Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Legislation Local Impact topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Yakima lobbyists outline 2025 Olympia session wins: airport parking, pool funds, housing and criminal-justice grants
Summary
City lobbyists reported the state budget included $750,000 for Yakima Air Terminal overflow parking, $257,000 for Martin Luther King Jr. Park Aquatic Center, and part of a $770 million statewide housing and homelessness package; the session also created a three-year law-enforcement grant program and local-option criminal-justice sales tax.
Yakima’s lobbyists told the City Council Tuesday that the 105-day 2025 Washington legislative session produced several budget and policy items the city sought, including funding for airport parking and local capital projects and new state criminal-justice grant programs.
Nick Federici and Luke Gessler, the city’s Olympia lobbying team, reported the legislature balanced the state budget with new revenues and program cuts and left a larger-than-usual reserve. For Yakima, notable capital-budget wins included $750,000 for a new overflow parking lot at the Yakima Air Terminal — described as the city’s top aviation priority — $257,000 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Park Aquatic Center and $100,000 for capital improvements at the Capital Theatre.
“We had several capital budget requests related to the Yakima Air Terminal,” Gessler said. “Particularly credit goes to Representative Corey — our entire local delegation was supportive of that effort.”
On criminal-justice funding, lobbyists said the governor and legislature approved a $100 million, time-limited grant program for law enforcement and a separate local-option 0.1 percent criminal-justice sales tax that cities or counties may adopt. The local option can be imposed by a city council vote for the first three years (through June 30, 2028); after that, voter approval will be required. The operating budget also added state funding for local public defense tied to Blake resentencing work.
“There was a lot of discussion about more funding for law enforcement officers and criminal justice in general,” Gessler said, noting the program’s two parts: a state grant program limited to three years and a local-option sales tax with broad permitted uses for criminal-justice-related activities.
Lobbyists also highlighted large statewide investments in housing and homelessness: a $770 million capital appropriation for construction or acquisition, with some projects in Yakima. The operating and capital budgets included items to backfill recording-fee revenue losses and maintain right-of-way assistance funding for jurisdictions that have previously received it.
On behavioral health and local services, lobbyists said the legislature funded about $5 million for a behavioral-health facility (Trove) and about $5 million for a Yakima detox center. They also reported that Yakima Valley School will remain open after intense debate in Olympia.
Council members asked for clarification on rent-control and landlord concerns during the session. One councilmember expressed frustration that recent state changes made it harder for landlords to house higher-risk tenants, calling the new rules a constraint on local housing supply discussions.
The lobbyists concluded by inviting council members to submit legislative priorities for the AWC (Association of Washington Cities) legislative committee meeting in June.
