Summer 2024 | Download PDF

From the President

The theme of this month’s issue of Cityvision is “Envisioning the Future.” When I think about what it means to envision the future, I think about what it means to envision that future together. It’s no secret that we live in divisive times—and in times of great change and challenge. It’s only human for us, and for our communities, to feel uneasy about those changes and to wonder what future they will bring. However, I have witnessed the power of shared vision, where city leaders and their communities unite to address these anxieties. This process, often starting small and building on past successes, is a testament to our resilience and determination to shape our future together.

Our success in envisioning and creating a future that empowers everyone relies on our willingness to hear one another, listen, and to meet people where they are. City leaders are working hard to help communities identify commonalities and build on those understandings until they produce solutions to our shared concerns.

As city officials, we are steeped in plans that help us create our future—strategic initiatives, comprehensive plans, and economic development strategies. Providing services for growing and vibrant communities will remain both a challenge and an opportunity. Our cities are creating paths for our communities to thrive. Our city leaders are up to this challenge!

Cities are being built on the foundation of their past; their successes, their challenges, and those stories help to build fertile visions for the future. This edition of Cityvision magazine features stories about how Washington’s cities envision their future with intentionality, and imagination—often leading the nation in how to create a path forward that benefits us all.

As an AWC member, you have access to a wealth of resources that can support you in your role as a city leader or official. Whether it’s building relationships with your legislators outside of session, supporting cities through our pooling programs, or connecting you with your AWC board representatives for support and advice—we are here to help you thrive and shine in your community.

I love our AWC events for all the opportunities to collaborate, commiserate, and the camaraderie with colleagues old and new. I hope to see you at our Annual Conference in Vancouver in June! It has been an honor serving as your President for the last year. I'm always happy to hear from you—and would love to hear about your vision for your city.

Sincerely,

Betsy Wilkerson
Council President, Spokane
President, AWC

Walking the talk: By circumnavigating the city on foot, Tacoma’s deputy mayor seeks to reshape public perceptions, and inspire civic pride, one block at a time

Tacoma Deputy Mayor John Hines has been battling negative stereotypes about his hometown his whole life. From juvenile jibes about the “aroma of Tacoma” to naysayers who refer to Washington’s third most populous city as “Seattle’s dirty backyard,” he’s heard it all. But Hines knows his city well—arguably better than almost anyone—and when it comes to his hometown, he speaks only in superlatives. More

Tidal splurge: To combat recurring winter floods—and better serve its growing population—Port Orchard elevates its main street and re-envisions a downtown corridor for the future

After years of coping with recurring floods, Port Orchard is embarking on a grand mission to not only prevent them from happening in the first place, but to build a downtown corridor that will better serve its booming population for decades to come. More

Funding the future

Fiscal pressures are top-of-mind for city leaders, along with public safety, infrastructure, workforce, housing, and behavioral health, as demonstrated by these results excerpted from the City Conditions Survey. More

Mission critical: Moses Lake grapples with contamination, and a dwindling water supply, to secure its economic future

Moses Lake’s economy and identity remain firmly rooted in agriculture, but the city has attracted an influx of industrial investment over the last few decades. Now the city is preparing to become a clean-tech industrial hub and to accommodate all the new employees it will bring. More

Noted: Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2384—Effective date June 6, 2024

An act relating to automated traffic safety cameras. More

The Question: What lessons did you learn on the campaign trail that you hope to use as you work with your community to form a vision for the future?

Hear thoughts from Councilmember Hanan Amer of Auburn, Councilmember Harmony Rutter of Sequim, and Councilmember Maricela Sanchez of Prosser. More

Growth margin

AWC Board member and Cle Elum Mayor Matthew Lundh on how local leaders need to rely on each other and leverage available resources to better plan for the future. More

Back to the future: Two cities demonstrate economic revival by embracing the past

In Tumwater, Mayor Debbie Sullivan knows the story of Olympia Brewing runs artesian well deep. In Richland, Mayor Theresa Richardson shares community pride in the city being home to the first-ever large-scale nuclear production facility. Both communities are rallying around their history—investing in visions that revive the stories almost everyone knew by heart. More

Tomorrow, today: Planning for your city’s future with the GMA

Most cities are embarking on, or are about to embark on, a required periodic update to their city’s comprehensive growth management plan. While that might sound dry and boring to the uninitiated, it has the capacity to create a comprehensive and bottom-up planning framework for a city’s future. More

Sponsored content

Changing the game: Sustainability in sports

Communities are raising the bar on sustainability more than ever before. Today, this passion for the environment extends to our sports teams and entertainment venues. Anytime people gather to watch the big game or enjoy a concert, it leaves a mark—from wrappers and cups strewn about stadium seats to containers overflowing with trash and recycling. With decades of expertise in sustainability, WM is changing the game for sustainability in sports. More

All about AI: Envisioning a new world (for cities), bravely

Technology continues to change the world exponentially. Finding ways to safely and wisely incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into city governance will take all of us—and collaboration is a great way to put many minds to work on this pervasive and quickly evolving challenge. More

TIF 101: Understanding a key economic development tool

For years, city leaders across Washington lamented the lack of a key economic development tool available almost everywhere else in the United States. Until 2021, Washington was one of only two states—Arizona being the other—that lacked a tax increment financing (TIF) tool, leaving it at a competitive disadvantage regarding economic development. More

Looking to the past, for the future

For 90 years, AWC has provided local electeds with practical tools, information, and support to manage the daily responsibilities of governing, while lifting up their visions for the future. More