Our Guys In Olympia Legislators From The Valley Keep Tabs On Construction Projects And Political Issues That Impact Home District

Surrounded by marble walls and the white-collar atmosphere of the Capitol, Bob McCaslin, Mark Sterk, and Larry Crouse are faced with representing blue-collar interests.

Literally hundreds of miles from their families, friends, and the familiar flavor of their homes in the Spokane Valley, the three Republican legislators have spent most of this year’s session pushing their own agendas through the committees on which they serve.

But they have also kept an eye on issues important to their constituents. The proposed Mirabeau Point community center, growth management reform, and transportation are among the top Valley issues.

Getting money to get the Mirabeau Point complex off the ground may be the Valley’s top priority, but it has received the least attention in the Legislature. Organizers are asking for $1.8 million for planning and design, a typical request before construction funds are requested.

But Gov. Gary Locke excluded the project from his capital budget proposal, opting to put more money into schools. Lawmakers say that will make it tougher for the project to get any money this year and that organizers may have to come back in 1999.

McCaslin, a senator in his 17th year in Olympia, is the Legislature’s leading voice in support of the project. He hopes to push the project into the Senate’s capital budget, due out Monday, saying the complex would be of regional interest.

“What can you think of in Eastern Washington that’s really an attraction?” McCaslin asked. “If Mirabeau Point isn’t established, there is going to be industry (on that site). We’ll have future growth, just not for what (residents) want.”

With $83 million in unfunded road projects, transportation is also a prime concern for the Valley. The state Department of Transportation has identified 10 unfunded Valley projects that need approval.

But lawmakers aren’t optimistic there will be money available for a lavish transportation budget. Sterk, a member of the House Transportation, Policy, and Budget Committee, said he wants to see $100 million in motor vehicle excise tax revenue shifted from the general fund to the transportation budget.

Sterk is also sponsoring a bill that would allow public transit systems, such as Spokane Transit Authority, to help pay for street repairs in cities and counties. The bill cleared the House this week and is now headed for the Senate.

But even that wouldn’t provide construction money for any of the Valley’s major projects, including millions of dollars in improvements to Interstate 90 and state Highway 290. Some lawmakers say only a gas tax increase would generate enough revenue to provide for any new construction projects statewide.

All three Valley legislators say they will be hard-pressed to support such a hike.

“There’s a lot of issues we can look at and shuffle some numbers,” said Crouse, a House Republican. “I don’t believe we need to throw money at the problem.”

Sterk says he will support a gas tax increase only if his transit bill and the motor vehicle excise tax shift are passed. Neither is certain. Spokane Republican Jim West, the top budget writer in the Senate, says there is no money available to shift to the transportation budget, assuming voters approve the property tax cuts the Legislature has sent them.

“Transportation, I don’t know if there is a solution,” McCaslin said, pausing to think it over.

McCaslin has also led the charge to dismantle the state’s Growth Management Act. That’s the law enacted in 1991 that mandates local governments plan for growth by determining where development will be allowed and where it will be prohibited. Despite pleas from builders, landowners, and authorities from Eastern Washington and around the state who seek more flexibility, it appears only minor changes will be made to the law.

All three Valley legislators oppose the GMA. As chair of the Senate Government Operations Committee, McCaslin has introduced legislation to repeal the GMA and to let counties opt out of GMA planning. Both bills died after failing to draw significant support.

McCaslin has since sought legislation that would be able to both improve the GMA and get the governor’s signature. Last month McCaslin agreed to introduce a bill put forth by the Land Use Study Commission, a group organized to recommend GMA changes to the Legislature.

The commission recommended only minor changes, including offering a more clear definition of rural lands, and allowing parties involved in a dispute over their comprehensive land-use plans to have their dispute settled in Superior Court.

McCaslin isn’t alone in his discontent with the GMA proceedings.

“I’m disappointed with what’s going on with growth management,” Sterk said. “I wanted to see it repealed or allow Spokane County to opt out. With the boundaries now drawn it’s going to have an impact on property values.”

Of all the local issues, nothing has kept local legislators as quiet as grass-field burning. Two weeks ago, lawmakers let a bill die that would have ended a grass-burning phaseout mandated by the Department of Ecology. Local opponents, including doctors, say the smoke causes health problems. Valley legislators say the debate is not one they are eager to enter.

“I have a lot of friends out in the 9th District who grow grass but I have told them the grass burning days are pretty much over,” Sterk said. “Larry and Bob and I couldn’t vote for that. It puts us in a tough position because it puts us between friends.”

The school levy lid is also of Valley concern. Currently, local schools operate on a levy that stands at 24 percent of a school district’s state and federal money. Several years ago, lawmakers agreed to let the lid drop to 20 percent beginning next year, a change that will cost the Valley’s three districts about $3 million in 1998.

This week, a bill to raise the lid back to 24 percent in 1999 was voted down in the Senate. Locke included a provision in his budget that would return the lid to 24 percent by 1999. The Senate budget didn’t and it is doubtful a similar provision will be included in the House budget.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MEETINGS State Reps. Larry Crouse and Mark Sterk plan town hall meetings today in the Valley. The meetings will be held at 10 a.m. at the Tri-Community Grange, near the corner of Trent Avenue and Starr Road, and at 1:30 p.m. at the Valley Library, 12004 E. Main.