[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6297761,"mediaKeyId","2506860-f78c784f58262a64e5ff73ff0cbb222a","parentId",2506860,"title","Lacey council approves housing, wastewater and budget ordinances; awards Lift Station 11 contract","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",6393000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2506860-f78c784f58262a64e5ff73ff0cbb222a&start=6393&end=6393","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2506860-f78c784f58262a64e5ff73ff0cbb222a/thumbnail_6393000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6297761/Lacey/Thurston-County/Washington/Lacey-council-approves-housing-wastewater-and-budget-ordinances-awards-Lift-Station-11-contract","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297761-e807321356ce23bbbcd15f101dab1718/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155704&Signature=b4Ay31N87hW5c3TmXuBB5U8mNNtqCQb0k3KOAmDGvqM3DrB8b-fpNFrDsvMQhqvyFA~uB3KpHN2TJROSQ7by1meW2JU3JxrLP5rLAakiWx3VJbKciTaKvsqLZZ6T3n3H7SlFT3pFVDq5vz8LGuVoQ8RtjcgB-dRJMScyXZ4J8JqU9MTczQC19T-srL85bszkZmlCIMyFWlWS2Q7tFfORFeUFtpTtzO9S-dSv1VeHWwUlfu~eFfqbnzFcZaSbQTGyQLcUpp~uG2ZTp5coQlnvcBQmP7gMhzfSBxJdJFZRQeUyhD6zJTou1tp-eUIIRkjRZGi~mwLHk2R2siXvzFSrFg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Lacey, WA","date","2025-03-05T17:13:26Z","article","The Lacey City Council on March 20 approved a package of ordinances and one contract award affecting housing policy, wastewater regulation and the city budget.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 16‑73 (new Lacey Municipal Code Chapter 2.74) — Disposition of Surplus Real Property for Affordable Housing: Adopted unanimously. Staff said state law authorizes no‑cost transfers of surplus property for affordable housing but requires a covenant or deed restriction guaranteeing permanent affordability and that the legislative authority have rules governing disposition. The ordinance establishes those rules and requires a council resolution to identify any property proposed for disposition.

- Ordinance 16‑74 — Adoption of revised LOT (Lacey Olympia Tumwater Thurston County) discharge and industrial pretreatment regulations: Adopted unanimously. City staff explained the LOT partnership treats wastewater for multiple jurisdictions under an NPDES permit; the ordinance adopts the updated LOT industrial pretreatment regulations into the Lacey Municipal Code and includes wording that automatically incorporates future LOT amendments into the LMC so subsequent LOT technical changes will not require repeated city ordinance updates.

- Ordinance 16‑75 — Expansion and amendment to the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program (LMC Chapter 3.64): Adopted (motion carried). Staff presented options to expand MFTE eligibility to the Neighborhood Commercial District, add a 20‑year MFTE option in targeted areas and to remove a 12‑year option cap that previously limited qualifying affordable units to 30% of a project. After extended discussion about how the 20‑year option functions in practice, the council adopted the ordinance with an amendment to strike the provision limiting qualifying affordable units to 30% (staff indicated the language came from state statute and recommended the amendment and also said staff would treat a drafting inconsistency as a scrivener’s error to be fixed in ordinance text).

- Ordinance 16‑76 — 2024 Budget Encumbrance Carryover (first budget amendment of 2025): Adopted unanimously. Staff described roughly $19 million in carryover appropriations for projects and priorities not completed in 2024; highlighted items included $3 million for a regional permanent supportive housing project, roughly $380,000 for police vehicles delayed by supply chain issues, accessibility work at a veteran services hub, grants and capital projects for transportation, utilities and parks.

Contract award

- PW2022‑11 — Lift Station 11 improvements (conversion from vacuum prime to submersible pumps): Contract awarded to low bidder Barcott Construction LLC (Chehalis, WA) in the amount of $1,113,312.39; the project came in under the staff engineer’s estimate and staff told the council they received ten bids. Staff estimated construction would begin April 2025 and described the conversion work — installing a new wet well, valve vault and modern controls — to improve reliability and make use of a generator installed in 2019.

What staff said and why it matters

City legal staff and department presenters framed the surplus‑property ordinance (16‑73) as filling a gap in the municipal code so council could use the state’s disposal authority to advance affordable housing projects while ensuring deed restrictions or covenants protect long‑term affordability. For MFTE (16‑75), staff acknowledged the 20‑year option has been used only rarely statewide and detailed operational questions raised by council members, including how a developer would ensure long‑term compliance and whether selling a portion of units to a nonprofit is practical. Staff recommended removing the 30% cap and agreed to clean up a drafting inconsistency.

