Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is opposing City Council member Lisa Herbold's proposal to issue almost $30 million in bonds for affordable housing. Herbold is pressing ahead with her proposal that Seattle issue almost $30 million in bonds to help create more affordable housing, that would involve cutting police funding to pay back the bonds.

Political energy, less red tape or simpler design can speed projects. So can money, say, from the federal government. Disputes about track alignments, inaccurate cost forecasts, elaborate stations or tunnels, or a recession can create delays. Now that voters have approved Sound Transit 3 for a quarter century, the question will come again: Is there a way to build the new train and bus lines faster?

The USDA and Washington State Department of Agriculture have announced $4.3 million in grants for 21 specialty crop projects. Awards range from $55,000 to $300,000 and go to agricultural commodity commissions, associations, and nonprofits.

Six Seattle City Council members said Monday they want to use the city's bonding capacity to create more affordable housing. They haven't agreed on a funding source for the debt service yet, however.

New rules are forcing states and localities to calculate how much revenue they're losing to business deals -- and whether they pay off. It's something Washington state has been doing for a decade.

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