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Federal lobbyist briefs Lynnwood council on infrastructure priorities and grant timing
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Summary
Federal lobbyist Mark Dedrick told the Lynnwood City Council on April 13 that Congress is advancing appropriations and infrastructure reauthorizations while city requests for congressionally directed spending and discretionary grants remain under review; he highlighted Poplar Way bridge, Scriber Creek Trail and a 44th Avenue West underpass among local priorities.
Federal lobbyist Mark Dedrick told the Lynnwood City Council on April 13 that the congressional appropriations process and major infrastructure reauthorizations could determine whether several Lynnwood projects receive federal support this year.
Dedrick, a partner at Summit Strategies who has worked on behalf of Lynnwood since 2018, said the FY27 appropriations process "is moving right along," even as some bills and appropriations remain unsettled. He said the firm is pursuing a mix of congressional-directed spending and discretionary grant opportunities for the city, citing work on the Poplar Way multimodal bridge project, the Scriber Creek Trail and the 44th Avenue West underpass.
"We stand ready to kind of help you out on not only proactively searching for new dollars," Dedrick told the council. He described efforts to shepherd a prior RAISE grant and to keep a recent multimodal bridge project moving to bid during a recent federal funding hold.
Why it matters: Lynnwood has submitted requests that, if approved, would provide millions of dollars toward projects the city has prioritized for mobility and safety improvements. Dedrick said some announcements could arrive "any day" on the House side once committees post their submissions, while the Senate process typically follows.
Council members pressed Dedrick on U.S. Department of Transportation priorities and whether formula and discretionary funding might shift away from multimodal projects. Dedrick said formula funding is controlled by statute and typically flows to states or metropolitan planning organizations, but discretionary NOFOs and grant priorities can emphasize different elements (safety, freight, bridges) depending on administration and congressional leadership.
Council member Lutweiler asked whether the Transportation Department's recent statements about shifting priorities would affect Lynnwood's projects. Dedrick replied it is "too early to tell" and cautioned against overreacting; he recommended framing project applications to emphasize elements that align with current NOFO priorities (for example, freight mobility or safety) while preserving multimodal benefits.
Dedrick also recounted past work to secure federal support, including efforts to unblock funding that allowed Lynnwood projects to proceed to bid during a government shutdown. He said Summit Strategies continues to coordinate with the city and the federal delegation on community funding projects and said staff will notify council when House postings clarify which projects remain under consideration.
What's next: Dedrick said the city should expect updates soon from committee postings and that staff and the lobbyist team will follow up on the status of specific requests. No formal funding decisions were announced at the meeting.