Ending: All ordinances and the contract award passed. Council asked staff to clarify MFTE implementation questions and to treat minor drafting fixes as scrivener’s edits; staff said it would follow up with additional details for council records.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lacey City Council Meeting - March 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its March 20 meeting the council adopted ordinances enabling surplus property disposition for affordable housing, updated industrial pretreatment rules, expanded the multifamily tax exemption program (with an amendment), approved 2024 budget encumbrance carryover, and awarded a contract for Lift Station 11 improvements.","taxTitle","Lacey, Thurston County, Washington","taxId",4615,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6297766,"Lacey council narrows timeline for metropolitan parks district ballot, debates 45¢ levy and project priorities",3853,6866000,10719000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2506860-f78c784f58262a64e5ff73ff0cbb222a&start=6866&end=10719","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2506860-f78c784f58262a64e5ff73ff0cbb222a/thumbnail_6866000.jpg","/articles/6297766/Lacey/Thurston-County/Washington/Lacey-council-narrows-timeline-for-metropolitan-parks-district-ballot-debates-45-levy-and-project-priorities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297766-7f8480bafdd0758b0b6dc79418a675c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155704&Signature=SjwmZmK0iRwLB5KBuu~BeInF8uBo5pEnNB3gxUSXyCIOh6zqjOM3Nh45emg22iwcb~JttxMWQxrY3NCLWa4Sm1VE2eS-ERAc5hCp~FKRrp5s1Ag-bAPDpfHvGyaEJg~1YhfA7xKIrPWudyYmAckaprpKywvZPDgSEVHXn-Nbeu3S9X4gAUnmk3fe4KoTtwRA4b63y9C4kcsdz-0IVT7rQkheRPN-y0zT56dDcAUMLEC9mpvRiPQJ-fA4KgkJD8TQNHQ440AX1zZqzfhzcrxzgO7liozQ9UVUKXJag4mLLWIbA65uV1ytD9hnkRLryWiBtHGEkBzuvVpJegnhyvDB7g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lacey City Council members on March 20 reviewed a plan to ask voters this summer to create a Metropolitan Park District (MPD) coterminous with city limits and debated how large an initial levy to propose and which park projects to prioritize.

The council and staff focused on two numbers the Parks Improvement Funding Work Group recommended: a 45¢ per $1,000 assessed valuation levy (estimated to generate roughly $5.9 million annually today) and a smaller 30¢ scenario. The work group recommended directing about 60% of levy revenue to capital projects and 40% to operations and maintenance; staff presented a six‑year comparison that illustrated what each rate would produce for capital and for operations.

The discussion turned on tradeoffs between a higher, immediate funding level that would deliver more projects early and a lower rate that would be less costly to the average homeowner. City staff’s illustrative figure for an average Lacey homeowner (assessed value $500,000) was $225 per year for the 45¢ rate and $150 per year for 30¢. Several council members said they prefer staging investments to avoid a large “sticker shock”; others said the difference of about $6 per month between the two scenarios would be acceptable to secure the broader, long‑term capital program.

City staff and the council also discussed the list of capital and replacement projects that the work group prioritized. Projects highlighted in staff materials included indoor family/play facilities and aquatics-related items tied to the Edge Health and Family Center, new and expanded spray/play areas, trails and open‑space access improvements, neighborhood parks development (including some undeveloped parkland the city already owns), and targeted upgrades such as field resurfacing and accessible picnic & amenity improvements. Staff said the MPD provides flexible, long‑term funding to both develop undeveloped park properties and maintain existing facilities.

City staff emphasized that a number of detailed decisions remain: finalizing the levy rate that will appear on the ballot resolution, drafting ballot language, and completing a communications plan. Staff proposed a timeline that would place a resolution establishing the ballot measure before the council in early April and, if adopted, would allow filing with the County Auditor by the May 2 statutory deadline for an August election date.

City legal staff reminded council members of statutory limits on use of public facilities, staff time and city resources for campaign activity. Legal counsel said state law (RCW 42.17A) allows the city to provide informational materials but prohibits using public facilities to advocate for or against a ballot measure and warned that penalties for violations can be significant. Counsel flagged that staff, advisory boards and public property may be used to distribute factual information but cautioned elected officials and staff to separate personal advocacy from official‑resource use.

City staff said they will return with refined ballot language, a more detailed communications plan and proposed “supplanting” language (to address public concern that the MPD would replace rather than supplement existing parks funding). Council members requested additional clarification of the supplanting language and asked staff to prepare alternative levy scenarios and renderings/visual materials the council could use as factual information in public outreach.

The council did not vote on a ballot measure at the March 20 meeting; staff set a target to return with final resolution language and materials in April so the council can act within the Auditor’s filing deadline if it chooses to proceed.

Ending: Staff will refine levy/ballot language, finalize a factual communications plan and return with those materials for council consideration before the filing deadline. If the council adopts a resolution, the target ballot date is Aug. 8, 2025.","Council members revisited the proposed Metropolitan Park District boundary and a proposed levy (work group recommended 45¢ per $1,000 AV), discussed priority projects and communications, and received legal guidance on use of public resources during the campaign window.","actionData","errors"]

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Lacey council approves housing, wastewater and budget ordinances; awards Lift Station 11 contract

Lacey council narrows timeline for metropolitan parks district ballot, debates 45¢ levy and project priorities