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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole Packet for 04/23/2018 AGENDA Committee of the Whole Meeting 6:00 PM - Monday, April 23, 2018 Council Chambers, 7th Floor, City Hall – 1055 S. Grady Way 1. Legislative Session Update a) Presentation 2018 Legislative Session Doug Levy Preeti Shridhar April 23, 2018 AGENDA ITEM #1. a) 2018 Session Overview •2018 Session will go down as a productive one –308 bills passed (two vetoed, 14 partial vetoes) in 60 days, compared to 377 in the several-months-long 2017 Session(s). Whether it was productive good or productive not-so-good a matter of perspective; •Legislature likely meets its 2018 obligations under the K-12 McCleary case -$1.2 billion in new education spending. $776 million of that for salaries and another $27 million goes toward special education; •With white-hot economy triggering new revenue (+$1.3 billion in mid-February forecast update), lawmakers enact one-time property tax relief –30 cents/$1000 via ESHB 6614;AGENDA ITEM #1. a) 2018 Session Overview •Narrow Democratic majorities in place via 45th District Special Election result. Democrats pass several priority bills that had languished in divided Legislature –Voting Rights Act, Gender Pay Equity, Breakfast After the Bell, and more; •Some major gun-safety legislation passed –most notably a ban on the sale, manufacture and use of “bump stocks” (ESB 5992). But others –namely a ban on assault weapons sales to those under age 21 –don’t make it to the finish line;AGENDA ITEM #1. a) 2018 Session Overview •Bills and budgets will be viewed through a positivelens by organized labor, housing and homelessness-prevention groups, mental/behavioral health advocates –not asmuch by business groups and Caucuses that sought manufacturing tax relief and cried foul over the way the property tax relief was done; •Very positive Session for cities, thanks to landmark legislation in housing and homelessness space, significant public safety legislation, budgets that preserve revenues and in fact enhance them (marijuana distributions);AGENDA ITEM #1. a) 2018 Session Overview •Several prominent members decide to retire or run for office elsewhere –including SenateMajority Leader Sharon Nelson; Sen. Michael Baumgartner; House Transportation Chair Judy Clibborn; House Early Learning & Human Services Chair Ruth Kagi; House Finance Chair Kris Lytton; House Minority Leader Dan Kristiansen; •News flash: They got done on time! 😊😊 •Fall Election Season will be critical –all House seats and half of the Senate must run for re-election. Major battleground seats and Districts will include 44th and 45th District Senate, 19th and 28th District House. Prevailing wisdom is that Democrats could gain seats in each chamber (but prevailing wisdom can be, and often is, wrong).AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Address Public Safety –Fund Critical Needs –Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) Renton will actively support a request from the Criminal Justice Training Commission to add $526,000 in Fiscal Year 2019 for two additional training classes. +/--2018 Supplemental Operating Budget (ESSB 6032): Final budget adds funding for one additional class in Fiscal Year 2019 –but not two. Legislature provided “Local Appropriations” authority for a locally-funded BLEA class that occurred during Session. While we had hopes for the two (2) additional BLEA classes in FY 2019, base number of classes will have increased from 10 before the 2017-19 Session to 17 by the end of the biennium. AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Enhance Quality of Life + 2017-19 Capital Budget –Sunset Neighborhood Park - $3.05 Million: 2017-19 Capital Budget and bond bills (ESSB 6090; ESHB 1080) passed and signed into law within first two weeks of Session includes $3.05 million for Phase II and Phase III construction of the Sunset Neighborhood Park. Great step forward for the city’s Sunset Area Revitalization initiative.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Enhance Quality of Life + Family First Community Center --$1.5 Million: 2018 Supplemental Capital Budget included $1.5 million! Gratifying because: 1) $1.5 million helps Renton and Baldwin Foundation take giant step toward construction; 2) Senate-passed budget included $500,000 while House funded entire $1.5 million –we held higher number; and 3) Of 95 “local and community projects funded in the final Capital Budget, only one levee project in Aberdeen received a higher funding allocation. Tremendous support from Renton-area state legislative delegation and beyond –13 House Members signed letter urging the $1.5 million, and four (4) Senators did the same.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Enhance Quality of Life +Affordable Housing, Homelessness Prevention, Mental Health: There was impressive progress on these issues for the most part, albeit with a couple of setbacks:AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Enhance Quality of Life + Document Recording Fee –E2SHB 1570: Passage successfully culminates multiple-year effort to increase the DRF and make surcharges permanent. Under 1570, a $40 temporary housing and assistance surcharge on document-recording transactions is increased to $62 and is locked in under state law. Of the $62, $10 will go to counties to implement local homeless housing programs and plans, with rest going through a statewide distribution system and to Department of Commerce. Overall, the 1570 legislation will increase local resources to address homelessness by nearly $53 million a biennium –including $15.37 million in King County.