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Council repeals older apprenticeship resolution and adopts state-aligned policy
Summary
City Council repealed an older local apprenticeship-utilization resolution and approved a new policy aligned with recent state statute and guidance; staff will implement administrative procedures to monitor compliance on public works contracts.
Longview City Council voted on Jan. 23 to repeal a previous local apprenticeship-utilization resolution and adopt a city policy that follows Washington state law and guidance for apprenticeship labor-hour requirements on public-works projects.
The change matters because House Bill and state rule updates raised the state-level apprenticeship requirement for public works; as a result the city concluded a separate local ordinance is no longer necessary and that internal administrative procedures provide a more consistent approach to compliance, monitoring and enforcement.
Staff described the history: Longview had previously adopted local pilot and subsequent resolutions requiring 15 percent apprenticeship-hour utilization on certain public-works contracts. The state has updated statute to require 15 percent apprenticeship utilization on public-works projects over specified thresholds, and staff advised that public agencies now must implement consistent procedures rather than rely on local resolutions.
Public-works and finance staff worked with local labor representatives and other jurisdictions in drafting a new internal policy and monitoring approach. The new policy mirrors the Port of Longview and WSDOT guidance for oversight, apprenticeship-utilization plans, monitoring of compliance, and potential incentives or penalties.
Council voted to repeal the older resolution (Resolution No. 19‑38) and adopt the updated policy for apprenticeship utilization; staff said the change will be implemented administratively in contract documents and that the city will monitor compliance and adjust procedures as needed.
