Many were relieved when a divided state Legislature arrived at a late compromise Monday night, allowing Gov. Jay Inslee to sign the budget before a June 30 deadline shut down state government.
As noted in a story on today’s front page, the negotiations got messy, and may have resulted in a $2 billion shortfall in the state budget. Paired with overall frustration over an extended legislative session, lawmakers are facing criticism for failing to complete their work correctly in the allotted time.
Still, while those criticisms carry truth, so to does the reality that legislators here in the 20th District will leave Olympia having accomplished a lot for their constituents.
The projects are outlined in a story on page Main 11. Centralia College finally has secured money to build the TransAlta Student Commons. Rural towns such as Pe Ell and Onalaska were granted money for important local projects. Funding was provided for a potential new Interstate 5 interchange north of Centralia, while additional money was granted for improvements to the stretch from Mellen Street to Chamber Way.
All told, there was $46 million allocated for local projects in the state capital budget, and another $130 million was allocated locally in the state transportation budget. The district will also see some of the $56.5 million for projects covering multiple areas.
The Lewis County area was able to gain funding for these important projects through the work of a diverse and experienced trio of Republican legislators — Ed Orcutt, John Braun and Richard DeBolt.
Sen. Braun, R-Centralia, took an important negotiating position in the session, meeting with top Senate Democrats to hammer out a deal that met the approval of both sides of the aisle.
Rep. Orcutt, R-Kalama, saw to it that several local projects were added to the slate as the Legislature rumbled to a finish. Likewise, Rep. DeBolt, R-Chehalis, likely used his vast experience and clout on the capitol to bring dollars to promising local projects.
That’s not to say the session was perfect — far from it. The county lost out on potential funding for flood mitigation in the transportation budget, with nearly $80 million being removed from the package after the money was cited as a reason for Braun’s support for a sizeable increase in the gas tax.
Fortunately, $50 million was included in the capital budget for flood projects.
And of course, the potential $2 billion shortfall in the budget signed Tuesday by Inslee shows the downfalls of waiting until the last minute to complete a deal that could have been made weeks ago.
Still, we’re pleased to see that the extended session resulted in important projects here in our area. Here’s hoping that next session the work will be done in a more timely and organized fashion.
