12-15-2017 2017 State Legislative Priorities AgendaCITY OF
.� Federal Way
State
IMMO
Legislative Priorities
Law Enforcement
Public safety is the number one priority of the City of Federal
Way. The City urges the Legislature to provide adequate
and sustainable funding to maintain high - quality statewide
training for law enforcement personnel. In addition to this
request, Federal Way seeks a capital budget funding in
the sum of $250,000 to add new and replace outdated or
obsolete Safe City cameras.
Community Development
Federal Way is seeking funding to combat the dire
conditions of persons without shelter. These monies
would address homeless services, such as the Federal Way
Homeless Services Encampment Initiative — a four - tiered
approach which focuses on:
• Coordination of service providers from the city and region;
• Providing care, compassion, and referral of available
services to those in need;
• Initiating the cleanup of encampments to address
environmental concerns and damage to public and
private property; and
• Work with referral services to assist those afflicted with
drug addiction.
The City of Federal Way is also seeking capital funds to help
secure a center for homeless youth to be run in coordination
with Auburn Youth Resources or similar
community resources.
Public Records Refo y ;
Federal Way supports updating the Public Records
Act so cities can continue to provide open
and transparent government services to
Washington residents.
City Center Access Project (1 -5 Interchange at S 320th Street):
Scope:
Complete environmental documentation and Interchange
Justification Report (IJR) for the City Center Access
Project. The proposed project will incorporate one of two
alternatives for modifying current access at the interchange
of 1 -5 with South 320th Street in Federal Way.
Purpose and Need:
The environmental documentation and IJR are the first
step in improving traffic flow conditions resulting from the
failing safety and level of service (LOS) at the S 320th / 1 -5
Interchange. This will combine local city street intersection
improvements with new arterials to improve poor traffic
flow conditions resulting from the failing safety and level of
service (LOS) at the South 320th Street/I -5 interchange.
Schedule:
Complete IJR: 2018. Start Right -of -Way Acquisition: 2019.
Budget /Funding: $1.5 Million
Earmark Request: $1.0 Million
The City of Federal Way supports fully funding the Public
Works Trust Fund in order to keep up with the growing
demand for infrastructure improvements and to support job
creation, economic vitality, and enhance quality of life.
Performing Arts and Event Center
The City of Federal Way is seeking $1 million in capital
funds for a kitchen upgrade to the Performing Arts & Event
Center. This upgrade will be utilized by the Native American
Culinary Institute in partnership with the Muckleshoot
Indian Tribe. The new Performing Arts & Event Center will
be a year -round conference & event center
with a 716 -seat theater hosting world -class
talent, as well as art education and culinary
education programs.
'4_,Federal Way
CITY OF
State
Legislative Priorities
University Initiative
The City of Federal Way recently completed 1
a higher education needs assessment.
This assessment shows a clear need for increased higher
educational opportunities in our community. Federal
Way has been in communication with the University of
Washington- Tacoma and Washington State University to
determine their interest in a downtown Federal Way site
location. Federal Way asks the Legislature to support this
endeavor and provide the necessary assistance to allow this
exciting venture to come to fruition.
Adjust the Property Tax Cap
Property tax is the largest revenue source for Washington's
cities, supporting critical services such as justice, health, and
safety. Property taxes are capped at a level that creates an
ever - widening gap between the cost of providing public
services to a growing population and the revenue available
to pay for them. A new property tax limit should correspond
to what it actually costs local governments to continue
providing services, and keep up with increased public
demand.
The City of Federal Way urges the Legislature to give local
governments the option to replace the arbitrary annual
1% cap on property tax
revenues with a growth
limit whose maximum is
inflation plus the rate of
population growth.
nvest in Public Health Services
Protect our communities by investing
in core public health services. The 40%
per capita decrease in public health
funding since 1999 is reaching crisis levels
across the state. The funding shortfall
has left Public Health — Seattle & King County unable to
fully investigate disease outbreaks. The Washington State
Department of Health is requesting $54 million for local
public health jurisdictions to fill critical gaps in disease
prevention and response, and to pilot shared services to
improve the efficiency of the overall system.
Federal Way strongly urges the Legislature to fund basic
public health in Washington State.
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The Legislature should maintain funding for the Municipal
Research and Services Center (MRSC) to provide vital
support for local government performance.
Steve McNey
Senior Advisor — Mayor's Office
Phone: 253.835.2411
Email: Steve.McNey@cityoffederalway.com
Address: 33325 8th Ave. South, Federal Way, WA 98003
S0IO0L BUS
The City of Federal Way, in
partnership with Federal Way Public Schools, encourages the
State Legislature to:
• Continue to work toward meeting the constitutional
requirements as outlined in the McCleary ruling;
• Fully fund the cost of basic education and specifically, this
means compensation costs so that Federal Way Public
Schools can continue to attract the best and the brightest;
• Create a fair state tax structure to lessen property tax -
based public education inequities. Federal Way taxpayers
pay more to raise $1000 than most taxpayers in King
County due to significant variations in assessed valuation;
and
• Local levies and local effort assistance (LEA) are headed
off a funding cliff. Address the Levy Cliff. If this is not
addressed, FWPS will have to lay off a significant number
of staff (equivalent to the number of staff it takes to run 8
elementary schools).
In order to ensure Federal Way's more than 22,000
scholars are able to learn and thrive in the competitive
environment of the 21st century, the city of Federal Way
strongly urges the legislature to take these requests into
serious consideration.