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Buckley Chamber president warns council of state bills she says would raise costs for local businesses
Summary
At the council meeting, the Buckley Chamber president said state legislation under consideration could raise local business costs, citing specific bill numbers and measures including property-tax adjustments, minimum-wage increases, a bottle/can tax and vehicle-miles-traveled measures.
Mrs. Hardy, president of the Buckley Chamber of Commerce, told the council the chamber is close to 100 members and said local businesses face several state proposals that could increase costs.
Hardy named several measures by bill number: House Bill 1334 (described as a property-tax increase from 1% to 3%), Senate Bill 5578 (raising the state minimum wage from $16.66 to $17.50 next year and, as reported in the comment, to $25 by 2031), Senate Bill 5041 (allowing unemployment for striking workers), House Bill 1607 (a 10-cent can-and-bottle tax) and House Bill 1921 (vehicle-miles-traveled proposal), plus a reported 6-cent gas tax increase.
She said those measures, if enacted, would increase operating costs for small businesses and could reduce the ability to attract and retain businesses in Buckley. "Doing business here is becoming really, really hard," Hardy said, arguing narrow margins put small businesses at risk.
Hardy asked the council to consider local revenue decisions with those state-level pressures in mind. She also reported outreach efforts by the chamber to keep members informed of legislative developments.
