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Burien council backs airport reps, directs staff to draft letter and skip Port lobbying day
Summary
Burien’s council unanimously directed staff to work with the Burien Airport Committee to draft a letter explaining the city won’t send representatives to the Port of Seattle’s START lobbying day in Olympia, citing START priorities and lack of support for SB 5652 addressing airport noise and health impacts.
Burien’s City Council voted unanimously Jan. 26 to direct city staff to help draft a letter explaining why Burien will not send representatives to the Port of Seattle’s START (Stakeholders Advisory Roundtable) legislative lobbying day in Olympia.
The action followed a presentation by Burien’s airport representatives and Burien Airport Committee members, who said START’s agenda is driven by the port and does not support SB 5652, a state bill the city sees as a path to compensation or mitigation for noise- and health-related impacts of port and airport operations. Jeff Harbaugh, a Burien community representative to START, told the council that START has “not accomplished anything significant for the cities in terms of airport impacts” and that the group’s legislative priorities do not reflect Burien’s interests. Brian Davis, vice chair of the Burien Airport Committee, said the committee expects to send a letter to legislators explaining Burien’s decision and asked staff to help finalize the text.
Why it matters: the START roundtable is the port-convened forum where airport-adjacent cities discuss airport impacts. Burien’s withdrawal from the Port’s lobby day and the council’s direction to sign a council-endorsed letter signal stronger, more public opposition to START’s current priorities and an intent to press the Port and state legislators for outcomes the city believes will better serve its residents.
Council reaction and motion: Council member Linda Akey moved that staff work with the Burien Airport Committee to prepare a letter; the motion was seconded and, after brief discussion about having all council members sign, passed unanimously. Deputy Mayor Hugo Garcia and several other council members praised the airport representatives’ transparency and recommended pursuing outreach to port commissioners and broader public engagement to increase leverage.
What the presentation said: Harbaugh and other airport representatives described START as “a box-checking” forum driven by port staff that has limited effect on policy outcomes, and emphasized the committee’s intent not to support START’s legislative priorities unless they include compensation or meaningful mitigation tied to SB 5652. The airport committee said it will share a draft letter with council and city staff, and council members agreed that signatures from all members would strengthen the message.
Next steps: staff will collaborate with the Burien Airport Committee to draft the letter, circulate a draft to council, and bring the final version back for council signatures. Council members also discussed coordinating outreach to neighboring cities and state legislators and exploring public-engagement strategies to amplify Burien’s position.
