hile school funding will be the focus of the legislative session that begins today, plenty of other issues also will be on the docket. And that puts lawmakers in a difficult situation.
From the governor to state executives to county and city officials, there is no shortage of requests for money to fund worthy projects. Which probably makes lawmakers feel a bit like Santa Claus — everybody wants something, everybody has a valid idea, but the bag of goodies is only so large.
Clark County officials, for example, have said they will press lawmakers to fund local transportation projects and a variety of county services and projects. One top priority is to move up funding for improvements to the interchange at Interstate 5 and 179th Street. “That’s absolutely vital to the economic future of unincorporated areas,” Clark County Manager Mark McCauley said. Notably, that I-5 corridor north of the Vancouver city limits is poised for vast growth with the opening this year of the Ilani Casino Resort.
Vancouver officials, meanwhile, would like to expedite funding to improve the interchange at I-5 and Mill Plain Boulevard, funding that is not expected until 2020. City councilors also have expressed concern about lawmakers possibly shifting money from areas such as the public works trust fund in order to help pay for K-12 education throughout the state. Such a shift could leave local jurisdictions shorthanded.