February 12, 2025

Tacomaphoto2025 Don’t miss AWC’s Elected Officials Essentials Forum
February 28 | Tacoma
If you’re a city elected official who has taken office since fall of 2023, you won’t want to miss this valuable in-person opportunity to build your skills in city leadership and deepen your understanding of your legal responsibilities. Nationally acclaimed Parliamentarian Ann Macfarlane will lead a fun and interactive workshop on the secret to great meetings, and AWC board members will offer mentorship and advice from their experiences in office. Connect with peers who have taken office in the last two years to share challenges and learn best practices. Check out the tentative schedule and register today!

PublicWorksAssistancevideothumb The Public Works Assistance Account: At risk again
In this short video, AWC Deputy Director of Government Relations Carl Schroeder talks about why the Public Works Assistance Account is so important to city infrastructure projects and provides key data and talking points city leaders can use to ask legislators to protect this vital source of city funding. Without concentrated efforts from local elected officials, the Legislature is likely to sweep these funds to fill budget shortfalls—find out what you can do to help.

Keeping up with the impacts of executive actions on your community's federal fund awards
As federal agencies release guidance on federal funding and court orders put some executive actions on hold, here are steps you can take to stay informed and prepare for potential impacts to your city. Learn more about each of these on our website.

Read the National League of Cities’ action alert and use their form to communicate with Congressional leaders about the importance of federal funding in your community.
Review the Department of Justice’s guidance memo on law enforcement funding and sanctuary jurisdictions.
Watch the recording of the recent briefing hosted by AWC and the Puget Sound Regional Council, featuring timely information from federal and state officials.

CAD-logo Last chance to register for City Action Days
February 19-20 | Lacey
Don’t miss out on City Action Days next week. This popular event for city officials includes updates on city legislative priorities, insider panels, and intel on the latest legislative hot topics. Featured speakers include Attorney General Nick Brown and State Auditor Pat McCarthy—check out the updated schedule for details on breakout sessions and more. The conference also includes a “hill climb,” where attendees can meet with legislators to discuss city priorities at the state Capitol. (Be sure to reach out to your legislators ahead of time.) Register now!

Registration for AWC’s 2025 Annual Conference opens next week!
June 24-27 | Kennewick
It’s time to start planning for AWC’s Annual Conference! Registration opens on February 19 this year, to give city officials more time to plan to attend this premier event. The session lineup will feature hot topics and popular returning sessions on affordable housing strategies, infrastructure funding, AI at city hall, parliamentary procedure, youth engagement, collaborative leadership, and more. Take a sneak peek, learn how to book lodging, and get ready to register!

Legislative session: Week 5 at a glance
This week, we celebrate Valentine’s Day with some love for cities from the Legislature—in the form of bills to help cities with critical funding needs. Catch these top headlines from AWC’s Legislative Bulletin:

AWC legislative priority to revise the arbitrary property tax cap gets time in the spotlight. More
This year’s road usage charge bill introduced, assumes city gas tax distribution formula. More
Multiple, helpful REET proposals unveiled. More

Keep up on the latest legislative news for cities: Bookmark AWC's weekly bill Hot Sheet, subscribe to the weekly Legislative Bulletin, follow bills of interest to your city through AWC’s bill tracker, and register to join our Friday City Action Calls for updates from AWC's advocacy team throughout the 2025 session.

Honoring Black History Month
This month, AWC recognizes and honors the many contributions Black Washingtonians have made in our state’s history—especially those who have served in city government. Here are just a few:

George Washington, a prominent pioneer and descendent of slaves, staked a claim in 1852 on the Chehalis River and ultimately founded the City of Centralia. (Read more in this piece from AWC’s Cityvision magazine.)
William Amos Craven was the first African American to be elected mayor in the state of Washington. Craven served as mayor of Roslyn from 1975-1979, just one of many hats he wore in the community. In 2021, then-Governor Inslee proclaimed February 20 as William Craven Day.
Claudia B. Thomas, an educator, activist, and civic leader, became the first Black woman to serve as mayor in Washington in 2006 in the City of Lakewood. Before living in Lakewood, Thomas had begun college at the age of 15, earned a degree in chemistry, and taught chemistry at schools around the state and overseas.

