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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 In addition to this request, Federal Way seeks a capital budget funding in the sum of $250,000 to add new and replace outdated or obsolete Safe City cameras.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. 172"! 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.