Committee backs ordinance to require prevailing wages and CWAs for large tenant improvement projects on county land

The Budget and Fiscal Management Committee gave a unanimous due-pass recommendation Wednesday to a proposed ordinance that would require lessees of King County–owned property to pay prevailing wages for lessee-led capital improvement projects and to sign either the county Master Community Workforce Agreement (MCWA) or a separate community workforce agreement (CWA) for projects estimated at $5 million or more.

Council central staff summarized the proposal and its history, saying the ordinance would apply to new leases and lease amendments entered on or after Jan. 30, 2026, and would require CWA terms or MCWA participation for qualifying tenant improvements. "The proposed ordinance would require lessees pay prevailing wages on all capital improvement projects performed by the lessee at the lessee's discretion and expense, and also require the use of a community workforce agreement for those projects estimated to cost $5,000,000 or more," said Nick Bowman, council central staff.

Supporters from labor and construction trades told the committee the county's existing priority‑hire and MCWA programs have increased apprenticeship and local hire and should be extended to tenant improvement projects on county land. Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, prime sponsor of the ordinance, said the change would ensure "public dollars should go to further the public good," and that extending CWA standards to tenant improvements would expand job and apprenticeship opportunities for residents in economically distressed ZIP codes.

Executive staff said the county can implement the requirement and suggested attaching the MCWA to lease terms as conditions, but warned that some smaller leaseholders could face more complex negotiations and that the county may need additional staff time in facilities and risk-management offices. Ken Guy, director of the Finance and Business Operations Division, said the division supports the program and believes implementation is feasible by treating the MCWA attachment similarly to large construction contracts.

Panelists from the labor community described measurable program outcomes: central‑staff figures cited growth in priority‑hire workers from 217 in 2018 to 1,077 in 2023 and corresponding wage increases; FBOD's five‑year summary showed roughly 4,000 priority‑hire placements and $35 million in wages directed to local communities over five years. The committee voted 6–0 to give the ordinance a due‑pass recommendation; Councilmember Perry was excused.