City sets goals for upcoming state legislative session

The city of Yakima has a long wish list for the 2009 legislative session in Olympia, ranging from permission to randomly drug-test police officers and restored funding for gang prevention programs to more money for new downtown sidewalks.

Normally the state's projected budget deficit of more than $5 billion would put a kibosh on the city's hopes and dreams.

But the possibility of a massive federal stimulus package that would be administered at least in part at the state level has injected a certain hopefulness among city officials.

Mayor Dave Edler said city officials have been faithfully maintaining a wide variety of proposed capital spending projects on infrastructure needs like streets and irrigation lines for this very contingency.

"At this point we don't know how the dollars are going to be disbursed," he said of President-elect Obama's proposal for creating jobs through road and infrastructure projects. "But if there's going to be stimulus funding, we've got lots of projects that are shovel-ready."

Topping the city's shovel-ready list is Phase 4 of the Downtown Futures Initiative, better known as the sidewalk replacement project.

The city wants $6.4 million to continue sprucing up downtown. So far more than $10 million in state, federal and local money has been poured into beautifying downtown, and city officials want to keep up the momentum.

Also near the top of the wish list is the final funding for construction of twin railroad underpasses on Lincoln Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The city has lined up $35 million for the project, billed as the biggest public works project in the Yakima's history. City officials need another $8 million to complete the funding. Regardless of whether the additional money is secured, groundbreaking on the first underpass is expected to take place sometime this year.

Rounding out the must-haves is $2.4 million to rebuild a stretch of Nob Hill Boulevard to accommodate the new West Valley Wal-Mart store.

The city also wants $5 million for road repairs and another $4.6 million for the new pavilion at the Capitol Theatre.

* Chris Bristol can be reached at 577-7748 or cbristol@yakimaherald.com.

City's goals for 2009 Washington Legislature

* Gang bill: Restore state funding for prevention, intervention and suppression programs that were cut from last year's gang bill.

* Random drug testing: Build support for a state law allowing cities and counties to randomly drug-test police officers and firefighters.

* Sidewalks: Secure $6.4 million for continued beautification project in downtown Yakima. Includes $2.8 million for improvements to the Yakima Convention Center campus.

* Underpasses: Secure $8 million to complete funding of $43 million for construction of twin railroad underpasses on Lincoln Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

* Nob Hill Boulevard: Secure $2.4 million to rebuild a portion of Nob Hill Boulevard in conjunction with consruction of new West Valley Wal-Mart store.

* Streets: Secure $5 million in funding for a variety of road repair projects around the city.

* Capitol Theatre: Secure $4.6 million for financing of proposed Capitol Theatre pavilion, part of an overall expansion project now under way.

* Pensions: Oppose Select Committee on Pension Policy proposal that would expand or enhance insurance coverage, disability and death benefits.

* Annexation: Seek legislation streamlining the annexation process for property within Urban Growth Boundaries.

* REET: Expand eligible uses of real estate excise tax (or REET) to include public safety capital needs, such as purchase of new fire engines.