County outlines 2026 legislative priorities amid budget uncertainty

At a 9 a.m. Board of County Commissioners briefing Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, county staff summarized recommended state and federal legislative priorities for 2026 and warned the board that state budget pressure and a pending court challenge to a recent revenue package could limit new funding. Mike, a county staff presenter, told commissioners the short legislative session will be a “rough budget session” and that timing for policy proposals is compressed. "For anything that cost money, it’s going to be a challenge," he said.

County staff urged the board to remove two items on the first page of its draft list — items that were funded last year — and to keep others under consideration including transportation projects, PFAS response, wildfire and housing-related requests. The staff recommended removing the 4 Lakes Interchange request from the near-term ask list because an application has not yet been submitted to Federal Highways; by contrast, several large projects such as Argonne (design and right-of-way work) and a Bellevue project (estimated cost now approaching $3 million) remain under consideration.

The briefing outlined several specific practical steps and next deadlines: staff will meet individually with commissioners over the next two weeks, refine the draft agenda and return with a revised legislative agenda by October or early November. Commissioners and staff stressed coordinating state and federal asks where possible and watching bills related to jail health care, homelessness funding, PFAS, wildfire insurance availability and renewable/alternative fuels.

Commissioners discussed leaving longstanding placeholder items — for example a county fiscal health statement and GMA matters — on the draft so the county can respond if state proposals emerge. Staff also flagged that one of the revenue packages the Legislature adopted last year is now being challenged in court; that litigation could reduce state revenue and affect distributions the county receives. Mike said the challenge concerns a sales tax on broadcasting and advertising and could reduce revenue that would have otherwise “trickled” to counties.

Staff described next steps on major transportation projects: Argonne (design/right-of-way) has recently received an award of about $4 million for design and right-of-way and is likely not yet ready to request construction funding; Novak Hillier should remain on the list while city–county discussions continue over incremental funding; the county will continue to seek federal and state support for freight and Fairchild-related projects where federal nexus exists. For housing and homeless response, staff said they will follow up with local service providers and the lieutenant governor’s office and may pursue targeted proposals for operating support for stabilization centers.

The board did not take a formal vote on the draft priorities during the briefing. Staff will produce a revised draft for formal consideration after the one-on-one meetings and additional follow-up with partners and legislative contacts.