January 31, 2024

raised hands City Action Days is underway!
This week, 250 officials representing more than 80 Washington cities are gathered in Lacey for City Action Days. Mayors, councilmembers, and other officials are here to collectively ask state legislators to support city priorities. Attendees are also enjoying great networking opportunities and hearing from state agency leaders and legislators on the state budget, infrastructure, housing, public safety, and more. If you’re not here with us, you can still get in on the action: read up on AWC’s legislative priorities, check out this week’s bill Hot Sheet, join our Friday City Action Calls, and reach out to your legislators.

AWC priority property tax cap revision passed out of committee – Ask your senator for support
The Senate Ways & Means Committee passed the property tax cap revision bill (SB 5770). This is a significant step towards addressing the artificial limit on local revenues that prevents them from keeping pace with costs of service. Talk to your senators now and ask them to give local governments this authority to work with their communities to fund their service needs. More

City Action Days logo Final call: CQC scholarship nominations due tomorrow!
Time to get your nominations in for the AWC Center for Quality Communities (CQC) scholarship! Don’t miss this chance to spotlight a civic-minded student leader from your city. Visit the CQC website to find all the details on how to nominate students. Up to three $3,000 scholarships will be awarded in April 2024. City nominations are due to the CQC by Thursday, February 8. Questions? Email CQC.

Register for Healthy Worksite Summit today!
March 13-14 | Lynnwood
AWC’s Healthy Worksite Summit is the Northwest’s premier training event dedicated to worksite health promotion and wellness programs. With excellent keynote speakers and sessions delivered by industry experts, you’ll learn how to create a workplace where employees are connected and thriving. You won’t want to miss this year’s keynote on fostering meaningful social connections at work! Check out the agenda and register by February 23 to receive early bird pricing.

raised hands Are you passionate about strong cities? Apply to serve on the AWC Board of Directors
The AWC Nominating Committee is calling for applications for even-numbered positions on the AWC Board of Directors. Check out the Committee’s page to read its first report, see which district positions are open, and learn about Board responsibilities and qualifications. Apply by April 8.

Other news & resources

Stay current with AWC’s new bill tracker to find the latest information on bills of interest to cities. More

AWC’s legislative priority fact sheets now available with bill numbers. More

Sign on now: Keep the Affordable Connectivity Program funded. More

Contact your Congressmember: Support fixing a flaw in lead service line replacement funding. More

AWC adopts updated 2024 federal legislative priorities – top priority is keeping the federal government open and operating. More

Public safety and criminal justice funding bill fails to make it past cutoff deadline. More

Learn from Bend, Oregon’s winning strategy for federal infrastructure grants. More

JLARC’s online reporting system for lodging tax expenditures is open for required 2023 reporting. More

Does your workplace health program deserve special recognition? Apply for the 2024 Golden Apple Award by February 9. More

Attend a state archives webinar on applying for a Local Records Grant on February 13 or 20 – and apply by March 1. More

Need funding for outdoor recreation or habitat conservation projects? RCO kicks off its biennial grant application cycle with a series of webinars on February 14. More

ARPA reports are due April 30 – Take steps now to prepare. More

Wellness health image Elected Officials Essentials: Your first 100 days
Whether you’re with us at City Action Days this week or advocating for cities from home, don’t miss these indispensable advocacy resources:

Strong cities advocacy guide: Find information on how to engage with your legislators, local media, and community to secure a strong city-state partnership and increase positive legislative outcomes for cities.
PDC lobbying guidelines: Learn about important legal restrictions on using city resources to engage constituents in grassroots lobbying campaigns on legislative issues.

AWC trainings & events

AWC: City Action Calls (AWC members only) | February 9 at 12:30 | Online

AWC: Elected Officials Essentials webinar series | 2024 dates | Online

February 15: AWC 101
March 21: Ethics 101
April 18: GMA planning 101
May 16: Finance 101
September 12: Social media 101
October 17: Tribal government relations 101
November 7: Human resources 101

AWC: Mayors Exchange (Join wait list) | February 22 | Olympia

Trust: Healthy Worksite Summit | March 13-14 | Lynnwood

Other trainings & events

MRSC: Using surplus public property for affordable housing | February 20 | Online

MRSC: The OPMA – Common challenges and practical considerations | February 29 | Online

NLC: Congressional City Conference | March 9-13 | Washington, D.C.

MRSC: Digging into public works fundamentals (Free) | March 21 | Wenatchee

Lake Stevens: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification course | Thursdays March 26 to May 21 | Lake Stevens

RDI: Regards to Rural conference | April 19-20 | Kennewick

State Archives: Records management workshops | Multiple dates | Online

Check out this quick video to see how AWC JobNet connects you with the most qualified job seekers for public service!

Featured jobs:
City of Des Moines | Public Works Director
City of Wenatchee | Project Engineer
City of Cle Elum | City Planner