Winter 2024
From the President
As we move past election season and turn our attention to the new year and a new legislative session, it feels fitting to focus on the common goals and shared purpose that will keep our cities and state moving forward. This issue of Cityvision embraces this theme, showcasing how we are indeed stronger together.
Entering 2025, Washington’s cities and towns continue to innovate and do more with fewer resources to provide necessary services for their communities. However, aging infrastructure, constraints on city revenues compounded over decades, and rising costs threaten the sustainability of these critical services.
Recent responses to AWC's City Conditions Survey highlight many of the same issues and challenges that have been shared during AWC district meetings this fall and that formed the basis of AWC’s 2025 City Legislative Priorities.
Among the most pressing are fiscal sustainability, essential infrastructure like water and sewer systems, housing costs, support for people in crisis, and public safety. These challenges are common to cities of all shapes and sizes across the state, and it’s imperative for the Legislature to be a partner in addressing them.
During the coming session, it’s critical for city leaders to engage with legislators to ensure they understand how their decisions impact our communities. Building relationships with them, sharing our budget challenges, and communicating our legislative agendas are crucial steps.
Key to this effort is articulating the importance of community-based decision-making and how it aligns with state-level objectives. As the government closest to the people, cities are best able to identify what is most needed by our communities and guide state dollars to achieve the greatest impact.
Through collaboration, coalition-building, and partnerships, we can tackle the urgent needs of city infrastructure and services that sustain our state's vibrant economy, fast-paced housing growth, and the distinctive quality of life in each of Washington's 281 cities and towns.
Thank you for your dedication and service, and here's to a productive and inspiring year ahead.
Sincerely,
Amy Ockerlander
Mayor, Duvall
President, AWC
Value added
By partnering to upgrade an outdated wastewater treatment plant, the City of Pasco is supercharging its local economy, and protecting its future.
The City of Pasco broke ground on the Pasco Resource Recovery Center in 2023. The facility will use innovative technology to treat an estimated 1.5 billion gallons of wastewater annually, removing nitrogen and other byproducts for reuse. More
Partnering to create affordable housing
Wenatchee pitches in to help a nonprofit build reasonably priced tiny homes with an innovative ownership model.
Wenatchee is teaming up with a housing trust to enable the financing and construction of attractive, affordable tiny homes. The partnership uses the shared-equity ownership model: Buyers purchase the structure and lease the land from the trust. As a result, buyers enjoy a significantly lower cost of entry. More
Crime-fighting collective
How a collaborative regional forensics lab is fast-tracking violent crime investigations throughout the Yakima Valley.
Prior to the Yakima Valley Local Crime Lab opening, confiscated weapons would have been shipped to the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory in Spokane, where it could have taken up to six months to learn whether it was a genuine case lead. The lab is the very definition of a team effort—a collaboration with multiple county agencies, 14 cities, and 11 municipal police departments. More
Noted: AWC Legislative Priorities
Gain insight on the five legislative priorities designed by the AWC Legislative Priorities Committee, which is comprised of city officials from around the state. More
Team building
AWC Board Secretary and Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring on the importance of building—and sustaining—strong partnerships at the state and local levels. More
Seeds of change
Cities throughout the state are finding innovative ways to achieve climate resilience and equity goals while recognizing the unique needs of their communities.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is funding tree-planting initiatives in 45 cities across the state—the largest Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program disbursement in the agency’s history. As cities begin to use these grants to fund urban forestry initiatives—each contributes to broader state and federal climate goals while creating positive health and social benefits that are responsive to residents locally. More
Building your advocacy toolbox!
Resources and tools for legislative success
Effective advocacy begins at home. As city leaders, you serve as the vital link between your legislators and your community. Engaging with state legislators can seem daunting, but with resources and tools from AWC, you have everything you need to succeed. More
City Conditions Survey data story
Highlights from this year’s AWC City Conditions Survey indicate significant concerns around fiscal security for cities. More
The option of a retail delivery fee
Could online shopping mean an end to potholes?
Washington’s cities and towns are dealing with a near-perpetual shortage of funding for the critical maintenance, preservation, and upkeep of roads and other transportation infrastructure. Cities need to be able to continue providing reliable services for existing residents and businesses—including city roads, water and sewer infrastructure, and the vital infrastructure that maintains connectivity between city and state transportation systems. Could a retail delivery fee help? More
The question
What lesson(s) have you learned since becoming a legislator that you wish you had known when you were a city official or that you think other city officials would find helpful?
Hear thoughts from four state legislators—each of whom has served in city government: Senators Lovelett and Boehnke, and Representatives Walen and Abbarno. More
