2027 City legislative agenda
At a glance
Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.
- What: the city's state legislative priorities for the 2027 session (begins January 11).
- Where it stands: approved by voice vote on 2026-10-20, earlier than in past years.
- Next: annual meeting with the local delegation in early December; a legislative tour of the local housing pipeline (November, dates being set); bills pre-filed December 1; governor's budget by December 20; a day on the hill in the session.
What is in it
- Funding requests: resolving the large encampment known as the jungle (state capital budget form due at the end of October), the estuary restoration project (an Ecology request the city supports; captioned "Dashoot"), and bike and pedestrian improvements on Capital Way.
- Policy asks: statewide coordination on homelessness, keeping and expanding encampment resolution program funds, and an alternative eviction process for transitional housing residents.
- Revenue protection: backfill for local sales tax exemptions lost under the millionaires tax (staff estimate about $3 million a year from 2029); keeping the state fire-protection contract (about $2 million a year); steadier climate commitment act funding. The state set aside about $200 million for a mitigation account that partners think is too small.
- The 1 percent property tax cap was dropped from this year's list because no coalition was ready; lobbyists will pivot if one forms.
Council discussion
- Councilmember Vanderpool asked whether broader tax reform for cities and counties is being coordinated; lobbyists said another omnibus bill is likely and no statewide working group exists for local government finance.
- Councilmember Gilman suggested a multi-year effort to build allies for property tax growth tied to inflation, outside the current contract.
- Councilmember Berendt urged a narrow focus on a few items, citing the limited lobbying contract.
- The mayor wanted the encampment ask framed as moving beyond encampment resolution to sheltering people faster, and said tax reform should also give relief to families.
- The mayor pro tem asked that the new assistant city manager be added to the document.
Sources
Discussion time
About 45 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-20 - City Council | 45 |
Log
- 2026-10-20 - City Council - Lobbyists briefed on the 2026 session, the interim and 2027 plan; debate on focus vs. longer-term tax reform. Agenda approved on a voice vote.
- 2026-10-22 - Page created from a posted agenda (split from a combined page); no meeting transcript processed yet.