Each fall, local governments set priorities for the upcoming session of the legislature. In this and subsequent entries we'll look at how it's going.

Thanks to Tacoma Government Relations Officer Randy Lewis for much of this information. Additional updates will follow, as well as Mr. Lewis' view on the outlook for K-12 funding.

Two - or two and a half - big issues hang over the Legislature: education funding, both K-12 and higher ed; and the statewide transportation system. The City has a huge stake in these issues, obviously; but it also has some narrower interests.

Money.  Several of Tacoma's priorities are either direct requests for funding ($1 million for the pool at People's Center, $4 million for groundwater at the City gravel pit) or relate to keeping tax revenue (the State or the City).

The March 20 state revenue forecast was, uh, OK. That is, the State's problems don't look any worse than they did three months ago. Plenty bad, but not worse.

The Senate will introduce a budget by March 27. By April 3 bills being considered cross-chamber (House bills under discussion in the Senate, and the reverse) must be reported out of committee - or die! This can be gruesome; we are preparing a report on zombie bills.

Action on these two dates will help predict what happens to the City's money priorities.

But not all Tacoma's priorities require funding. Some essentially ask permission or encourage the State to do certain things. It's clearer how some of these are faring.

Metal Theft. Bad guys steal metal from construction sites and sell the metal to recyclers. House Bill (HB) 1552 will make it harder. The bill passed the House and will be heard in the Senate. This is progress.

How to Pay for Fire Hydrants. Traditionally Tacoma Water paid for hydrants but a recent court ruling shifted the burden to general government. The City wants help; HB 1512 would provide it. The bill passed the House and will be heard in the Senate. This is  progress.

How to Pay for Emergency Services. Voters approved a permanent levy of $0.50 per $1,000 valuation to pay for EMS. Several cities now want the ability to raise this to $0.75. HB 1136 did not make it out of committee, however. This is not progress.

Where Offenders Live. The State Department of Corrections provides housing vouchers for offenders released to live in the community. Senate Bill (SB) 5105 would encourage such housing to be "fairly" allocated across the State, as promoted by Tacoma and other cities. This is progress.

Where People Work on Cars. Many people work on cars at home. If the car is more than 30 years old - or being used for parts for such a car - it's called restoration. The City wants active restoration, a) limited to three vehicles, and b) done out of sight of adjacent property. SB 5121 would weaken the "out of sight" requirement and allow "active restoration" to be loosely defined. This is not progress.

Nuisance Abatement Liens. The City may clean up "nuisance" property and then put a lien on the title, so when the owner sells the City is repaid. There's a disconnect between the County and City lien authority and SB 5323 would reconcile the two; HB 1367 doing the same thing has already passed out of committee. The state banking association wants an amendment related to notification to banks; this could slow things down so much that nothing will be done. This may be progress.

So ... if we ignore money, education reform and the transportation system, the City is doing pretty well so far. Ignoring is bliss.

Ken Miller came to Tacoma as a community organizer in 1970. He's worked in corporate and small business, nonprofits and government.