Brianna Murray, partner at Gordon Thomas Honeywell Government Affairs, told the Pasco City Council on May 19 that the 2025 Washington Legislature approved a biennial operating budget that will raise roughly $4.3 billion in new taxes for the fiscal biennium and approved a $77.8 billion budget for 2025–27 that she said included $2.3 billion in reserves.

Murray said Pasco won two capital appropriations: $927,000 for the MLK Community Center phase 3 (she noted $27,000 of that is for a Department of Commerce administrative fee) and $500,000 for Road 80 neighborhood improvements. She also said the city’s three transportation funding requests — $5 million for Road 76, $3 million for a US‑12/A Street traffic study, and $3.3 million for Lewis Street underpass demolition — were not funded in the transportation budget.

The legislative context mattered, Murray said: the 2025 session was the first year of the two‑year cycle and featured turnover in 24 legislative seats, a Democratic governor and Democratic majorities in both chambers. Budget shortfalls — she cited estimates in a $10 billion–$16 billion range during the session — and an intense debate about how to close the gap drove outcomes she described. Murray said the legislature approved $3.2 billion in new transportation revenue (including a 6¢ gas tax increase) to balance the transportation budget and postponed some projects.

Why it matters: the capital appropriations fund projects that can be started and shown to legislators as completed work; the transportation shortfall means high‑cost local projects must await a future funding environment, Murray said. She told council members that Pasco’s advocacy “was heard” even though the city did not secure new transportation project funding.

Council members praised Murray’s outreach and thanked legislators; several members voiced frustration about rising state taxes during public comment and council discussion while acknowledging the city’s limited influence over majority party decisions in Olympia. Murray closed by urging the council to prepare early for the 2026 short session and to be ready to demonstrate project readiness so appropriations can be spent quickly once awarded.

Murray said a final written report will be sent to the city after the governor signs budgets and bills; she forecast the governor’s final action would occur the following day and advised staff and council to prepare implementation materials for the awarded capital funds.

No formal council action occurred on the legislative update during the meeting.