For more stories, check out Black Washington, an award-winning app and educational platform from the Washington State Historical Society that explores the vibrant statewide history of Black Washingtonians through captivating stories, influential icons, and significant landmarks.

Other news & resources

Apply for the Department of Ecology’s 2025-27 flood control grants—$1.5 million is available to help develop comprehensive floodplain management plans and mitigate flood hazards. More

Washington State Archives is hosting a virtual “office hours” session on records management on February 25 at 2 pm. Attendees can get their records-related questions answered on a first-come, first-served basis live during the call. Register here.

The National Civic League is accepting applications for the 2025 All-America City Award, with the theme of Strengthening environmental sustainability through inclusive community engagement. Apply by February 27. More

Local Public Records Management Grants are now open through the Washington State Archives. Learn more about the types of grants, access helpful resources, and apply by February 28. More

Apply by February 28 for AWC’s new grant for energy audits of city-owned buildings. More

National Civic Learning Week, March 10-14, unites students, educators, policymakers, and private sector leaders to energize the movement for civic education across the nation. Learn about planned events, sign up for updates, and find resources for planning and communicating your city’s participation. More

Local elected officials: Consider signing on to a letter to legislative budget leaders to support the creation of a housing research center to provide housing data and analysis, drive innovation, and help cities implement strategies to create more homes. More

The JLARC lodging tax reporting system is now open for reporting 2024 lodging tax expenditures due May 16. More

The JLARC public records reporting system is open for 2024 data. Cities that meet the $100,000 reporting threshold or that intend to report voluntarily have until July 1 to report. More

Financial protections for small jurisdictions: What local government leaders need to know about fraud. More

Building your advocacy toolbox: Resources and tools for legislative success
As city officials from across the state prepare to come to the Capitol in Olympia next week to advocate for cities in conjunction with City Action Days, it’s a good time to note that effective advocacy begins at home. As city leaders, you serve as the vital link between your community and your legislators. Check out this Cityvision article for tips and tools to help you be an effective and powerful advocate for your city—your community will thank you!

AWC trainings & events

AWC: 2025 City Action Days | February 19-20 | Lacey

AWC: Elected Officials Essentials Forum | February 28 | Tacoma

Trust: Healthy Worksite Summit | March 12-13 | Lynnwood

AWC: Elected Officials Essentials webinar series | Multiple dates | Online

Understanding municipal revenues | March 26
Community budget engagement | May 14
Understanding Washington’s ethics laws | September 10
Comprehending quasi-judicial hearings | November 12

Trust: Planning reductions in force webinar | March 27 | Online

RMSA: Police negligence: Review of cases & trends | April 17 | Online

AWC: 2025 Annual Conference—Registration opens February 19| June 24-27 | Kennewick

Other trainings & events

Grant Writing USA: Grant writing class for city, county, and state agencies | February 13-14 | Liberty Lake

iCivics: Civic Learning Week National Forum: Many voices, one nation | March 13 | Stanford, CA, and online

CRAB: 2025 Road Design Conference | March 19-21 | Chelan

Greg Bell: Water the Bamboo Leadership Bootcamp | April 11-12 | Portland, OR

State Archives: Records management workshops | Multiple dates | Online

NLC: Congressional City Conference 2025 | March 10-12 | Washington, D.C.

JobNet’s featured jobs get some of our highest click rates. Want to see your job posting right here in CityVoice? Check out our add-on options including premium featured listings, which get posted below.

Featured jobs:
AWC | Retro Occupational Safety and Health Manager
City of Yakima | Airport Operations & Maintenance Manager
City of Port Townsend | Planning Manager