March 5, 2025

EOEphoto25 Top takeaways from the 2025 EOE Forum
Last week, AWC hosted our first-ever Elected Officials Essentials Forum, an event designed for new and newer elected officials to deepen their understanding of their role at city hall and build connections with peers throughout the state. With approximately 40 attendees, the sessions buzzed with energy and learning about real-world municipal scenarios and useful tips for holding productive council meetings. Don't miss our top takeaways and be sure to check out the event photos!

Register now for Labor Relations Institute
May 7-9 | Yakima
AWC’s Labor Relations Institute is the premier training event for public sector human resources professionals in Washington, offering legal updates, labor relations strategies, networking opportunities, and practical guidance to help you navigate the complex and ever-changing world of HR. This year’s Institute is full of timely and relevant topics including planning for reductions in force, strategic approaches to grievances, leave law fundamentals, AI and collective bargaining, addressing burnout, and more. Register now! Note: Attendance at the Institute is limited to those who solely represent the interests of management.

Are you passionate about strong cities? Apply to serve on the AWC Board of Directors
The AWC Nominating Committee is calling for applications for the AWC Board of Directors. Open positions include odd-numbered districts, as well as Districts 4 and 6, and two at-large positions for cities with populations greater than 5,000. Visit the Nominating Committee page to read its first report, see which district positions are open, and learn about Board responsibilities and qualifications. Learn more at an informal Q&A with AWC CEO Deanna Dawson and Board members on March 27. Register now and apply by April 14.

kennewickwa150 Join us for AWC's Annual Conference
June 24-27 | Kennewick
Registration is open for the 2025 AWC Annual Conference! The City of Kennewick is hosting this year, which makes it a great opportunity to explore all that the Tri-Cities area has to offer. 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 at the session lineup, learn about scholarship opportunities, and register now!

Legislative session: Week 8 at a glance
This week marks the midpoint of the 105-day legislative session, when action moves from committees to the floor of the House and Senate. There are still a lot of bills in the mix—some good, some not so good—that impact cities. Catch these top headlines from AWC’s Legislative Bulletin:

Three priority public safety funding bills alive and well. More
Camping on public property bill doubles litigation risk. More
Gov. Ferguson releases proposal for additional $4 billion in budget reductions. 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.

Other news & resources

Get involved! AWC seeks two senior city staff members with expertise in transportation and engineering to serve on the WSDOT Local Programs Bridge Replacement Advisory Committee (BRAC). Apply by March 19. More

Listen to the latest CityVoice Podcast! In our third episode covering AWC’s 2025 State of the Cities report, AWC policy analyst Brianna Morin explores the state of city roads and infrastructure. More

Highlights from AWC's City Conditions Survey indicate significant concerns around fiscal security for cities. Explore the data in Cityvision magazine. More

Share AWC’s letter with your legislators, calling for protection of the Public Works Assistance Account. More

See who signed on to AWC’s letter asking the Legislature to revise the 1% property tax cap. More

What city workers can do to protect their student loan info amid federal upheaval. More

MRSC offers guidance on workplace harassment, complaints, and public meeting disruptions. More

NLC’s Immigration Resource Dashboard compiles current federal opportunities that local leaders can leverage to support their refugee, asylee, migrant and immigrant residents in alignment with federal laws and regulations. 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

March 14 deadline for federal budget agreement looms. More

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

Office of Public Defense grant funds are still available on a rolling basis for cities under 200,000 in the SPAR program to help with Blake impacts. The funds expire at the end of the state’s fiscal year, so act now before June 30, 2025. More

How to explain Washington’s property tax (and the tax cap)
How does Washington’s property tax system work—and how would changing the property tax cap impact costs for your residents? In this brief video, AWC Government Relations Director Candice Bock provides an easy-to-follow and easy-to-share overview. Get a clear and simple explanation of how property tax works and how raising the cap would (or wouldn’t) change costs for your constituents.

AWC trainings & events

AWC: City Action Calls (city members only) | Fridays during session | Online

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

AWC: Q&A session: Running for the Board of Directors | March 27 | Online

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

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

AWC: Labor Relations Institute | May 7-9 | Yakima

D&A: D&A supervisor training | Multiple dates | Multiple locations

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

Other trainings & events

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

MRSC: Digging into public works fundamentals | March 27 | Vancouver, WA

MRSC: Public Records Act basics and more (virtual workshops) | April 10 & April 30 | Online

MRSC (with AWC & WSAC): Climate Action Peer Network meeting | April 17 | Online

State Archives: Records management workshops | Multiple dates | Online

NLC: Webinars and events | Multiple dates | Online

Check out this quick video to see how AWC JobNet connects you with the most qualified job seekers for public service!

Featured jobs:
AWC | Retro Occupational Safety and Health Manager
City of Yakima | Deputy Fire Chief
City of Tenino | Clerk/Treasurer