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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 1813 - 2014 Legislative AgendaCity of Tukwila Washington Resolution No. 1813 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, ADOPTING A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR USE DURING THE 2014 WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. WHEREAS, the City Council has agreed to pursue certain legislative issues for 2014; and WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes this agenda is not all encompassing, in that certain additional items may arise during the legislative session that require support or opposition; and WHEREAS, a legislative agenda outlines the priority issues that elected officials may discuss when speaking to members of the Washington State Legislature; and WHEREAS, the City Council agreed to these priorities at the Regular City Council Meeting on January 21, 2014; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS: The Tukwila City Council has identified priorities for the 2014 Washington State Legislative Session that are integral to serving the Tukwila community in the manner in which the residents and businesses have come to expect. The City of Tukwila 2014 Legislative Agenda is hereby incorporated by reference as Attachment A. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, at a Regular Meeting thereof this ST day of .) gN uQry , 2014. ATTEST /AUTHENTICATED: / Christy O'Flah--rty, Yr MC, City Cle De'Sean Quinn, Council President APPROVED AS TO FORM BY: Shelley M. Kerslake, City Attorney Attachment A: City of Tukwila 2014 Legislative Agenda Filed with the City Clerk: I- J_.1/ L� Passed by the City Council: 1 Resolution Number: te W: \Word Processing \Resolutions \Legislative Agenda for 2014 1 -8 -14 KM:bjs Page 1 of 1 ATTACHMENT A City of Tukwila 2014 Legislative Priorities • State Issues City Fiscal Health & State Shared Revenues SUPPORT: Maintaining Streamlined Sales Tax (SST) Mitigation Payments Ensure that state monies committed for streamlined sales tax mitigation continue to remain dedicated to that source and are not utilized or reduced to balance the state budget. Cities have already suffered from reduced SST payments from the state. Any legislation making this reduction permanent will be considered harmful to the City as we struggle to fund basic services. SUPPORT: Restoration of the Public Works Trust Fund (PWTF)/Public Works Assistance Account (PWAA) Last year, Tukwila lost $9.6 million in loans due to the legislature diverting 100% of the PWTF /PWAA construction loan monies in an attempt to balance the budget. As a result, infrastructure spending will be and is reduced. Infrastructure projects create and sustain jobs and the PWTF /PWAA is a crucial source of state funding for local infrastructure. SUPPORT: Reinstatement Local Share of Liquor Revenues Historically, liquor revenues have been shared between the state and local governments. In order to address funding issues relating to public safety and other local impacts as a result of the passage of Initiative 1183, the state needs to restore the growth in liquor sharing profits which is distributed to local governments. General Government Operations SUPPORT: Tools for Addressing Burdensome Public Records Requests to Cities Tukwila is committed to transparency in government as well as pro- actively providing access to public records; however, our ability to do so is hampered by those who abuse the law to harass local government or for monetary gain. The City supports legislation that provides tools for addressing such public records requestors who are abusive and harassing. This could include injunctions and dedicated resource thresholds. Transportation & Infrastructure SUPPORT: State & Local Transportation Funding The 2013 legislative session did not result in any transportation revenue package. Without a transportation package, the economic vitality of cities is at substantial risk. Transportation legislation should increase the flexibility of the use of existing revenues and implement new revenues for use in expansion, maintenance and repair of transportation mechanisms. State revenue proposals should contain a significant share of funding to assist cities while providing for new local options. Law, Justice & Public Safety SUPPORT: Tools for Combating Gang Activity The City of Tukwila has firsthand experience with the results of gang activity within the community. As such, we are interested in ongoing collaboration of activities and funding that provides tools to address gang prevention and intervention, as well as civil and criminal ways to address gang activity. City Responsibilities Concerning Regulation of Marijuana The state legalization of marijuana has created a number of complex issues for local governments relative to how these businesses will operate in accordance with applicable local regulations. We encourage the state to support and acknowledge cities that have designated zoning regulations that pertain to marijuana businesses. Currently, no funding from the taxation of marijuana has been directed to local jurisdictions who will sustain the majority of impacts resulting from legalization. Additionally, there is still a need for reconciliation between medical and recreational marijuana in order to meet the mandates of the tightly- regulated federal system. 2014 Legislative Priorities • State Issues 2 Educational Reforms Tukwila elected officials recognize the struggle faced by state legislators to find balance between the court mandated implementation of educational reforms by 2018 and the rest of our state's pressing needs. We fully support the educational component, and ask state legislators to be cognizant of the interconnectivity of education to other needs such as transportation, infrastructure, human services, and shared revenues. Continued Funding for Human Services Especially during turbulent economic times, the City of Tukwila recognizes and is committed to continue funding of human services programs. In consideration of this local commitment, we encourage our State legislators to maintain human services funding recognizing the need of these vital services throughout our local communities. Programs addressing the needs of vulnerable individuals and families include but are not limited to: mental health, basic health, affordable childcare, hunger relief housing and homelessness, and substance abuse. Unfunded Mandates & Transferring Responsibilities Over the past several years, local municipalities have been burdened with the transfer of responsibilities from the state as well as the addition of new regulations (unfunded and underfunded). Cities have been struggling financially to simultaneously streamline and maintain services in the midst of budget cuts and the taking of shared revenues. Stopping this problematic cycle is essential to the efficient functioning and financial sustainability of local governments.