House Democrats want to let local government approve property tax increases without voter approval. The bill would allow a city or county to increase property taxes by as much as 5% without asking for voter approval based off of a new formula they have created. Rep. Kristine Lytton (D-Anacortes), “said everyone hates property taxes but local governments need more revenue to help them meet increased demand for services as population grows.”

Senate passes a two-year capital budget proposal. $1.1 billion of this budget will be for funding for renovating and modernizing K-12 education facilities in rural counties, skill centers, and class-size reduction. The House has yet to pass a capital budget proposal.

Senate votes to eliminate wholesale auto dealer licenses to reduce fraud. No licenses would be issued after July 1 and in two years they will be completely eliminated. The bill is to help “protect consumers against title washing, odometer fraud and misrepresentations,” and is now on Gov. Inslee’s desk to be signed.

Everett Community College asked “self-identified… Caucasian” Washington State Patrol recruiters to not come to a minority students job and career fair. The request was later confirmed to be rescinded by the WSP and the college. “Everett Community College, they righted the wrong after we made the inquiry to the state patrol… the state patrol called the college (and) confirmed that they’d been uninvited because the recruiters were white,” Dori Monson reported on his show.

Gary Wasdin, director of King County Library Systems, stepped down after violating code of conduct. Wasdin stepped down during a meeting of the board of trustees after two years of serving as a director. His salary was $200,000. “Mr. Wasdin has chosen to resign his position effective immediately and the Board fully agrees with this decision,” said board President Jim Wigfall.

Seattle Police Department body-cam program delayed. City Attorney Pete Holmes has requested a hearing with a federal judge to determine whether or not officers should be allowed to watch body-cam footage prior to writing their police reports. SPD wants them to have the right to do so while Federal Monitor Merrick Bobb disagrees.

Snohomish County approves $72 million courthouse for Everett. The money will be used to renovate the current building, which is 50-years old, and increase the size of the structure. The money to pay for the renovations comes from a bond sold by the county in 2013 specifically for courthouse renovation and improvements.

Spokane Transit Authority sales tax increase starts Saturday. The increase will be used for funding Spokane transit so busses can carry more passengers. An increase of the same amount goes into effect April 1, 2019 and overall, the increases are expected to raise $200 million between now and 2028 when the tax expires.

Hanford Nuclear Reservation has finished the demolition of the McCluskey Room. The room was named after Harold McCluskey after he survived the highest ever exposure of radiation on record, gaining the name the Atomic Man. Demolition on the Plutonium Finishing Plant is expected to be finished by September.

Do you like The Morning Briefing? Forward this to a friend! It helps us grow our community and serve you better.

If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].

If you don’t want to receive this email each morning, click here to opt-out of The Morning Briefing.