September 9, 2024

Happy almost Fall – Session is four short months away
Some people love fall, with its crisp air, pumpkin spice, and colorful leaves. For AWC’s Government Relations team, fall means the legislative session is just around the corner. It gets us thinking about fact sheets, legislative agendas, committee meetings, and connecting with legislators. Hopefully, you are also starting to think about those things.

Things really begin to take shape for 2025 as AWC finalizes work on our 2025 legislative agenda. As you will see below, AWC’s Board will adopt our final agenda later this month. City and town leaders should also begin the work of putting together your own legislative agendas for 2025. We know that you are probably focused on efforts to develop your next budgets, so take advantage of this opportunity to invite local legislators to those work sessions to give them a sense of the challenges involved in balancing your budget. Building relationships with legislators and increasing their understanding of your community’s needs is a great way to prepare for the 2025 legislative session.

Happy almost Fall!

Candice Bock
Government Relations Director

Legislative Priorities Committee finalizes recommendations for AWC’s 2025 legislative agenda
AWC’s Legislative Priorities Committee have adopted a recommended legislative agenda for the 2025 session. The recommendations go to the AWC Board of Directors for consideration at its meeting on Sept. 19, when the Board will adopt the final AWC 2025 legislative agenda. Find out more about what issues the Committee has recommended. More

Read AWC’s draft comments on the Supreme Court’s proposed indigent defense standards
Over the spring and summer, local governments have been talking about how to respond to the Washington Supreme Court’s rulemaking on proposed indigent defense standards. AWC is concerned that the proposal would create unachievable standards for cities and towns, severely strain already limited budgets, and impact the administration of justice at the local level. Read more about the draft comments AWC plans to submit ahead of the Court’s October 31 comment deadline. More

Work group finalizing update to model business license threshold
After input from cities and the business community, the city work group is close to finalizing an update to the business license minimum threshold for out-of-city businesses. The proposed threshold for out-of-city businesses would increase from $2,000 to $4,000, which cities would need to adopt by January 1, 2026. More

Prepare to apply for AWC’s new grant for energy audits of city-owned buildings
Does your city own a Tier 1 or Tier 2 building in need of an energy audit? AWC has funding to help. We’ve received $3.8 million to assist cities in conducting energy audits of their qualifying buildings and to gather data on the estimated costs for cities to comply with state’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard. AWC’s grant program will open on September 13. Visit our program webpage to learn about the funding, how to apply, and what resources are available to assist your city through the process. If you missed the online information session, watch the recording or access the presentation slides. More

Save the date for AWC’s Municipal budgeting essentials for elected officials
September 25 | Online
Join our budget webinar to learn the basics of the municipal budgeting cycle and understand the role of elected officials in the budget process. Geared for elected city officials and staff new to the budget process, this online training is scheduled for September 25 at noon. Registration opens September 11.

Register for the 2024 IACC Conference
October 22-24 | Wenatchee Convention Center
The Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) is a partnership of federal, state, and local governments and tribes that enhances the relationships between government and communities in Washington. For 25 years, IACC has helped Washington’s communities to access technical expertise and funding for their infrastructure projects. The 2024 IACC Conference will be held at the Wenatchee Convention Center, October 22-24. Register now.

Fact sheet: Retail delivery fees as a transportation funding tool
As our readers know, Washington’s gas tax revenue is no longer keeping pace with funding demands, and cities and towns must find other sources to support critical preservation, maintenance, and operations. At the same time, demand for retail deliveries has steadily increased and locals have seen a corresponding rise in larger, heavier delivery vehicles that cause more strain on local roads. A retail delivery fee could be a potential solution—a sustainable revenue source to support the state’s underfunded transportation system. Read our new fact sheet to learn more.

NLC offers resources to help cities file for Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) elective pay “refunds” for eligible purchases. Check out the new resources and attend a free webinar on IRA clean energy funding on September 12. More

Shoreline Management Act rulemaking begins this month with Ecology’s kick-off meeting for a local government planning staff working group on September 23 from 1-3 pm. Local government sounding board meetings are open to the public for observation and will include a short time for public input at the end. Register for the Zoom meeting.

Federal culvert replacement grant program accepting applications until September 23. $196 million is available nationwide through this program that AWC advocated with our federal delegation to create. More

HUD announces Legacy Challenge, a new flexible loan program to leverage Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) resources for affordable housing. The deadline to express interest is November 1. More

There is $2 billion available through EPA’s new Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program. The deadline to apply is November 21. More

The Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) is currently accepting applications. Created in 2021 to fund utility connections for affordable housing, CHIP covers the upfront costs of connecting housing to municipal systems to make affordable housing projects more viable and bring more of them online. More

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) is set to publish new rules and reporting requirements for cities that offer ground ambulance services. Cities with these services should review the rules and prepare to report rates to OIC by October 16. More

Commerce extends deadline to apply for grant funds to safely secure, store, track, and return relinquished firearms related to firearms relinquishment laws and prohibitions. Proposals are due September 22. More

Do you have questions about AWC’s Salary and Benefit Survey? Check out AWC’s new Overview of the AWC Salary and Benefit Surveyto get a background on the survey and some tips on how to use it. More

Session is only 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 advice on 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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