10/27/2026 Finance/Economic Development/Regional Affairs Committee

The City of Federal Way Finance/Economic Development/Regional Affairs Committee met October 27, 2026, and forwarded several spending and procurement items for City Council consideration. These included a proposed CivicPlus agenda-management system contract, with a $24,013 first-year investment funded through existing budget savings and an anticipated Q1 2027 launch; renewal of Axon Evidence.com licenses for the City Prosecutor’s Office for $78,216.65 over five years; and acceptance of an $8,500 Washington Traffic Safety Commission grant for targeted enforcement. The committee also forwarded a proposal to pay eligible police employees one-time retention bonuses of up to $5,000, funded by a state grant that includes $935,000 for bonuses. For renovation of the Patrick Mar Room Emergency Operations Center, members forwarded a Department of Commerce grant and required upfront spending of up to $83,420, reimbursable by the state; staff reported a project bid estimate of roughly $50,000 or more. A technical amendment to the therapeutic court agreement was described as having no financial or deliverable changes.

The committee discussed the 2027 city fee schedule, including proposed engineering-review fee increases intended to fund an additional civil plan reviewer, and community-center membership and rental fee increases to address rising operating costs; the transcript does not clearly establish the outcome of the fee-schedule vote. Members forwarded a slate of lodging-tax tourism grants, including awards recommended for sports-event bidding, the performing arts center, sporting competitions, and other events. They also forwarded a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant fund authorization and the 2025–26 budget amendment for further Council action. September accounts-payable vouchers totaling approximately $5.3 million were forwarded for approval. Members discussed inviting Federal Way businesses to compete for city work, including dry-cleaning services, but no local-business preference or purchasing-policy change was adopted.