TagInterlocal Agreement(170)

The cities of SeaTac, Burien, Des Moines, and Normandy Park are jointly challenging the FAA's environmental review of the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), arguing that a September 2025 Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) failed to adequately address their concerns about airport expansion impacts. The SeaTac City Council is being asked to approve a budget amendment of up to $350,000, authorize an Interlocal Agreement among the four cities, and hire two law firms to advocate for airport-affected communities. The action reflects ongoing efforts by neighboring cities to ensure environmental impacts of SEA airport growth are properly evaluated under both federal (NEPA) and state (SEPA) law.

The cities of Burien, Des Moines, and SeaTac have entered into a formal agreement to coordinate their review of, and potential legal challenges to, the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan, which could significantly impact surrounding communities over the next 20 years. The three cities agreed to share costs proportionally based on population, jointly hire environmental consultants and legal counsel, and issue unified comment letters during the NEPA and SEPA environmental review processes. Key provisions require unanimous agreement to file a joint appeal and a two-city majority to continue litigation at each subsequent stage.

The SeaTac City Council is considering an ordinance to hire outside legal counsel and update a cost-sharing agreement with the cities of Burien, Normandy Park, and Des Moines to challenge or engage with the FAA's environmental review of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport expansion plans. The four cities would jointly retain two law firms—Leech Tishman for federal NEPA matters and Ogden Murphy Wallace for state SEPA matters—at an estimated cost of $350,000, with SeaTac covering roughly 26% and recovering the rest from its partner cities. The effort is driven by the FAA's September 2025 issuance of a Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, which must be challenged by November 25, 2025.

The City of SeaTac is authorizing its City Manager to join an updated cost-sharing agreement with Burien and Des Moines to hire outside legal counsel in response to the FAA's September 2025 environmental review of the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). The cities are concerned that their comments about the airport's potential negative impacts were not adequately addressed in the FAA's Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact. To fund the legal effort, SeaTac is amending its 2025–2026 budget by adding $350,000 in expenditures and $253,000 in shared revenues to its Port ILA Fund.

The Des Moines, Washington Airport Advisory Committee met on October 13, 2025, to discuss matters related to the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) and noise-related community concerns, including a review of citizens' complaints received over the prior month. The committee voted unanimously to recommend adding legal services to an existing Interlocal Agreement related to airport planning, and reappointed Joe Dusenbury as the city's representative to the StART (Sea-Tac Airport Roundtable) noise oversight body. The November 10, 2025 follow-up meeting agenda includes a Q&A session, further StART and SAMP updates, and continued review of community complaints and communications.

The cities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and SeaTac are proposing a formal Interlocal Agreement to coordinate their response to the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), which could bring significant growth and environmental impacts to surrounding communities over the next 20 years. Under the agreement, the four cities would jointly hire consultants and legal counsel to review environmental documents, submit formal comments during the SEPA and NEPA review processes, and potentially mount legal challenges to FAA or Port decisions. Burien's share of costs is estimated at approximately $100,000.

The Normandy Park City Council held a regular meeting on August 12, 2025, covering routine consent items such as an interlocal jail services agreement and past meeting minutes, as well as new business including stormwater planning, property demolition, transportation grant applications, and ordinance updates on business licenses, utility regulations, and motorized scooters. The council also considered a proclamation on homelessness policy and accepted a City Hall building evaluation report. The meeting concluded with an executive session to discuss legal risks with counsel.

Four cities near Sea-Tac Airport — Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and SeaTac — have joined together under a formal interlocal agreement to coordinate their review of the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), which could bring significant noise and environmental impacts to surrounding communities over the next 20 years. The agreement establishes a shared process for hiring consultants, submitting joint public comments, and responding to environmental documents produced under federal (NEPA) and state (SEPA) law. The collaboration is set to run through December 31, 2027, with the City of Des Moines managing consultant contracts and the City of Burien overseeing fiscal matters.

The cities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and SeaTac are renewing a cooperative agreement to jointly review and respond to the Port of Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), which outlines future airport growth that could significantly impact neighboring communities. The new Interlocal Agreement (ILA), approved by Des Moines City Council in December 2024, extends collaboration through December 31, 2027, allowing the cities to share consultants and coordinate formal comments on the airport's environmental review process under NEPA and SEPA. Des Moines has committed up to $74,170 toward consultant services, with each city's share determined by relative population.

The Normandy Park City Council's December 10, 2024 agenda includes renewal of a lapsed Interlocal Agreement (ILA) among four cities — Normandy Park, Des Moines, Burien, and SeaTac — formed to coordinate review of the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) and its environmental impacts. The renewed agreement removes a fixed expiration date, instead allowing the partnership to continue until the SAMP environmental review process is fully complete. Normandy Park contributes 5.6% of shared costs and has participated in the collaborative effort since the ILA's original adoption in March 2018.