AWC Board of Directors adopts preliminary major priorities

On September 25, the AWC Board of Directors adopted three preliminary major legislative priorities for the 2009 session. They are: City flexibility package, Stormwater funding, and Street utility.

City flexibility package

In 2009, AWC advanced a broad city flexibility package. This included "flexing" restrictions and requirements in areas such as fiscal health, land use, infrastructure, community safety, public records management, and more. In particular this included greater flexibility with existing revenues and local determination of how these revenues are allocated. The state did many of these same things in adopting the 2009-11 biennial budget, so AWC argued that the same latitude should be given to local governments, even if for a limited period of time.

Below is a list of just some of the ideas AWC will be pursuing that support fiscal flexibility, cost-effective options, and local discretion in allocating resources in order for cities to best provide essential services:

• Public safety sales tax (0.3% county-wide local option) – 2SSB 5433, which passed in 2009, allowed for partial supplanting of the public safety sales and use tax until 2015. Pursue full removal of non-supplant language and no expiration date.
• Real estate excise tax – Currently cities that collect the 2nd 0.25% REET must spend those funds on a shorter list of projects than the 1st 0.25% REET. Allow the list of projects for the 2nd 0.25% locally collected real estate excise tax to match the list of projects for the 1st 0.25% real estate excise tax.
• Gambling tax – Currently this tax can be used for local gambling enforcement programs. Expand uses to general public safety purposes.
• Lodging tax – Currently the lodging tax is restricted to specific uses that are tourism-related. Expand uses for any purpose that maintains or enhances tourism, including public safety.
• GMA impact fees – Currently cities can charge for fire, parks, roads and schools if provided by the city. Add police/public safety and emergency response facilities, as well as fire, if provided by a district. Broaden definition of allowable transportation expenditures to include "multimodal" (trails, transit and others). Extend period of time when impact fees can be spent.
• GMA & shoreline update – Skip next round of GMA updates in smaller/slow growth cities and counties. Alter GMA and Shoreline planning update schedule (i.e. provide more time).
• Grant-matching requirements – Reduce matching requirements for State grants.
• Transportation Benefit District – Amend statute to extend voter approved sales tax beyond current 10 year provision. This would allow bonding of this revenue stream.

Municipal stormwater funding

A long- term state funding mechanism is needed to support "Phase I" and "Phase II" NPDES stormwater requirements, as well as Puget Sound cleanup efforts, that impacts 137 cities. AWC will aggressively pursue ESHB 1614 (from 2009) which would establish a fee on a barrel of unrefined oil (approximately $120M/year in revenue); however, we will remain open to alternative legislation that provides equivalent funding. Please see more information regarding stormwater funding in the Environment and Water section of this Bulletin as well as in our fact sheet.

Street utility

Declared unconstitutional in 1995, a new authority would enable cities to charge a fee based on trip generation. There was strong opposition from many in the business community during the 2009 Session (HB 1947). The Association of Washington Business has been open to discussion this summer (no commitments or specific policy statement from them at this time.) AWC has already met with House and Senate Transportation Chairs and a host of other legislators outlining the need for this legislation. Please see more information on the street utility on our fact sheet.

AWC will be preparing promotional pieces for these priorities and advance them at the remaining Regional Meetings. The AWC Board adopted the priorities early so that city officials can talk with their legislators during the coming months.

In an effort to help, the first we have included grassroots advocacy information in this edition of the Bulletin. An electronic version is available on our website at www.awcnet.org.

The Board will continue to look at the other components of our legislative agenda and will adopt the final package at their meeting on December 4. This package will include "other priority issues" and "issues to endorse." "Other priority issues" are important issues for cities; however, they do not raise to the level of importance of the top priority issues. "Issues to endorse" are issues that would be good for cities (or at least for some cities) if they passed, however, AWC staff should not divert energy away from higher priorities to work on these issues.

The Legislative Committee and its various subcommittees continue to meet and will have final recommendations to advance to the Board by November 20. If you have specific legislative proposals for the Legislative Committee to consider, please email them to Jim Justin at jimj@awcnet.org with a copy to Sheri Sawyer at sheris@awcnet.org. Thank you in advance for your contribution to AWC’s policy development process.

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