Washington is fortunate to have a beautiful capitol building, but it has been closed since last March as part of the many restrictions resulting from the pandemic. The Capitol (known officially as the Legislative Building) and other buildings on the state campus have now reopened.

After a long virtual session, it will be nice to see the inside of the beautiful building again. However, AWC has heard true appreciation from many city officials for the opportunity to participate in this year’s legislative process remotely. Being able to testify at committee hearings but not having to spend time traveling to Olympia was a boon to busy city leaders. There are indications that legislative leaders intend to continue to allow for remote participation in 2022 in addition to in-person attendance. We encourage city officials to let your local legislators know how important remote access is to helping people engage in the legislative process.

Speaking of 2022

As we mentioned last month, AWC has begun the work of identifying our 2022 legislative agenda. This week, the Legislative Priorities Committee is holding its second meeting to consider which issues to recommend as priorities for our agenda next year and to provide policy guidance on a number of topics. Some of the items under discussion are transportation, infrastructure funding, the impact of the legislative response to the Blake decision, revising the property tax cap, and several others.

Reopening

Many cities have questions about what the reopening announcement from June 30 means for their operations. We have a few articles on the impacts in this month’s issue of the Bulletin. Additionally, you can review the State’s guidance information included in the Governor’s announcement.

Legislative action in July

In last month’s Bulletin we used a gardening analogy to help city officials think about what you can be doing as a strong city advocate throughout the interim. Though July may tend to be a quiet month, we encourage you to continue finding opportunities to connect with your legislators.

Talk of a possible statewide transportation package and a special session this Fall is ongoing. Cities are strong supporters of a statewide package that includes new revenue and addresses local transportation needs in addition to state projects. Make sure to talk to your legislators about your local transportation needs and how important a statewide approach is for your community.