Last year proved to be a busy one for policies on how state and local governments can best collaborate with our neighboring Native American tribal nations. AWC worked with the Washington State Association of Counties and several tribal nations to develop
agreed-upon language for a structure for cities, counties, and tribes to plan under the Growth Management Act (GMA) on issues of common interest voluntarily and jointly. The final language was prepared for amendment to HB 1241 (2021)
in the Senate, but the bill did not come up for a vote.
This year, the policy has passed the Legislature as HB 1717.
Briefly, the bill provides a process whereby a tribal nation can, by ordinance of the tribal council, request that a city or county engage in a good faith effort to establish a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding coordinated planning efforts and
the participation of the tribe in the growth management process. If a mutually agreed-upon MOU cannot be established, there is an opportunity for the Department of Commerce to provide mediation for up to 60 days. If agreement cannot be reached within
this timeframe, there is no further obligation to pursue a MOU. Local governments still retain the ultimate authority to adopt and implement comprehensive plans and development regulations.