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Council refines 2026 legislative priorities; UGA swap and waterfront park engineering among top items
Summary
City staff and council discussed legislative strategy for the 2026 short session, prioritizing a statutory funding fix for community policing at Eastern State Hospital, a potential UGA swap to serve built‑out areas, and capital funding requests for Waterfront Park infrastructure.
City staff and council held a workshop on the draft 2026 legislative priorities during the Aug. 19 meeting, outlining a strategy to present focused local requests to legislators before the 60‑day session beginning in January 2026. Staff said one priority is follow‑through on funding tied to what was discussed as "Senate Bill 5286," intended to make statutory the funding for the community policing program at Eastern State Hospital; staff said the bill stalled in committee last session and needs further education before the next session. Staff also said the short session is often the appropriate venue for targeted capital requests and that a modest municipal capital ask (staff suggested about $300,000 is typical) could cover engineering for Waterfront Park improvements to allow overnight RV hookups and infrastructure work. Council and staff discussed Growth Management Act issues affecting urban growth areas (UGAs). The mayor and staff described a policy option sometimes called a "UGA swap," which would allow reassigning growth area boundaries or moving development entitlements so that already built‑out areas outside current UGAs can receive sewer and water services without triggering large, new out‑of‑sequence expansions. Staff framed the objective as wrapping existing density into growth areas to allow services, public safety infrastructure and environmental improvements (for example, replacing septic systems near Silver Lake) rather than encouraging sprawl. The council also discussed coordinating with the Association of Washington Cities, county partners, the state legislative delegation and contract lobbyists to advance priorities. Staff said the city is working with partners on West Shore/Silver Lake water and sewer needs and will continue to align with the wildfire caucus and other regional efforts on disaster recovery. Councilmembers encouraged staff to finalize a concise priorities package this fall, invite legislators to visit in October, and present the priorities formally for adoption in a future meeting so staff and advocates can begin outreach ahead of the short session.
