The Federal Way City Council and mayor along with lobbyists shared their priorities for the next legislative session with 30th Legislative District State Sen. Claire Wilson and recently re-elected State Reps. Jamila Taylor and Kristine Reeves on Nov. 7 at the Federal Way Community Center.
The council’s priorities focused on public safety, infrastructure improvements and local control. They also spoke to the city’s stance on other issues.
Operating budget
One city priority is a request for $200,000 for flock cameras as a “force multiplier for proactive response” for the Federal Way Police Department.
Councilmember Linda Kochmar said that while the city already has 260 SafeCity cameras, flock cameras would be able to partner with those already existing cameras “across jurisdictions to follow the person from Auburn to Federal Way … so that’s a wonderful thing when you’re worried about your car being stolen.”
Flock cameras have license plate reading technology that can help police locate a suspect quickly.
Legislators asked if there are examples of times this type of camera has been helpful for the FWPD and Chief Andy Hwang shared a recent child abduction case that happened by Federal Way High School.
“We didn’t have the license plate, just a vehicle description … the flock cameras in Tukwila, based on the information we entered, found, located that vehicle for us and then we had the license plate and we put that out far and wide … a state trooper in Moses Lake located the vehicle,” Hwang said.
Rep. Reeves also asked about privacy concerns and for more information about how data on citizens would be stored, especially in light of the new presidential administration.
Chief Hwang assured them that the data isn’t stored longer than 30 days and only “captures the vehicle as it goes away, so there’s no facial recognition,” it just captures the license plate and some details about the vehicle description.
Transportation
The city shared requests for four transportation projects with a $1 million request for a roundabout at 373rd Street as their top priority. The council shared that based on collision reports, since 201,5 there have been seven deaths, 11 accidents resulting in disabling injuries and 24 accidents with evident injuries.
Sen. Wilson shared some context for how transportation funding is awarded in response to those requests.
“Transportation is kind of odd because you can ask for the same project over and over and over again, which we know you have,” Wilson said. She explained the project then goes on a list and every session the conversation becomes about what’s going to be most important as a city and “what is your top priority?”
Wilson shared that the initiative on the ballot this year would have ended the Climate Commitment Act didn’t pass: “If that did pass, we would have even more challenges in our transportation projects and funding. So there’s a light, a little bit of a light here, where there may not be in some of the other budgets, ” Wilson said.
Other transportation requests include the City Center Access Project near the mainline of I-5 at the 320th Street interchange, a Circulation/Traffic Capacity Downtown project to focus on pedestrian access and safety, and improvements to the SW 336th Street to SW 340th Street corridor.
Initiatives
Other feedback to the local representatives from the City of Federal Way included maintaining local control for homelessness issues, reducing barriers for the construction of new condominiums, and increased mental health and addiction resources.
The city councilmembers also made it clear that they oppose “caseload standards that are not based on a thorough study of the Washington state court system” and urged “the state to provide financial support for indigent defense” as they stated in their legislative priorities materials.
The city council asked for “mental health and addiction resources,” with Councilmember Susan Honda stating that “it’s something that our community comes and talks to us frequently about every other week.”
The representatives shared that they are committed to helping with those things, but pointed out that “you have complete control over what you permit in the city, and if you continue to say no on everything, then you still will feel the impacts of all the resources that are going to other areas,” Rep. Taylor said.
As one example, Taylor brought up a Recovery Innovations (RI) behavioral health facility crisis center that the city received $2.5 million for in 2022.
“My understanding from RI International is that they were not able to get approval and that they were were looking to get some support,” Taylor said.
Ultimately the council and representatives committed to continued dialogue about the issue and how to collaborate on providing more behavioral health, homelessness and addiction resources within Federal Way.
30th District State Sen. Claire Wilson and community leader Jaqueline Garcia Castillo of Mujer al Volante talk at the Legislative Agenda Breakfast. Photos by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror
The Legislative Agenda Breakfast pulled a large crowd. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror
Senator Claire Wilson and Representatives Jamila Taylor and Kristine Reeves. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror
Councilmembers Lydia Assefa-Dawson, Paul McDaniel, Susan Honda and Linda Kochmar as well as Mayor Jim Ferrell share the legislative priorities of the City of Federal Way with local representatives.
Senator Claire Wilson and Dr. Janis Clark share a moment at the Legislative Agenda Breakfast. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror
Lana Bostic of the Federal Way Senior Commission spread a positive message with her sweatshirt at the Legislative Agenda Breakfast. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror
