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2011 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
This list highlights those issues at the State and Federal level that affect the City of Sumner. For more details on these issues and how they affect cities, please visit the Association of Washington Cities' site at www.awcnet.org. þ
Fund a SR 410 Corridor Access Study Provide flexibility to local governments Protect government from misuse of open public records for personal gain Give local governments the tools to support job retention and creation Invest in trail infrastructure for economic development Continue partnerships for flood solutions Ensure funding processes are preserved through budget cuts
Fund a SR 410 Corridor Access Study Pursue $400,000 to fund this study. When SR 410 was built in the 1960s, it linked 8,200 residents in the farming communities of Sumner, Orting and Bonney Lake. Today, that same freeway serves over 32,000 residents plus the 8,000 employees in Sumner’s Manufacturing/Industrial Center (MIC). Due to significant growth in Pierce County south of SR 410, the interchanges in the corridor will operate at a failed level of service with major congestion and delay. Plus, the report for the Sumner-Pacific MIC found 1,556 acres with development and redevelopment potential during the planning horizon of 20 years with the potential to bring over 5,000 new jobs to the MIC area. The acres available are three times more than what’s available in the Nalley Valley, double what’s available in Kent, North Tukwila or Ballard-Interbay. While transportation is a big issue around the State, funding improvements along the aging SR 410 through Sumner’s three interchanges has a direct benefit to retaining and creating jobs that further support the region’s economy and the ports of Tacoma and Seattle.
Provide flexibility to local governments Increase local resources at no cost to the State. Like the State, Sumner’s revenue continues to lag behind, showing no signs yet of any economic recovery. The City of Sumner’s balanced budget for the 2011-2012 biennium includes leaving approximately 10% of the City’s workforce vacant. While the State isn’t in a position to offer financial support, providing flexibility will reduce the burden on Sumner and local governments, freeing up employee time to focus on economic development projects. Examples of such flexibility could be found by allowing real estate excise tax (REET) to be used for maintenance of already built facilities, adding more time for capital facilities planning requirements and delaying of stormwater regulations. Such changes at the State level give cities like Sumner significant relief in providing needed and valued services with reduced resources.
Protect government from misuse of open public records for personal gain Support Association of Washington Cities Recommendations for Public Records Improvements. The City of Sumner believes that open public records are a cornerstone to democracy and the City's ability to serve and communicate with its citizens. However, a small group of individuals are misusing open public records for personal gain at the immense expense of every citizen. In 2010, City of Sumner received numerous public records requests, taking hundreds of employee hours to fill. While the bulk of requests are for valid purposes, some requests are vaguely worded at best with individuals refusing to refine or clarify the request. Such "fishing" instances cause every department in the City to delay or eliminate critical work in order to search files, emails and archives for records. In one case this year, the request was for any and all records related to sidewalks from the year 2000 forward. Another request wanted thousands of emails, resulting in excess of 13,000 copies--records that were diligently prepared by the City yet still have not been picked up or paid for by the requestor. Currently, the law only allows the City to recoup copying costs at $0.15 per page. No staff time can be charged to requestors for searching, researching, reviewing, redacting, and preparing documents for these ambiguous requests. Sumner’s citizens will continue to pay for those expenses until the law changes. The right to open public records must be protected but not at the expense of the City being able to serve its citizens. The recommendations put forth by the Association of Washington Cities helps to reset that balance.
Give local governments the tools to support job retention and creation Avoid mandating rigid rules for collecting impact fees. Sumner opposes suggestions made at the State level to mandate that collection of building impact fees be delayed until the sale or closure of new residential units. Such a mandate would not only cut off an important source of income to cities, but it also removes the cities’ ability to work with developers and business owners to find solutions that make sense for everyone. Sumner is working on piloting a program that moves the collection of impact fees from the time when a permit is issued to the time of a building’s final inspection—a solution that works for both property owners and local city governments. Add ability to fund road infrastructure. Cities are also struggling to provide quality local road systems that are vital to keep commerce and goods moving efficiently in our city and region. A street utility or similar funding mechanism is needed to directly connect those who need and use the streets with a way to help keep them in good repair.
Invest in trail infrastructure for economic development Use economy to advantage for funding key infrastructure of trails. Sumner’s trails are the backbone of the regional trail system, so the remaining gaps in Sumner’s trails are also the only remaining gaps in the system that offers non-vehicular access from the City of Seattle’s Interurban Trail to the Mt. Rainier Foothill Trail. Sumner has received a wide range of support for completing its trail system including participation from various businesses and agencies including Investco, REI, YMCA of Tacoma-Pierce County, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Puyallup/Sumner Chamber of Commerce, Foothills Trail Coalition, Cascade Bicycle Club, Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, City of Pacific, City of Auburn, City of Puyallup, City of Fife, City of Tukwila, City of Renton, City of Kent, City of Algona. Environmentally savvy companies are looking for amenities like trails for their employees’ health, non-vehicular commute options and environmental health. Although funding for infrastructure is tight, trails need to be at the top of the list.
Continue partnerships for flood solutions Continue work across jurisdictions for short- and long-term flood solutions. Flooding on the Puyallup and White rivers routinely endangers approximately 1500 residents in Sumner plus the roads and facilities that regionally support such major economic drivers as Costco, Target and Tully’s. At risk is Sumner’s Manufacturing Industrial Center, the second largest in Pierce County, with over $530 million in investment. This winter’s La Nina pattern reinforces how all jurisdictions must work together. Real flood solutions take time and resources while the danger of more flooding damage is recurring now. Only by the cities, county, tribes, State and Federal jurisdictions working together can any headway be achieved.
Ensure funding processes are preserved through budget cuts Protect investments already made in Recreation and Conservation Office grant process. Sumner realizes that the State will face a very challenging budget that must include cuts. However, we ask that cuts come with provisions to easily reintroduce suspended programs when the budget improves in the future. In 2010 Sumner invested over 100 employee hours into the Recreation & Conservation Office’s grant process for trails. One of our projects ranked very high on the recommendation list. We understand that all funding for this program may be eliminated this year. While we would prefer that projects get funded, we ask that any funding cuts preserve the already established recommendation list for when funding returns. This provision would save the heavy investment of resources that Sumner, other Washington cities and the State agency have already made in the process.
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