As lawmakers around the state prepare for the upcoming legislative session, legislators from the 19th and 20th districts gathered in Chehalis on Monday to discuss the priorities city and county officials have identified as areas they hope to address.
The lawmakers who attended include:
• 19th District Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen
• 19th District Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview
• 20th District Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia
• 20th District Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama
• 20th District Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
According to Lewis County’s 2025 legislative agenda, the county has identified six priorities it wants to work on:
• North Lewis County industrial access funding: During the 2024 session, Lewis County officials believed that scheduling $52 million in transportation funding for local projects was among the biggest successes in the state Legislature. Now, the county hopes the Legislature will change the scope and title of the project in legislative budget documents, a proposal they say is supported by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
• Move Ahead Washington projects: Passed during the 2022 session, Move Ahead Washington is a project to spend $17 billion through 2038 on road projects and maintenance and other infrastructure projects. The county hopes to receive additional money to fund improvements to the Ceres Hill Road bridge, improvements along the I-5 corridor and maintenance of county roads and bridges.
• Southwest Washington Fair equestrian upgrades: During the 2024 session, Abbarno secured $206,000 in the capital supplemental budget toward a “site-specific study, planning, design and engineering of a covered equestrian center.” When completed, officials hope the 180-foot by 240-foot covered equestrian center will serve as the centerpiece of a project to help revitalize the fairgrounds. As planning continues, Lewis County will seek additional funding to make the project a reality.
• Packwood sewer project: Abbarno also secured $8 million in state appropriations during the 2022 capital budget toward a county-owned and operated sewer service in the East Lewis County town. According to Lewis County, the total price tag for the project is $16 million. Lewis County has previously secured an additional $1 million grant for the project and will seek $6 million in state funding to finish the project.
• Elevator modernization: According to Lewis County, eight of the county’s elevators have been deemed by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries to not meet standards in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Lewis County will seek $1 million in state funds to help cover the $1.4 million price tag to replace the non-compliant elevators.
• Lewis County Historical Museum roof replacement: A longtime issue, Lewis County will seek $250,000 in state funds to replace the leaking roof of the museum. According to the county, the current roof is beyond repair and the damage threatens both the building and its contents.
Funding for the larger projects could be hard to come by, however. During a recent quarterly mayors meeting at the Lewis County Courthouse, John Anderson, Southwest Washington regional outreach representative for Gov. Jay Inslee, said “a lot of state agencies” have been directed to “hold steady” with their current programs and to anticipate a larger caseload.
“All that’s to say that while we are still reaching out to communities and hearing from them on their budget requests and needs, it’s going to be very difficult for legislators allocating those dollars for the next biennium,” Anderson said. “That’s kind of what we anticipate, I believe.”
While they aren’t directly asking for assistance, Lewis County plans to “emphasize the importance” of several other issues, including broadband expansion, fish passage funding, Green Hill reforms, homelessness, housing and indigent defense, among others.
Recently, the Board of Lewis County Commissioners expressed concern over the potential cost of new public defender caseload requirements.
The new caseload limits — or “standards” — adopted by the Washington State Bar Association would reduce the maximum caseload for public defenders by two-thirds, which county commissioners said would lead to increased costs to the county.
Under the Sixth Amendment, counties must provide a publicly funded defense for individuals charged with a crime who cannot afford legal representation.
According to data provided by the county, Lewis County spent between $1.3 million and $2 million on indigent defense each year between 2013 and 2022.
The Washington state Supreme Court planned to hold a public hearing on the proposed standards on Wednesday.
