HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025.12.08 Council Special Workshop Packet
AGENDA
Special Workshop
6:00 PM - Monday, December 8, 2025
Pasco City Hall, Council Chambers & Microsoft Teams Webinar
Page
1. MEETING INSTRUCTIONS for REMOTE ACCESS - To listen to the
meeting via phone, call 1-332-249-0718 and use access code 356 455 89#.
City Council meetings are broadcast live on PSC-TV Channel 191 on
Charter/Spectrum Cable in Pasco and Richland and streamed at
www.pasco-wa.gov/psctvlive and on the City’s Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/cityofPasco.
Audio equipment available for the hearing impaired; contact the Clerk for
assistance.
Servicio de intéprete puede estar disponible con aviso. Por favor avisa la
Secretaria Municipal dos dias antes para garantizar la disponiblidad.
(Spanish language interpreter service may be provided upon request.
Please provide two business day's notice to the City Clerk to ensure
availability.)
2. CALL TO ORDER
3. ROLL CALL
4. DISCUSSION WITH WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATORS
2 - 6 (a) 2026 Legislative Delegation Briefing
5. ADJOURNMENT
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AGENDA REPORT
FOR: City Council December 4, 2025
TO: Harold Stewart, City Manager City Council Workshop
Meeting: 12/8/25
FROM: Richa Sigdel, Deputy City Manager
City Manager
SUBJECT: 2026 Legislative Delegation Briefing
I. ATTACHMENT(S):
2026 Legislative Agenda
II. ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL / STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Discussion
III. FISCAL IMPACT:
None
IV. HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF:
Background:
Each year the City of Pasco meets with members of the local legislative
delegation to review priority projects, funding needs, and policy items included
in the City’s Legislative Agenda. This briefing provides an opportunity for the
City Council and staff to outline the City’s 2026 legislative priorities and for
legislators partnership discuss and questions, offer comments, to ask
opportunities for the upcoming session.
Impacts (other than fiscal):
This briefing enhances communication and collaboration with legislators,
supports aligned advocacy efforts, and ensures shared understanding of the
City’s needs and priorities heading into the legislative session.
V. DISCUSSION:
The discussion topics for the 2026 Legislative Agenda include regional training
needs, transportation and interchange improvements, critical water and utility
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infrastructure projects, and policy items of statewide interest to the City.
6:00 – 6:05 PM: Introductions
6:05 – 6:45 PM: Pasco City Council & City Staff Review City's 2026 Legislative
Agenda
Regional Police Training Academy
Road 76 Overpass
US 12/A Street Interchange
Butterfield Water Treatment Plant Improvements
Water Banking Grants
Policy Issues
6:45 – 7:00 PM: Legislator Comments
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Pasco requests $972,000 in state funding to upgrade the Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) Pasco
Campus to meet growing regional training needs and modern policing standards. The proposed improvements
include security fencing, restroom renovations, and a new portable classroom to expand capacity and enhance
the quality of instruction. These upgrades will allow the campus to host additional CJTC classes, support
mandated training programs, and provide a safer, more professional learning environment for recruits and
lateral officers. This investment will strengthen public safety across the region by ensuring officers are well-
prepared to serve and protect our communities.
2026 State Legislative Priorities
REGIONAL POLICE TRAINING ACADEMY
Pasco requests state funding to advance the Road 76 Overpass Project to create a multimodal connection
across I-182, which currently divides neighborhoods from commercial areas, complicating local travel patterns.
The overpass project will reduce travel distances and decrease daily vehicle miles by 6,300 by 2045. The City
has received a Federal Surface Transportation Block Grant at $3.79 million to be matched with $1 million of
City funds for design and right-of-way acquisition. The City requests $30 million for construction and can be
ready to utilize construction funds as early as 2028. This project is ranked as one of the region’s top
transportation projects by the Benton Franklin Council of Governments (BFCOG).
ROAD 76 OVERPASS:
Pasco requests state funding to perform a comprehensive analysis of State Route 12 from the intersections of
A Street to Tank Farm/Sacajawea Park Road to develop practical solutions that will improve safety and
economic vitality for the region. Given the recent increase in crashes and the expected rise in traffic volumes,
including significant freight traffic, the analysis will aim to identify safety concerns, develop alternatives,
perform stakeholder engagement, and develop conceptual design and planning estimates. The City requests
$3 million to complete the analysis. This project is identified in the region’s Transportation Priorities adopted by
Benton Franklin Council of Governments (BFCOG).
BUTTERFIELD WATER TREATMENT PLANT IMPROVEMENTS
US 12/A STREET TRAFFIC STUDY
Pasco’s Butterfield Water Treatment Plant was originally built in 1946, with updates made between 1958 and
1999. While it has served our community for decades, the facility is now outdated and facing serious
challenges. It can no longer meet future demand or efficiently treat certain harmful substances like
cyanotoxins, which are becoming more common in our water sources. To protect public health and ensure a
safe, reliable water supply for our growing community, the City must upgrade the plant. These improvements
will modernize the treatment process, increase capacity, and add advanced treatment methods like pre-
ozonation to better remove contaminants. However, without outside funding, the cost of this project will fall
entirely on our residents through utility rate increases. Current projections show that water rates will nearly
double in the next four years to cover the cost. Total cost is $220-260 million; City is requesting $80 million in
low interest loans, grants, and other sources to start the design and construction of this critical infrastructure
while reducing significant impact to vulnerable ratepayers.
