Public‑works briefing: prevailing wages, apprenticeships and DBE goals reviewed for Lynnwood capital projects

Lynnwood Public Works staff briefed the council Wednesday on how prevailing‑wage rules, new apprenticeship requirements and federal disadvantaged‑business‑enterprise (DBE) goals apply to the city’s capital projects.

Public Works Director Jared Vaughn introduced Capital Engineering Services Manager Nick Barnett, who outlined legal responsibilities and compliance steps for projects funded at state and federal levels.

Barnett said the city must follow Department of Labor & Industries wage schedules for state/local projects and separate federal wage rates for federally funded work; contractors are required to submit payroll intents and affidavits and the city verifies filings through state portals. He gave county examples of current journeyman wage levels for illustration: “An example would be electrical technicians…currently, they would be paid, $58.51 as of July,” and “if there are flaggers on the project for traffic control, the journey level, that would be paid $54.65.”

Apprenticeship and OJT requirements

Barnett explained new state apprenticeship rules that require projects above a statutory threshold to meet apprentice‑hours goals: “Apprenticeship is a newer law that was just passed that requires all projects over $2,000,000 to set a 15% goal for meeting apprenticeship hours,” he said, and noted the dollar threshold declines in future years (to $1.5 million in 2026 and $1 million in 2027). He described the state’s good‑faith‑effort process and financial incentives or penalties tied to meeting these targets.

For federally funded projects, Barnett described separate federal on‑the‑job‑training (OJT) hour requirements contractors must meet and the documentation and WSDOT/Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) oversight those plans receive.

DBE (disadvantaged business enterprise) goals

Barnett described DBE goals as a federal requirement intended to increase subcontracting opportunities for minority, women or veteran‑owned firms. Goals are set by WSDOT and FHWA based on the scope of subcontractable work and are tracked through state reporting systems. He gave a local example: the consultant construction‑management DBE goal for the Poplar Way project was set at 19% in the application he submitted to WSDOT.

Enforcement and verification

The city verifies contractor payrolls and intent filings through L&I’s online portal for state projects; for federally funded work staff and federal reviewers conduct site interviews and up to 10% payroll spot checks. Barnett noted wage schedules are updated semiannually and that, where targets are not met, contractors must demonstrate a documented good‑faith effort to recruit apprentices or DBE firms.

Council questions and next steps

Council members asked whether private projects are governed by the same rules (they are not — public requirements apply to contracts that use public funds) and whether the city had a consolidated dashboard of L&I filings; staff said the L&I portal is publicly accessible and the city can use it to verify filings by municipality. Staff said the city currently had a small number of federally funded projects but is pursuing federal dollars for larger projects including the treatment plant; if construction is federalized the federal rules will apply to that phase.

Barnett and Director Vaughn said staff will continue to verify payroll and DBE reporting, work with WSDOT and FHWA on federally funded projects and return with more detail if council asks staff to explore additional local policy options for job‑site hiring preferences or other local hiring strategies.

Ending

Council members requested more data and asked staff to return with options if the council wants to pursue local strategies beyond state and federal compliance. Staff offered to provide more detailed metrics and follow‑up analysis on apprenticeships, L&I filings and DBE goals.