2025 EDC Legislative Priorities
The Economic Development Council of Mason County is focused on supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs in our community. We recognize the tremendous value local employers bring to our economy, and it is our mission to provide them with the support they need to grow their businesses. This support begins with advocating for a fair regulatory environment, modern infrastructure, workforce training and career pathways, and affordable housing. Our 2025 priorities reflect our partners’ needs to successfully create jobs and housing in Mason County.
2025 EDC LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES:
Support investments in infrastructure. As the first point of contact in the site selection process, the EDC routinely assists employers looking to locate or expand in Mason County. While we have access to developable land, we face infrastructure limitations. In recent years, more than a dozen firms were initially interested in Mason County sites but we were unable to meet their infrastructure needs resulting in missed potential of more than 850 jobs and $750 million in capital investment. This session, we are supportive of projects focused on freight mobility, power, and water based on recent site selection discussions. Our focus is on projects that will improve site readiness in specific areas of Mason County where development is likely to occur.
The following are priority projects:
· WSDOT and Mason County – SR 3 Freight Corridor | $80,000,000 | Belfair UGA
· Mason PUD 3 – Gateway Feeder Extension and Olympic Ridge Substation | $4,000,000 | Belfair UGA
· City of Shelton – Mountainview Pressure Zone Reservoir | $4,000,000 | Shelton UGA
· Mason PUD 1 – Water system improvement projects | $2,550,000 | Rural Unincorporated
Support utility relocation funding for critical fish passage barrier removal projects. Replacement projects are often designed and budgeted for without consideration of impacts on local utility providers, placing the burden on local ratepayers. We appreciate the work you did on this issue last session and look forward to more progress in 2025.
Support Department of Commerce funding requests for the Community Economic Revitalization Board and Public Works Trust Fund to build infrastructure to help foster job growth in urban and rural counties, and funding for grants for shovel-ready manufacturing sites.
Support and protect state-level leadership and funding for economic development, including full support for Business Recruitment, Retention & Expansion programs. Over the last six years, Associate Development Organizations (ADO/EDC) in Washington have helped over 700 businesses expand or develop new facilities and assisted 226 startups. These companies have invested more than $2 billion in land, buildings, and equipment. These growing businesses have created more than 13,000 new jobs and are expected to generate more than $100 million in new tax revenue for Washington state and local communities annually. Every state dollar leverages a match of at least six dollars from other public and private sources.
