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Bills aim to warm business climate

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, February 14, 2002

By Bryan Corliss / Herald Writer

By Bryan Corliss

Herald Writer

The state House of Representatives considered Thursday the last pieces of a package of bills intended to make the state more attractive to business.

"We’ve made some real headway here," said Rep. Aaron Reardon, the Everett Democrat who headed the party’s effort to get the bills through the House. "It’s the first time in seven years we’ve made any progress toward any economic development package."

The legislation was spawned by recommendations of a competitiveness council formed last year after the Boeing Co. announced it was moving its headquarters to Chicago and made complaints about the state’s business climate. The council, which included Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Alan Mulally, called for improvements in the state’s regulatory and tax systems.

Some of the recommendations have been implemented by executive orders from Gov. Gary Locke, Reardon said. But others required legislative action, and those bills moving through the Legislature now are those that reasonably could be passed during this year’s 60-day session.

Some of the changes are small, Reardon said. But in sum they streamline businesses taxes and permitting procedures, and provide funding for local economic development projects.

The legislation is very much in line with what the Snohomish County business community is looking for, said Diana Dollar, the Snohomish County Economic Development Council’s policy analyst.

The council is working on local permit streamlining rules that would dovetail with those proposed at the state level, she said.

By Thursday evening, the House already had approved:

  • House Bill 2623, which raises the threshold for the types of projects that require "substantial development" permits for work along shorelines from $2,500 to $5,000. Under the old limit, which was set in 1971 and never adjusted for inflation, people who bought prefabricated sheds from Home Depot sometimes were required to get permits, a fact that led to clogs in the permitting process, Reardon said.

  • HB 2844, which allows businesses to propose alternative methods to complying with environmental laws. Regulators can accept the proposals if they result in more effective and efficient environmental results.

  • HB 2437, which provides for tax increment financing for downtown or neighborhood revitalization projects. Through the bill, cities or towns would be allowed to raise property taxes in a project area while diverting those new funds to help pay for the project.

  • HB 2357, which allows local governments to establish local improvement districts and give financial and technical assistance to anyone trying to create or retain jobs, while also streamlining the process for buying and developing land.

  • HB 2753, which sets up a legislative task force to evaluate state land use, planning, environmental and permitting statutes.

    You can call Herald Writer Bryan Corliss at 425-339-3454

    or send e-mail to corliss@heraldnet.com.

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