to create King County’s first mixed-use library that includes retail and housing with an affordability component.

Power point presentations from the sessions can be found online at www.awcnet.org/awcconf08/handoutspresentations.htm.

Annexation Reform/Governance Transition Discussions

As reported in last month’s Bulletin, Senate Government Operations and Elections Chairperson, Senator Darlene Fairley (D-Lake Forest Park), has initiated discussions among interested parties on how to better address current ways that cities annex lands and governance transitions among special districts. A second meeting is tentatively scheduled for July 14 in Olympia.

Additionally, AWC’s Board of Directors recently endorsed an effort in which the staffs of both AWC and the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) will prepare background materials and initial suggestions on how annexation processes, governance transition and various levels of joint city/county planning might be improved – including the possibility of jointly-endorsed legislation for the 2009 session.

Over the next several weeks, AWC staff will consult with WSAC staff on efficient and effective ways to generate a series of discussion papers on topics such as:

Annexation Reform;
Joint Planning in Urban Growth Areas;
Urban Services Transition;
Fiscal Facts – How Governance Transition Impacts Service Providers.

Once developed and refined, we will first share these papers for comment and input with a range city and county officials (both elected and appointed). We will then seek input from a range of special districts and other interest groups.

By late September/early October we will hopefully have a sense of whether or not we have ideas/proposals that may or may not require legislative action.

Cities with an interest in these topics are encouraged to contact Dave Williams at davew@awcnet.org or 1-800-562-8981 for more information.

CTED Holding Planning Forums in July

Greetings from Leonard Bauer, Managing Director, Growth Management Services, Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development (CTED).Below are the dates and locations of the July Planners Forums for 2008 to add to your calendar. Forums are a good opportunity for planners, planning commissioners and elected officials to talk informally about local issues, share ideas, and receive updates from state and federal agencies whose work impacts land use.

July 16, 2008 – Eastern Washington Planners’ Forum (Big Bend Community College, ATEC Building, Moses Lake)
July 16, 2008 – Northwest Washington Planners’ Forum (WSU Mount Vernon Cooperative extension Demonstration Garden Conference Room, Mount Vernon)
July 17, 2008 – Southwest Washington Planners’ Forum (Rock Creek Community Center, Stevenson)
July 18, 2008 – Olympic Peninsula Planners’ Forum (The Commons, Company B, Fort Worden, Port Townsend)

More information, including agendas and directions, can be found at www.cted.wa.gov/site/395/default.aspx. Please also feel free to contact CTED’s Leonard Bauer at leonardb@cted.wa.gov.

DOR Assistance in Identifying Impacts of Annexations on Streamlined Sales Tax Implementation

Destination-based sales tax sourcing, a major change to sales tax administration, takes effect on July 1, 2008. In preparation for mitigation to impacted local governments, the Department of Revenue (DOR) is reviewing information regarding annexations by cities since July 1, 2007 or proposed annexations for the next year as it compiles information for its database for mitigation.

Cities are required to send information regarding approved annexations to both the Office of Financial Management for required updates to population data and to DOR for sales tax boundary and rate updates. DOR is particularly interested in receiving electronic versions of boundary information for the annexations if your city has not already sent them that information for recent annexations. The DOR contact for annexation information is Tiffany Johnson tiffanyj@dor.wa.gov or (360) 902-7122. OFM annexation notification information can be found at www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/annex/default.asp.

For more information, see the Municipal Finance section.

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