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Spokane County staff flag new tax proposals, several state bills as session nears cutoff
Summary
County legislative staff updated commissioners on expected tax proposals, capital budget timing and a set of bills affecting county operations, including REIT flexibility and proposed limits on settlement agreements for public employees.
Spokane County legislative staff on Tuesday told the Board of County Commissioners that lawmakers are preparing a new round of tax proposals with an approaching policy-bill cutoff and that several bills affecting county operations remain active.
Mike Burgess, county legislative liaison, said the next major deadline is Wednesday at 5 p.m., when policy bills must clear the opposite chamber. “I have heard that there might be an increase in the capital gains rate,” Burgess said, adding other rumored measures could include business-and-occupation tax changes and sales-taxing of professional services.
Why it matters: the proposals could reshape revenue forecasts counties use when preparing budgets. Burgess told the board he expects more detail in news reports over the next 48–72 hours and that capital budget negotiations remain ongoing; projects in which the county has an interest could show up in a final capital agreement expected next week.
On individual bills, Burgess highlighted Senate Bill 1791 — described as REIT (real-estate investment trust) flexibility legislation — which he said has moved through the process and could help local budgeting. He also flagged two labor-related bills: one on collective bargaining and another (House Bill 5041 in the transcript) that would limit unemployment insurance for workers on strike; Burgess said that bill originally proposed 12 weeks of UI but was amended on the floor to four weeks.
Burgess and other staff reviewed a list of other bills the county has tracked. He said the local planning bill (1135) had been signed and that a solid-waste handling bill had been amended on the Senate floor in a way that likely addressed county concerns. A bill on competency evaluations (1218) failed to move past the House Ways & Means committee and appears unlikely this year, he said. The environmental-crimes bill did not make it out of House Appropriations and is not moving this session.
Commissioners asked staff to continue monitoring several items, including a medical assistance reprocurement bill (1813 in the packet) that had reached senate rules and a growth-management timeline-extension bill that had passed both chambers and is awaiting delivery to the governor.
Burgess told the board he will update them if any items require formal positions or action by the commission.
Ending: Commissioners did not take a formal vote but directed staff to keep monitoring developments through the cutoff and to flag any items that require board direction.
