Lobbyists brief Duvall council on final days of Olympia session, possible tax and budget changes ahead

Lobbyists for the Association of Washington Cities briefed the Duvall City Council on April 15 about a flurry of bills and revenue ideas expected in the final days of the 2025 Washington Legislature.

The presentation, led by Katie Whittier and Brian Henslow, highlighted several proposals that could affect cities: a producer responsibility reform for recycling packaging, changes to employer responsibilities under paid family and medical leave, potential flexibility for local use of certain REET funds, a short‑term rentals tax proposal for housing services, and a range of housing bills including administrative lot splitting and changes to implied‑warranty rules for condominiums. Whittier and Henslow said the legislature was moving quickly as it approached cutoff dates and that revenue proposals were still being shaped.

Why it matters

The session’s budget and revenue choices could change how Duvall and other cities pay for capital projects and local services. Presenters singled out the public works assistance account and possible changes to property tax options as items with direct local impact.

What the lobbyists told the council

Katie Whittier said the final cutoff for policy bills was imminent and that the Ways and Means Committee was expected to debate new revenue ideas the next day. “There are new revenue bills that are showing up on new committee schedules that have just popped up in the last 24 to 48 hours,” she told the council, adding that some major items might be resolved quickly but others could require concurrence between the House and Senate.

Whittier described Senate Bill 5284 (extended producer responsibility for packaging) as likely to move through a conference committee and said it is intended to raise recycling rates and shift packaging‑management costs to producers. She also noted House Bill 1213 on paid family medical leave would lower eligibility thresholds and could affect local employers and small businesses.

Brian Henslow reviewed budget priorities and warned that a large proposed transfer from the public works assistance account to the general fund would reduce low‑interest loan availability for local capital projects. “The senate budget took all of their WSDOT fish culvert replacement responsibility and put that in the capital budget,” Henslow said, adding that several hundred million dollars from the public works assistance account were proposed to help fund fish‑passage work in some versions of the budget.

He and Whittier also described a developing revenue package that, according to the lobbyists, appears to rely in part on changes tied to property tax options and a revised business‑and‑occupation (B&O) approach rather than the initially discussed intangible or payroll taxes.

Council questions and local priorities

Council members pressed for specifics about which projects might be affected by any public works funding changes and how grant programs the city tracks—such as Recreation and Conservation Office grants for parks—might be altered by the budget. Lobbyists suggested some capital funding requests might face steeper competition if the state capital budget tightens.

Takeaways and next steps

Whittier and Henslow said the final revenue package could be announced imminently and that cities should be prepared for rapid change. They urged Duvall officials to track the Ways and Means hearings and to be ready to follow up with the city’s legislative delegation. Several council members asked staff to monitor key programs—public works loans, RCO grants, and any short‑term‑rental tax rules—that could affect Duvall projects.

Ending note

The lobbyists said the budget picture remained fluid and advised the council that some items not finalized by adjournment might return in special session.