A district presenter said Brunswick County has reached Work Ready Community level 3 and credited schools and partners for 3,128 qualifying students; staff outlined steps to increase employer take‑up and move to higher certification levels.

Officials previewed Washington Saves, a state‑facilitated retirement savings program slated to open July 1, 2027, that will automatically enroll employees at covered employers, offer portable Roth IRA accounts and require registration by small employers who lack qualified retirement plans.

ODOT awarded a multi-year contract for a statewide vanpool program; Metro staff outlined subsidies (up to 50% of monthly costs), program features, employer outreach plans including a webinar on Oct. 15, and an initial target list of roughly 20 Clackamas County employers for recruitment.

DEW officials said the Find Your Future portal will centralize workforce, credential and career information; the legislature provided $10.3 million nonrecurring and $2.8 million recurring funds for the build and an RFP is planned for late September.

The committee forwarded an interlocal to provide CTR technical services to SeaTac ($45,000/year paid to Federal Way), accepted $44,300 in WSDOT CTR technical funding for 2025–27, and advanced a $500,000 TIB grant match for a $1 million City Center Greenway. Staff said funds support employer outreach, surveys, and program administration rather than purchase of vehicles.

The Bay Area Chamber’s Hey Bay City initiative reported steady engagement in 2025 — including about 61,000 job views and a year-end balance just over $23,000 — while leaders said direct evidence of long-term retention of students and out-of-market visitors is still limited.

Staff unveiled county‑level cost modeling and three scenarios (6‑region cost‑based map at 95% alignment, contiguous balanced map at 78%, and 7‑region map at 85%) to improve public‑agency/school premium alignment; staff plans employer outreach and a November recommendation, while board members asked for migration, ZIP‑code, and termination‑window sensitivity analysis.