Clark County has released its 2018 list of legislative priorities, showing that the county will primarily be playing defense when lawmakers meet next month for the 60-day session.
County Councilor Julie Olson said that at the top of the county’s legislative priorities was a basic request to the Legislature: “Don’t hurt us.” Specifically, she said that Clark County hopes that the Legislature doesn’t impose any more unfunded mandates on county governments during the short session.
“It’s pretty basic,” she said.
Council Chair Marc Boldt said that the list of priorities was crafted with input from county staff and was influenced by the Washington State Association of Counties.
“Really, we’re not expecting anything this year,” said Boldt. “The only thing that we are expecting is that if the legislators hear a bill that may hurt us, we have a conversation before it comes up for a vote.”
The list was finalized on Friday after county councilors met with area lawmakers following the 2018 Legislative Outlook Breakfast. It includes five items:
• No additional mandates while also preserving sources of revenue shared by the county and the state.
• Additional funding for indigent defense. In Washington, county governments are tasked with fulfilling the requirement under the state and federal constitutions to provide lawyers to poor individuals accused of crimes. County officials have complained that state hasn’t provided enough financial support for this service.
Boldt said that the Washington State Association of Counties is considering litigation against the state over the lack of funding for indigent defense. He said that counties will use this session to begin a conversation with lawmakers concerning the issue.
• Additional funding for local planning required under the Growth Management Act, the state’s overaching land-use law, as well as new money for planning mandates.
Boldt said that this item is also intended to be a conversation-starter with the state over funding. Olson said that there’s not much optimism that the law will be significantly reformed in the upcoming session.
• Review of SB 5517. The bill allows for freight-dependent development in Clark County and has been touted locally for its potential for economic development. However, its implementation has been slowed because of other requirements in the Growth Management Act. The county’s legislative priority list states the bill “might not be as comprehensive as possible.”
• The last item concerns detached accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, in rural areas. In response to the area’s housing crunch, the county is looking to amend its code to allow more ADUs, small residences that come in the form of a converted basement, an addition to an existing home or a new backyard building. However, state land-use law requires ADUs in rural areas to be attached to the primary dwelling.
Other members of the county council were unavailable for comment.
