Senate hearing reviews updated rural county definition; staff and sponsor note OFM data discrepancies
SB 6149 would add a population-density based pathway to qualify counties as rural for funding and program purposes; staff noted conflicting OFM data about which counties would qualify and sponsor Senator Jeff Wilson said the change was requested by Cowlitz County to preserve rural funding opportunities.
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Committee staff briefed members on SB 6149, which would add an additional qualification to the statutory definition of a rural county tied to population density and the absence of a city with more than 75,000 residents. Staff referenced a chart prepared by the Office of Financial Management (OFM) in July 2025 and said the fiscal note received yesterday identified two additional counties (Kitsap and Thurston) that may qualify under some data sets, creating a discrepancy staff is working to reconcile.
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