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City lobbyist outlines 2026 Legislature outcomes, advises interim work on SR‑104 and Lakefront Park funding
Summary
Contract lobbyist Shelly Helder told the council that the 2026 short session passed 268 bills, expanded the supplemental operating budget by $2.4 billion and increased transportation maintenance funding; she urged continued interim coordination with WSDOT on SR‑104 and thanked legislators for supporting a $1 million Lakefront Park award.
Shelly Helder, the City of Lake Forest Park’s contract lobbyist, briefed the council on the outcomes of the 2026 legislative session and recommended steps the city should take over the interim to protect earlier funding wins and pursue infrastructure priorities.
Helder said the 60‑day session considered roughly 1,200 bills and enacted 268 into law. She told the council the supplemental operating budget increased by $2.4 billion, bringing the two‑year total to about $80.2 billion, and that the transportation supplemental added roughly $1.2 billion focused on maintenance and preservation rather than new projects. "The short session was about maintenance and preservation — they bonded to add capacity, not to fund big new projects," Helder said.
Why it matters: the city secured a $1 million capital award for the Lakefront (Waterfront) Park in the prior biennium; Helder said demonstrating local leverage and project momentum is essential to win future capital requests. She recommended that city staff and council build an interim work plan to educate legislators and coordinate with WSDOT on State Route 104 maintenance and Complete Streets implications.
Helder also reviewed fiscal impacts and bills of local interest. She reported a modest reduction in some state shared revenues (including a $5 million decrease in cannabis revenue distribution) and cautioned that sales‑tax changes tied to the millionaire’s tax could lower local sales tax receipts if upheld. On security and traffic tools, Helder said the council successfully defended local authority to continue using traffic safety cameras in the face of proposals to change revenue sharing and ALPR definitions; she identified Senate Bill 6002 and House Bill 2711 as measures the city followed closely.
Councilmembers asked for concrete recommendations for interim outreach and for examples of successful local‑state coordination; Helder urged expressing formal gratitude to the 1st District legislators and using the interim months to develop specific proposals and talking points. She also left contact information for her colleague Holly Sanabria as an interim contact.
What’s next: Helder said the 2027 regular session begins Jan. 11, 2027, and that the city should use the interim to prepare capital requests, clarify ordinance changes required by newly enacted state laws, and continue coordination with WSDOT on SR‑104.
