August 12, 2024

August means politics are heating up
While the 2025 Legislative Session is still five months away, things are heating up in the world of politics as August unfolds. As many folks are thinking about squeezing in a final summer vacation, the rest of us are eagerly analyzing the results of the primary elections and working on our advocacy plans for the fall. With the primaries behind us, now we really start to focus on some of the key November election races.

AWC is hosting a Candidate Forum on September 12, featuring the candidates for Governor, Attorney General, Public Lands Commissioner, and State Auditor. Every city official, elected and staff, should come and hear directly from these candidates about their plans for the state and how they will impact cities. It’s not too late to register, so don’t miss out!

AWC continues to build our 2025 legislative agenda, including identifying our priority issues. Read more about that below. It’s almost, but not yet, too late to provide input before the next meeting of the Legislative Priorities Committee on September 5. Send us your ideas by the end of August. We will provide an update in the September issue of the Legislative Bulletin.

Remember that summer is still a great time to be reaching out to your legislators and talking about what is important to your community. Check out our “Advocacy corner” below for more ideas on summer advocacy.

Happy summer!

Candice Bock
Government Relations Director

Legislative Priorities Committee close to completing its work
AWC’s Legislative Priorities Committee is preparing for its final meeting on September 5. At that meeting, the Committee will advance recommendations to the AWC Board for final adoption. On August 7, AWC staff hosted a webinar for the general membership, to share the Committee’s progress and give an overview of the Committee’s discussions about potential priority items such as law enforcement recruitment, addressing the arbitrary property tax cap, and funding for affordable housing, transportation, and basic infrastructure. Keep an eye on the Legislative Bulletin for further updates as the annual process concludes. More

Pension Funding Council and LEOFF 2 Board adopt new contribution rates for 2025
The state Pension Funding Council (PFC) and LEOFF 2 Board both met in July to recommend new employer contribution rates for the upcoming 2025-27 biennium. The Legislature will ultimately decide contribution rates in 2025, but they typically follow the PFC and LEOFF 2 recommendations. The contribution rates for city PERS and PSERS employers are expected to come down slightly at the start of the new biennium, while LEOFF 2 contribution rates are expected to remain the same. More

Save the date for a public hearing on indigent defense standards
The Washington Supreme Court has scheduled a public hearing on September 25 for the updated indigent defense standards proposed by the Washington State Bar Association. AWC is concerned that the proposal will drastically increase the strain on already tight local government public defense budgets and may not even be feasible for some jurisdictions. The Court will release more details on how to participate in the hearing later in September. More

Register now! AWC’s Candidate Forum: Spotlight on statewide races
September 12 | Tacoma
While national elections may be center stage this year, a number of important statewide races are also on the ballot. AWC invites city elected officials and staff to hear directly from candidates for the offices of Governor, Attorney General, State Auditor, and Commissioner of Public Lands. Don’t miss this chance to learn more about each candidate’s vision for our state and hear how they see cities and the state working together to benefit all of Washington’s residents. Former Governor Christine Gregoire will join us for a lunchtime presentation about leadership, civil discourse, and civic engagement. Register now.

AWC and Governor’s Office to co-host meeting for cities on statewide response to the increase in asylum seekers and migrant arrivals
August 22 | Online
AWC is partnering with the Governor’s Office to host an online meeting for cities, to discuss the statewide response to the increase in asylum seekers and migrants arriving in our state. Some cities have already experienced a significant increase in this population seeking housing and services. Asylum seekers and migrants have different restrictions, needs, and challenges than other populations. Cities will have the opportunity to ask questions, learn about the statewide response addressing this need, and increase coordination between the state and cities. This online meeting will be Thursday, August 22, from 2-3 pm. Register here.

Get involved! Apply to serve on a state board, or advisory committee
AWC is recruiting city officials to serve on several state boards and advisory committees. View all opportunities or click on individual committees below for details. Apply by August 19.

• Citizens Committee on Pipeline Safety (city elected official)
• Shorelines Hearings Board (city elected official)
• Puget Sound Partnership Ecosystem Coordinating Board (city elected official)

Could online shopping mean the end of potholes?
In this episode of the CityVoice Podcast, we sit down with AWC Government Relations Advocate Brandy DeLange to discuss the state of the transportation budget and some of the sustainable funding challenges confronting Washington. With possible new sources on the discussion table, could online shopping mean the end of potholes? Tune in to find out.

New and updated facts sheets on legislative initiatives available
As of July, another initiative will be added to the ballot in November’s general election, to be decided by voters. In addition to the three initiatives introduced during the legislative session, a fourth has qualified: Initiative 2066, concerning access to natural gas for Washington homes and businesses. The Office of Financial Management recently released fiscal impact statements for each initiative. AWC has updated our fact sheets to reflect the statements, and we’ve published a new fact sheet on I-2066. If passed, each initiative will have direct or indirect implications for Washington’s cities. Read the new and updated fact sheets.

Deadline to participate in newest opioid settlement with Kroger extended to September 11. If all eligible cities and counties participate, they will receive $23.75 million over 11 years. Find out more on the Attorney General Office’s Kroger Opioid Settlement website. More

White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs hosting a virtual Cybersecurity Convening with city, county, and federal officials on August 14. Mayors, county leaders, and other key state and local government officials responsible for cybersecurity for information technology systems and critical infrastructure are invited to participate. Register now.

Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) is hosting a grant workshop on August 20 in advance of the grant application opening on August 26. Funding requests are limited to $1 million, with $12 million available this funding cycle. Learn more and register today! More

Is your city transitioning from paper permit processing to electronic? Commerce has a grant for that! Applications for the Paper to Digital Grant Program are due by 5 pm on August 21. More

Commerce announces $200 electric utility credits available for eligible households. The Washington Families Clean Energy Credits Grant Program provides low- to moderate-income households with a one-time utility credit. Funding available through September 15. More

OSHA sets hearing date for Emergency Response Standard rulemaking for November 12. Register to testify by September 27. More

It’s budget season – Have you obligated your ARPA funds? The first major deadline for ARPA is December 31, 2024, and cities must have all their ARPA-SLFRF funds obligated by that date. More

MRSC’s 2025 Budget Suggestions now available. Get information on revenues, economic factors, legislation that may affect budgets, state-shared revenue projections, and budget requirements and timelines. More

NLC’s State of the Cities 2024 is now available. Check out NLC’s report on city challenges and priorities. More

Session is just the tip of the iceberg
While the legislative session is often the most visible aspect of advocacy work, vital work happens during the interim period between legislative sessions, too. Check out AWC’s new advocacy iceberg for a sense of what you can be doing to advocate for your city or town now—and see all of the work going on under the surface. Find more advocacy tools to use during the interim.

wacities.org/Advocacy | Legislative issues
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