February 19, 2025

Register now for AWC’s 2025 Annual Conference!
June 24-27 | Kennewick
Registration is now open for AWC’s Annual Conference! It’s opening early 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, public safety, infrastructure funding, AI at city hall, parliamentary procedure, youth engagement, collaborative leadership, and more. Take a sneak peek, learn how to book lodging, and register now!

CAD2025 AWC’s 2025 City Action Days is underway!
With over 350 city leaders attending City Action Days this year, we’re excited for two days of important conversations, informative speakers, and bringing our collective voice to the Capitol! The AWC Government Relations team will be joined by the Attorney General, State Auditor, legislative leaders, state agency leaders, and our partners at the National League of Cities to explore the hottest legislative issues affecting cities this year. Watch our social media channels for updates!

Want the latest on all the legislative action? Join AWC’s City Action Calls
During the legislative session, AWC hosts City Actions Calls every Friday at 12:30 pm. In these meetings, AWC lobbyists provide legislative updates and city officials have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. The calls occur every Friday during the legislative session. You’ll need to register each week. (City members only.)

Tacomaphoto2025 It’s not too late to register for AWC’s Elected Officials Essentials Forum
February 28 | Tacoma
Are you a city elected official who has taken office since fall of 2023? Don’t miss this chance to connect (or reconnect!) with your peers to build your skills in city leadership, deepen your understanding of your legal responsibilities, share challenges, and learn best practices. Nationally acclaimed Parliamentarian Ann Macfarlane will lead a fun and interactive workshop on the secret to great meetings, attorneys from Inslee Best will lead you through municipal legal scenarios, and AWC Board members will offer mentorship and advice from their experiences in office. Check out the agenda and register today.

Legislative session: Week 6 at a glance
Its crunch time this week, as the first cutoff deadline of the session is Friday, when bills must be passed out of policy committee. Even if you can’t make it to Olympia, take a moment to reach out to your legislators and share your priorities. Catch these top headlines from AWC’s Legislative Bulletin:

AWC legislative priority to revise the property tax cap needs your help with myth busting. More
AWC is working to amend costly update to public water system planning requirements. More
Amplify the city voice by signing on to one or both of AWC’s letters to the Legislature: Revising the property tax cap and protecting the Public Works Assistance Account.

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.

Other news & resources

Explore the state of the city workforce in the latest episode of the CityVoice Podcast. More

Partnering to create affordable housing: Wenatchee pitches in to help a nonprofit build reasonably priced tiny homes with an innovative ownership model. More

Congress expected to reintroduce local wireless and cable preemption bill. More

Take the state Dept. of Health’s water and wastewater affordability survey to help DOH and Commerce report to the Legislature about the potential for a water utility assistance program. Due by February 24. 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.

Public works directors: Take MRSC’s transportation project delivery survey to help identify the most effective ways to support streamlined delivery of local transportation projects. Due by February 26. More

Attend a State Comprehensive Climate Action Plan sector-specific virtual roadshow. The first event is 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

Deadline extended: The National Civic League is accepting applications through March 6 for the 2025 All-America City Award, with the theme of Strengthening environmental sustainability through inclusive community engagement.. 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

How to meet with your state elected officials during session
Watch this brief video to find everything you need to know to schedule and prepare for meetings with your state elected leaders—along with some great tips to make your messaging more effective. Building these vital relationships can take time, but the most important step is to begin. Get started here.

AWC trainings & events

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

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

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

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

AWC: Save the date: Labor Relations Institute | May 7-9 | Yakima

AWC: 2025 Annual Conference | June 24-27 | Kennewick

Other trainings & events

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

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

MRSC: Digging into Public Works Fundamentals | March 27 | Vancouver, WA

MRSC: PRA deep dive: 911 dispatch records | March 27 | Online

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

State Archives: Records management workshops | Multiple dates | Online

Enhance your efforts to find great talent—make JobNet part of your recruiting strategy!

Featured jobs:
AWC | Retro Occupational Safety and Health Manager
City of Mercer Island | Seasonal Parks Positions
City of Richland | Wastewater/Stormwater Manager