State budget alert: Senate Majority Coalition Caucus proposed budget released today

Today, the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus released their proposed budget for 2017-19.

State-shared revenues remain essentially intact in the proposed budget thanks to your hard work and diligent communications with your legislators about the importance of these vital city resources. Additionally, some funding is provided for a new project list from the Public Works Assistance Account. However, it is not all good news.

Positive and negative impacts to cities in the proposed budget

• Overall, this budget essentially maintains $225 million in shared revenues to cities.
• This budget preserves $200 million in Public Works Trust Fund loan repayments to fund a loan list in this biennium and next. When the capital budget proposal is released, we will know more about how this approach is funded and projected to work over the long term.
• This budget provides for additional Basic Law Enforcement Academy classes to meet our training needs.
• This budget shifts the state costs for LEOFF 2 pension obligations to cities and other public safety employers, placing a significant new financial burden on cities for a program that cities don't manage or control. We estimate this change will result in a $60 million cost shift to cities this biennium.
• Some of the program cuts in the budget proposal may undermine cities' work to solve our state's homelessness and human services crisis.

Messages to share with your Senator
Please take time in the next few days to thank your Senator for maintaining essential shared revenues that help our cities support a strong and healthy state economy. You should communicate your concerns with the proposed elimination of state participation in the LEOFF 2 program and shift of the state's costs to cities.

More information
This is just a first step in what is expected to be a long and divisive budget process. Budget writers for the House of Representatives are expected to release their proposal next week. We will continue to work with you and legislators to help craft a final budget that meets the needs of the residents and businesses we all serve.

New information about these and other state budget impacts to cities are available on the AWC website here.

State-shared revenues your city is expected to receive for the 2017-19 biennium (July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2019) are available here (select your city in the drop-down arrow box).

Please contact AWC's Victoria Lincoln or Sheila Gall if you have any questions.