In today’s highly partisan political climate, it’s rare for legislators on both sides of the aisle to agree on anything. That was the case with the state operating budget that nearly didn’t pass this summer and with the state capital budget that didn’t pass because Republican legislators tied its passage to that of a bill dealing with rural wells and oversight around them.
The bill was created in response to a state Supreme Court ruling called the Hirst decision. Handed down last fall, it requires counties throughout the state to determine if water is physically and legally available before allowing residential permit-exempt wells to be dug. It must be proven that the well wouldn’t impact protected rivers and streams. The decision adds oversight that wasn’t there before because the state Department of Ecology was operating under the belief these permit-exempt wells didn’t affect overall water levels in protected watersheds.
As a state Supreme Court decision, changing or modifying the ruling is a power only the Legislature holds, and like many issues, this one became divided down party lines. The state’s Democrats believe the ruling created necessary oversight to protect Washington’s limited water supply and care for rivers and streams. Meanwhile, Republicans see the decision as an overreach that would prevent citizens from building homes in the state’s rural areas where permit-exempt wells are necessary. To get everyone to pay attention to the plight they believed this ruling would create for those in rural areas, the Republicans tied the passage of the state capital budget and their proposed bill — two completely unrelated issues — together.
This political practice of holding hostage an important budget or bill to make a point needs to stop. Because of the decision to not pass the capital budget, billions of dollars in construction funds for everything from $1 billion in school construction to conservation and public works statewide is sitting in limbo and until legislators can agree, will not be moving. Locally, more than $5 million of the $4 billion budget is earmarked for projects on Vashon.
Continuing to block the capital budget is causing damage to the entire state, no matter the color of the community — red or blue. Both Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-Maury Island) and Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake) say they are confident and optimistic the budget will be passed, though how or when remains a question mark.
But the citizens of Washington need more than hopeful optimism. They need certainty and funding promised for their projects. The capital budget needs to be passed.
