December 11, 2023

Happy holidays
Your AWC team is looking forward to the holiday season as a bit of a break before the 2024 legislative session kicks off on January 8. Once the 60-day session begins, things will move very quickly. We also look forward to seeing city officials in Olympia, and when you are in town, please feel free to drop by the AWC office. We want you to consider AWC as your home base in Olympia. You are welcome to drop in for coffee, Wi-Fi, and a space to work if you need it, or just to say hi. Visitors must use the main entrance (1076 Franklin Street SE) and check in with the receptionist.

Here are a few ways you can prepare for the session and get the most out of your legislative engagement:

• Register for City Action Days held on February 7-8.
• Save the date for our weekly Friday lunchtime city action calls beginning on January 12.
• Check out our advocacy tools.

Wishing you happy holidays and a wonderful New Year!

Candice Bock
Government Relations Director

ARPA obligation deadline is December 31, 2024. Are you ready?
The first major deadline for ARPA-SLFRF funds is December 31, 2024. With the deadline fast approaching, Treasury published a new Interim Final Rule addressing the definition of “obligation,” clarifying if recipients can re-obligate funds after 2024, explaining how the obligation deadline impacts subrecipients, and much more. The deadline and new Interim Final Rule impact all cities that received ARPA-SLFRF funds from the federal government. More

PFAS settlements: Important information for every city
There are two-multibillion-dollar class action settlements against two of the largest producers of PFAS—DuPont and 3M—to address contaminated drinking water supplies. Municipal water providers need to quickly understand their legal options and exposure of their water sources to the “forever” chemicals. Eligible costs under the settlement include testing and remediation related to PFAS in drinking water. More

State of the Cities: Evolving public safety & criminal justice services
The city landscape is changing: populations are changing, expectations are changing, demands are increasing, and with that, law enforcement and the criminal justice system must continue to change, too. In this year’s State of the Cities report, AWC examines the present conditions of the public safety, criminal justice, and behavioral health systems to explore challenges that cities face and discover areas where cities can learn from each other. Read the report.

Improve your city’s cybersecurity with free resources through WaTech
Check out these free webinars in December and January covering the National Cybersecurity Review (NCSR). The program offers no-cost cybersecurity self-assessments, reporting, and recommendations to local governments. Learn more and sign up for an assessment.

Governor set to release proposed supplemental state budget for 2023-25 on December 13. Watch for more details this week. More

Commerce announces $4.3 million for two projects – one in Lewis County and one in Pierce County – to expand behavioral health care access for people in crisis. More

Applications for the 2024-25 Washington State Archives’ Local Records Grants open February 1. The grants support local governments in improving their public records organization, digitization, and technology tools. More

Your city’s feedback requested. AWC expects to see legislation again in 2024 regarding regulation of adult entertainment establishments, and we want to hear from you about the impact of the preemption language. More

How local leaders can leverage infrastructure investments to grow local talent pipelines. Learn what cities are doing to help build their local workforce, including Washington’s own City of Tacoma. More

Read the new JLARC report on cannabis revenue spending. The audit found that state and local agencies spent $3.3 billion from the Dedicated Cannabis Account between fiscal years 2015 and 2023. More

FBI releases 2022 crime data. Check out NLC’s What city leaders can learn from the FBI crime report analysis and the Washington Criminal Justice Data Snapshot.

Learn about cities’ 2024 legislative agendas
Thank you to those cities who have shared their legislative agendas with AWC. Check out examples of city legislative agendas. Is your city’s agenda missing? Please send it to Candice Bock.

City Action Days: New venue in 2024
February 7-8, 2024 | Lacey
Register for City Action Days! Held annually during the legislative session, this popular event gives you the opportunity to interact with colleagues as you educate statewide decision-makers about city legislative priorities. Please note: Due to the pending sale of the venue where this event has historically been held, City Action Days will now take place at the Norman Worthington Conference Center at Saint Martin's University in Lacey.

wacities.org/Advocacy | Legislative issues
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