RESTORE WATER BANKING GRANTS
Department of Ecology’s Water Banking Grant provides funding for cities and other local agencies to
purchase water rights and establish a municipal water bank. This is essential for securing a reliable water
supply to support the city’s rapid growth, prevent future shortages, and protect local water resources. The
grant also ensures a portion of water is dedicated to environmental benefits, helping maintain healthy river
ecosystems. City was in consideration to receive up to $4 million. However, funding for the grant program
was reduced during the 2025 session. The City asks that funding to the program be restored.Page 4 of 6
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
Local Community
Decision-Making
Pasco opposes any proposals that restrict, mandate, or otherwise interfere with the city’s ability
to make local decisions that are informed by public processes and community engagement.
Housing Affordability
Pasco supports efforts to bring more affordable housing to the Pasco community including
reduced barriers to constructing housing and grant funding through programs like the Housing
Trust Fund.
Homelessness
Pasco supports additional tools to assist cities and nonprofits in addressing homelessness,
including resources for the city’s resource navigator program. Additionally, the City asks that the
Legislature continue to empower cities to address homeless encampments and vehicle
residences in a compassionate but effective manner and opposes any limiting state definitions,
regulations, or mandates.
The City of Pasco Policy Issues
City Manager's Office
City of Pasco
509-544-3060
COMMUNITY SAFETY
Crime Reduction and
Prevention
Pasco supports policies to reduce and prevent crime in the community, including efforts to
reduce and prevent gang violence.
Law Enforcement
Recruitment and Retention
Pasco supports increased funding for public safety efforts, including funding and policies to
recruit, hire, train, and retain law enforcement officers, including but not limited to ongoing
support for regional training academies.
Juvenile Interrogations Pasco supports legislation clarifying that officers can interrogate juveniles.
Traffic Safety Pasco supports legislation and grant funding to improve traffic safety through the
implementation of traffic calming measures.
Fentanyl & Opioid Epidemic Pasco supports prioritizing solutions to the fentanyl and opioid epidemic, including funding to
first responders for Narcan.
Behavioral Health
(Mental Health & Substance
Use)
Pasco supports investments in the state’s behavioral health system, including crisis response,
detox facilities, outpatient case management services, and more.
Public Defense
Pasco is responsible for providing public defense services to indigent defendants of
misdemeanor charges. The City supports state policies to assist in recruiting public defenders
and allocating the necessary funding needed to meet public defense caseload standards
recently adopted by the Washington State Supreme Court.
Automated License Plate
Readers
Pasco supports a balanced legislative approach to Automated License Plate Recognition
(ALPR) technology that addresses community privacy concerns while preserving the system's
utility for public safety, including mitigating public records issue and liability exposure for data not
accessed.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Grant Proposals
Pasco opposes defunding grant programs that benefit city projects, including but not limited to
the Public Works Assistance Account, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, Water
Banking, Complete Streets, Safe Routes to Schools, and more.
State-Shared Revenues Pasco supports preserving and enhancing state-shared revenue streams.
Unfunded Mandates Pasco opposes any unfunded mandates that increase costs to cities without additional state
funding provided.
Briahna Murray, Lobbyist
Gordon Thomas Honeywell, GR
253-310-5477 bmurray@gth-gov.com
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FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY CONTINUED
Public Records Act Pasco supports any proposals that reduce the impact of abusive public records requests and
litigation.
Election of Judges Pasco opposes legislation mandating that part-time municipal court judges be elected rather
than appointed.
Insurance Costs
Recent legislation and subsequent court decisions have increased the legal liability of public
entities, resulting in higher rates for liability coverage. The City’s liability rates increased by 27%
from 2022 to 2023 and by another 17% from 2023 to 2024. The City supports efforts to protect
against liability expansion and opposes new policies that would drive additional claims and
increase litigation costs.
The City of Pasco Policy Issues
City Manager's Office
City of Pasco
509-544-3060
COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION NETWORK
Tri-Cities Mobility Pasco supports efforts to explore a third crossing over the Columbia River to improve regional
mobility throughout the Tri-Cities.
Foster Wells Interchange Pasco supports Franklin County’s request for the Foster Wells Interchange project, which aims
to improve traffic flow and access to the growing area around the Foster Wells Road corridor.
ECONOMIC VITALITY
Water Rights
Pasco is a growing community with a finite water supply. The City supports legislative efforts to
allow the city to increase water rights to meet the needs of the growing community. Additionally,
Pasco recognizes that water conservation must be part of the solution in making the most with
available water rights.
Economic Development Tools
Pasco supports economic development tools to spur development downtown and in key
commercial corridors, including funding for an industrial symbiosis project at the Port of Pasco
and retaining and enhancing tax increment financing.
DNR Property within the UGA
Pasco is opposed to DNR buying land within the City’s UGA and asks that DNR divest itself of
the undeveloped agricultural land it currently owns within the UGA and keep the associated
water rights with said land, not moving them outside city limits.
Annexation Pasco supports incentives that encourage annexation, including utilizing utility extensions, and
mechanisms that facilitate the annexation of unincorporated islands.
Growth Management Pasco opposes any proposals that create new planning obligations within the Growth
Management Act that are not coupled with adequate funding.
Shrub Steppe/Critical Areas Pasco supports revisions to SEPA and critical areas within city limits to reduce regulations
related to shrub steppe to support infill development.
Environmental Justice
Integration
Pasco is opposed to including environmental justice as an element of the environment and
develop mitigation guidance for addressing potential adverse impacts under SEPA.
Briahna Murray, Lobbyist
Gordon Thomas Honeywell, GR
253-310-5477 bmurray@gth-gov.com
The City supports AWC legislative agenda items that serve the best interests of Pasco.
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