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Enhance Quality of Life --SHB 1797 –local options to address housing, homelessness, behavioral health: Advanced to House Floor Calendar early in Session with Democrat and Republican House Members agreeing on “Striking Amendment.” However, some legislators particularly critical of a provision within bill that would have allowed King County to receive councilmanic1/10th of 1 cent sales tax authority. Amendment to remove that provision was the bill’s undoing. Never moved off Floor Calendar. We had already negotiated bill language for the Striking Amendment to ensure geographic equity in the distribution of any 1/10th of 1 percent funding.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Enhance Quality of Life + $106.7 million allocation for the Housing Trust Fund: This allocation was included in 2017-19 Capital Budget (ESSB 6090) enacted and signed into law within first two weeks of Session. The $106.7 million falls short of extremely ambitious $200 million request made by housing organizations, but it stacks up as one of the highest biennial allocations ever provided.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Enhance Quality of Life --ESHB 2437, State Sales Tax Credit for Supportive Housing: As amended in Senate, would have authorized a state sales tax credit of .01 percent for counties to use toward supportive housing. 2437 also enabled counties to bond against state sales tax credit funds. “Died” on Senate Floor final evening of Session. Had it passed, here are estimated additional annual revenues for King County: $6.77 million --and $98.34 million with bonding.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Enhance Quality of Life + HB 2892, grant program for mental health field response teams:Bill and $1 million allocation enables Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) to provide 8+ grants to help law enforcement and mental health professionals use treatment/services vs. incarceration to aid mentally ill offenders. WASPC must award grants by October. Chief already organizing South King County agencies to pursue grant funding.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Enhance Quality of Life + Mental/behavioral health funding in the Operating and Capital Budgets: Between Operating and Capital budgets, Legislature invested over $250 million in new resources toward mental and behavioral health.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Promote Fiscal Stability --Modification of property tax statutes to tie annual growth to an inflationary index: Never received serious consideration in 2018. Local governments may be best poised to try this one again when the state’s four-year modification of its own 1 percent cap comes up for sunset.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Promote Fiscal Stability + Protect state-shared revenues and existing distributions that are vital: Final Operating Budget preserves liquor excise tax, liquor revolving account, and municipal criminal justice assistance monies. Big win on marijuana excise tax distributions to cities and counties. Final 2017-19 Operating Budget left question as to whether 2017-19 marijuana distributions would be $12 million or $30 million. ESSB 6032 ensures both a 2017-19 funding level of $30 million as well as a 2019-21 allocation of $30 million. City should see uptick by mid-year.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Invest in Transportation INCOMPLETE –405 Toll Lanes: We came into Session thinking 2018 would be pivotal year to extend current authorization (Bellevue-to-Lynnwood) and establish new authorization (Renton-to-Bellevue). Legislative and transportation leaders made conscious decision not to deal with issue in 2018 –election year. As a result, the authorization battle will move to the 2019 Session.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Let’s Talk Renton –Some Terrific Results “+”= Positive Result; “—"= less-than-favorable outcome; one item marked “INCOMPLETE” ITEM: Invest in Transportation + Funds for Bronson Way Bridge Seismic Upgrade and Repainting –$3 Million Request: House-passed version of 2018 Supplemental Transportation Budget included $3 million for this project, while Senate version included $1.5 million. We successfully held higher number in final budget (ESSB 6106). $3 million finances seismic upgrade and painting work on the bridge, part of overall “turnback agreement” between Renton and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for SR 900 segment through Renton’s downtown core. We successfully argued that $3 million was a good bargain and short-term investment for the state, given that Renton will take on long-term and permanent upkeep of bridge after that.AGENDA ITEM #1. a) Questions?AGENDA ITEM #1. a)