During a 33-minute session, 31st District State Rep. Chris Hurst gave Bonney Lake councilmembers a chance to ask questions concerning the city and state.
Hurst, who is serving his fourth term, spoke at the Oct. 12 council meeting.
Hurst told the council, since the Legislature cannot fund or expand any of the state programs, there are policy decisions which affect cities that can be discussed and changed.
“If there are policy changes you would like to see us make, now is a really good time for it,” Hurst said. “We can’t deal with other pieces of the legislation that cost money.”
He said one thing legislatures are hearing from the public is eliminating some of the non-subplant language.
“Some cities are coming forward and telling us to give us more flexibility on how we spend our funds,” Hurst said. “There may be some land use issue that don’t cost money, but we can spend the policy time to develop ideas.
“I’m looking at this as an opportunity on what I can do in Olympia to advocate for issues that the people in Bonney Lake will benefit from,” Hurst said.
Hurst said school and fire districts have many ideas which they would like to see done.
“I have about 17 meeting this month I am attending,” he said.
Councilman James Rackley suggested the Legislature look at the Growth Management Act.
“There are more place that need more teeth and other places that need less teeth,” Rackley said. “That’s a good place to starting looking for more clarity.”
Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman asked Hurst about any legislative fixes for Boeing.
Hurst said the Legislature is not happy with Boeing and some of its management decisions.
He said under Gov. Gary Locke’s tenure, Boeing received a $4.2 billion tax incentive with a promise they would build airplanes in Washington.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Hurst said. “They have an airplane that simply isn’t working very well and having problems with it. Boeing has a real battle on their hands.”
Councilman Dave King asked Hurst about the state reinstalling “sin taxes.”
King said raising sin taxes would have a regressive effect on the lowest income levels for those who buy cigarettes and liquor, and comes up with a marginal amount of revenue.
Hurst said, for example, if taxes are increased on cigarettes, revenue will begin to decline.
“They’ll buy bootlegged cigarettes,” Hurst replied.
King said the state and its cities are tired of unfunded federal mandates.
“Unfortunately, this mandates are passed through the state to municipalities that are facing the challenges we are,” King noted.
Hurst said he would like to see the Legislature untie municipalities’ hand and let them spend the money any way they want to.
He said he is on the State Government Committee and he want to eliminate some of the board and commissions that are not needed.
“These boards do nothing but keep themselves alive,” Hurst said. “They are like living entities in government which do nothing but keep themselves alive.”
Councilman Mark Hamilton suggested the legislature temporary suspend the prevailing wage laws during the economic downturn in the state.
“Suspend the prevailing wage laws for small cities like Bonney Lake and Sumner so we can keep the precious resources,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton said there are lots of people unemployed who could use a “paycheck rather than no paycheck.”
Hurst said the economic crisis has not been “the greatest” for towns and cities in the state, but state experts are projecting state the economic climate is getting healthier.
“The general consensus is that we’re at the bottom, but it’s going to be a very long and slow recovery,” said Hurst. “The bad news is that we are in pretty bad shape.”
He said the state had to seal with an $8 billion budget deficit in the last Legislative session, will come in January and have another $1 billion short in the current two-year budget cycle. Hurst noted a lot of revenue has been lost since the budget was balanced.
The 31st District encompasses parts of Pierce and King counties, including Bonney Lake, Enumclaw, Buckley, Sumner and Edgewood.
