Cities balance reopening, protecting public health, and conversations about racial equity and policing

Just when city officials thought that they had enough to manage with the COVID-19 public health emergency and the resulting economic crisis, we were starkly reminded of the unfinished work facing us and our communities around racial equity, racism, and policing.

At AWC we know that you are doing your best to balance the push to reopen your communities using the Governor’s Safe Start protocols along with keeping your residents and your employees safe from COVID-19. We continue to advocate on your behalf for funding and resources at the state and federal levels.

At the state level we are pleased that the Department of Commerce has been working with cities to complete contracts and start the process of reimbursing cities for COVID-19 expenses from the state’s portion of federal CARES Act funding. We have also been focused on working with the Governor’s office to get an extension and modification of the emergency proclamation on holding virtual public meetings. We were relieved when the Governor extended the proclamation past May 31 and removed the restriction on meeting topics. However, the extension only goes to June 17 and we are unsure of the possibility of further extensions. Therefore, it is time for cities to make alternative plans for meetings in the event that the proclamation isn’t extended again.

At the federal level we are pleased to partner with the National League of Cities on the Cities are Essential campaign to make the case to Congress and the President that cities need direct funding in the next relief package and more flexibility to use funds to replace lost revenue. We are fortunate to have support for city funding from most of Washington’s congressional delegation.

Special Legislative Session?

We continue to hear about interest in holding a special legislative session this year to address the budget issues resulting from the COVID-19 emergency. We are now hearing that a special session may also include policy issues arising from the demonstrations over racism, policing, and race equity. While some initially talked about a special session as early as June, it sounds like something in late summer or early fall is more likely. In anticipation of a possible special session, AWC adopted new Special Session Legislative Priorities. We are working with legislators to prepare a bill that would provide some fiscal and regulatory flexibility for cities to help ease the financial impacts facing city budgets.

Even if a special session isn’t right around the corner, we need to keep up the advocacy with legislators. Talk to your legislators about what your cities have experienced with increased costs and lost revenue.

Messages for cities to share with legislators:

• Talk about AWC’s Special Session Legislative Priorities (linked above).
• Brief them on your city’s emergency response efforts, including costs.
• Highlight any need for emergency financial support related to emergency response.
• Explain the impact of state-shared revenues on your city’s budget and its ability to provide services.
• Remind them that cities are the economic drivers for the state. The state benefits by supporting cities.
• Emphasize that we are all in this together and if we partner, we will be stronger.

Work begins to identify 2021 City Legislative Priorities

This month the AWC Legislative Priorities Committee begins its work to identify issues for the 2021 legislative agenda. The committee will meet over the summer to develop recommendations for the AWC Board’s consideration at their October Board of Directors meeting.

We encourage all of our members to weigh in on this process by providing your input on possible legislative priority issues. To do so, please take a few minutes and complete this survey to share your ideas.

Demonstrations, race equity, and policing

We have all witnessed the stark reminders that racism plagues our communities and that we all haven’t done enough to insist on racial equity. For city leaders, this challenge is particularly highlighted in policing. As elected city officials, you are expected to lead by example and hold yourselves and others accountable for these failures. Many cities are trying to support peaceful demonstrations while balancing calls for safety and order. None of it is easy and there aren’t any simple answers. We are all struggling to find ways to have honest conversations and move forward to create true equity. The National League of Cities REAL program offers some tools and ideas for taking these steps. AWC is committed to bringing city officials together in constructive ways so that you can share ideas and learn from one another. We are currently working on adding this to our virtual Annual Conference and to future AWC events and trainings.