Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Legislation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City lobbyist: $35.5 million secured for Aberdeen‑Hoquiam flood project, $71 million for U.S. 12 crossing
Summary
Contract lobbyist Shelley Helder told Aberdeen council the 2026 short legislative session delivered $35.5 million toward the Aberdeen‑Hoquiam flood protection project and roughly $71 million sequenced for the U.S. 12 grade‑separated crossing; she outlined statewide budget moves that could affect local sales‑tax revenue sharing.
Shelley Helder, the city’s contract lobbyist, told Aberdeen City Council on April 29 that the 2026 state short session secured a combined $35.5 million for the Aberdeen‑Hoquiam flood protection project and roughly $71 million phased over four years for the U.S. 12 grade‑separated crossing. Helder said the flood package includes the completed Dry Creek pump station and funding for the Northshore levee segments, though a remaining funding gap persists for final levee segments.
Helder said the supplemental operating budget totaled about $2.4 billion and included an $880 million transfer from the budget stabilization ("rainy day") account. She warned that the legislature also enacted a new top‑income tax and removed sales tax on some products, a change that reduces local sales‑tax receipts; the state set aside $200 million to help offset those local impacts but details on distribution are not yet specified.
"A total of $35.5 million is now dedicated to the Aberdeen‑Hoquiam flood protection project," Helder told the council, noting that past capital allocations had benefited from long‑standing relationships in the capital budget process. She said the U.S. 12 funding was an unusually large transportation allocation given declining gas‑tax revenue.
Why it matters: the flood protection funding is one of the largest capital investments Aberdeen has received and will cover multiple project elements, but Helder cautioned the council that legislative leadership changes and competing statewide needs mean the city must continue interim outreach to legislators to defend and complete the program. She highlighted Representative Steve Thinger’s retirement and the need to cultivate the new House capital budget leadership.
Helder also reviewed other legislative outcomes that could affect local governments, including an additional $123 million in the supplemental capital budget for the state housing trust fund and the passage of House Bill 2426 (permit appeal process changes) which Helder described as an efficiency measure that takes effect June 11. She noted House Bill 24.89 (restrictions on law enforcement interactions with people in encampments) did not advance this year; related shelter and supportive‑housing legislation (HB 2266) did move forward and is intended to increase capacity in some jurisdictions.
Councilors asked clarifying questions about the $880 million transfer and pension‑account backfill; Helder explained the accounting steps taken by the legislature to restore the rainy‑day fund. On HB 24.89, she said concern among cities centered on the bill’s practical effects without a corresponding increase in shelter capacity.
Next steps: Helder encouraged interim outreach to state legislators and noted the 2027 session begins January 11; she recommended continued education and relationship building to protect the city’s capital allocations and to clarify how the $200 million sales‑tax offset might be distributed.
Provenance: This article draws on the city council’s legislative briefing delivered by Shelley Helder (transcript SEG 606–SEG 1042) and the subsequent Q&A (SEG 1043–SEG 1149).
