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Rep. April Berg outlines capital wins for Mill Creek, warns of state budget cuts and outlines public‑safety funding option
Summary
State Rep. April Berg told the Mill Creek City Council that more than $1 million in capital funding was secured for a possible Boys & Girls Club in the city, summarized major 2025 budget decisions and described a new public‑safety local tax option available to cities.
State Representative April Berg, who represents the 44th Legislative District, briefed the Mill Creek City Council on the 2025 legislative session and its implications for the city, describing capital grants, policy changes and state budget constraints.
Berg said the capital budget delivered “over a million dollars” to Mill Creek for a potential Boys & Girls Club and noted additional capital investments in the district, including funding for a Snohomish Public Safety Campus and conservation district facilities. She encouraged local officials to request funds for projects and to coordinate with state legislators.
On the 2025 operating budget, Berg described a roughly $16 billion deficit the Legislature addressed by a mix of cuts and revenue increases and detailed the governor’s priorities. She said some federal and state passthrough grants were reduced or delayed and said the state employed both cuts and revenue to rebalance the budget.
Notable policy items Berg highlighted for the council:
- Housing: The Legislature passed a statewide rent‑increase cap for ongoing tenancy at 10 percent (state analysts estimated a 9.7 percent maximum in practice). New construction remains exempt and mobile‑home parks are capped at 5 percent. A bipartisan bill expanded middle‑housing provisions into rural areas and the Legislature established a housing‑cost task force to study barriers to building.
- Education: Lawmakers removed an artificial cap on special‑education funding and extended special‑education services to age 22, steps Berg said should ensure districts receive the state’s share of special‑education costs.
- Public safety: Berg described a new bill that lets local jurisdictions impose a council‑adopted public‑safety tax to raise revenue for local law enforcement, behavioral health co‑responders and other public‑safety priorities; the state created a matching grant program administered through the Criminal Justice Training Commission.
On the broader fiscal outlook, Berg told councilors the state remains a donor state — sending more federal tax revenue to Washington, D.C., than it receives — and warned that federal cuts and delayed payments have left the state facing difficult tradeoffs. She said Medicaid-related pressures and delayed federal funds could create service shortfalls in coming years.
Councilors pressed Berg on topics including the Boys & Girls Club funding, condominium liability reform, the potential for state action on fentanyl and proposed pilot programs for safer supply; Berg said some committee reports did not yet have authoring legislators prepared to turn recommendations into bills and emphasized that any legislation would require a full committee and caucus process.
“Some of that money went to the city of Mill Creek for potentially a Boys and Girls Club,” Berg said. “The only way they can spend that money is if they make a club in the city of Mill Creek.”
Berg closed by urging local leaders to send project requests to her office and to state senators representing the area if Mill Creek seeks additional capital funding.
Ending: Berg’s update combined specific capital outcomes for Mill Creek with warnings about ongoing budget risk and new local options for public‑safety funding. She encouraged the council to pursue state grants and to continue communicating local project priorities to the legislative delegation.
