[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":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,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6092207,"mediaKeyId","2856092-7ba7dd8aa89f2986d8b38e703ca8477a","parentId",2856092,"title","Council schedules discussion on renter protections after public comment","audioSeconds",3627,"startMs",1804000,"endMs",5431000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2856092-7ba7dd8aa89f2986d8b38e703ca8477a&start=1804&end=5431","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2856092-7ba7dd8aa89f2986d8b38e703ca8477a/thumbnail_1804000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6092207/Lacey/Thurston-County/Washington/Council-schedules-discussion-on-renter-protections-after-public-comment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092207-2bb07a871e3b3ecc5179997a98e113a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147394&Signature=eJdn77InPnvCdyAaQKHmGl9Hfkiab2Ed4RnCAThXUtI36EBeifB1gMMzdqD7uvMsH8j-RNZyvlYtI2vGyG2ZSUh4Ei8vcTrglZ1SuErWcZZmg2wF4ykojFyUrI6pv5JQN3NZvEwZD4dxdDe41XS04mrxLPa1orK16IcBHeHbYO0gSpqFsEnLHJ1tPLyrB~Ny3oz1bWn3iQglBF2extXX9IqMxSoeq5L9TKkm5LjHxCUWPxhoNH~vZfZ6976u0qUq1jPs9wgd6tMl0eIhKBUQwT8SaUHp2KBtZ2WOW7ZIcBCagox6g4MmvBu00TP3h3ILTCoy4ahnqnU2VbLxuMeVjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Lacey, WA","date","2025-04-03T02:03:14.597Z","article","Several residents used the public-comment period at the April 1 meeting to urge the council to pursue stronger renter protections. Nancy Shawn, a Lacey resident who lives at the Reserve at Lacey, asked the council to consider a renters ordinance similar to one adopted in Olympia that would limit large rent increases and address issues such as pet deposits and unit condition. \"What I'm asking is that we will be able to sit down and talk about this so that we can amend the Lacey Municipal Court code to be able to get this renters paper in,\" Shawn said during public comment.

Council members did not take immediate legislative action on the request, but several said the topic warrants further discussion. A council member asked that staff schedule a work session focused on protections for low-income renters; other council members agreed that mediation subsidies and similar tools merit review. Councilors noted the city has previously funded tenant–landlord mediation through local programs and that keeping people housed where possible is generally less costly than addressing homelessness.

Staff and council members said the work session would look at a range of tools, including mediation programs, exemptions and narrowly targeted protections to avoid unintended consequences. No ordinance or motion was introduced at the meeting; the work session was proposed as the next step for council consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lacey City Council Meeting - April 1, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After a public comment urging a local renters ordinance, council members expressed interest in a work session to explore protections for low-income renters, mediation and other tools to prevent displacement.","taxTitle","Lacey, Thurston County, Washington","taxId",4615,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6092212,"Lacey staff outlines 2025 climate work plan, launches Energize Thurston heat-pump subsidies",751,4375000,5126000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2856092-7ba7dd8aa89f2986d8b38e703ca8477a&start=4375&end=5126","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2856092-7ba7dd8aa89f2986d8b38e703ca8477a/thumbnail_4375000.jpg","/articles/6092212/Lacey/Thurston-County/Washington/Lacey-staff-outlines-2025-climate-work-plan-launches-Energize-Thurston-heat-pump-subsidies","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092212-44e49c353e389485111e4dc7441720c3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147394&Signature=VYUzd-yATWbGofWeZEpYe0iyeJ06W80CWsK1qlopaUfKQtrC9QNjoHFN-u66bPe8SQCHhLZ8WDKNz2~y~eQt7o-kYBL~f0n77bkVcoZb6~tZClhh6ijiTrdAjBjeMw0ZrG0Mj2pfCnaZJ~PvE9auUBhp98skcr22YMVLlLkqr~rli~2QgRiPD59c73goDWEHbXM6zw924YdjXIRXGPmWKg~Rg0wjoT0P9c3dGnD7o0vzbDJScWrl9ZkjHLdHHgy9vJOA-sDz7G7Jxv~Agsr-NqYrYfYCHxmOtNp821WDzxSReZXr8fSlbPaWD0~7D8pqp7yu8VLfmX2eL9PFSdO2Fg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lindsey Fields, Lacey’s climate and sustainability coordinator, presented the city’s 2025 climate work plan and an update on regional projects during the council meeting on April 1, 2025. Fields described ongoing regional collaboration through the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative and noted progress on a model home-energy-score ordinance and a new regional heat-pump group-purchase and subsidy program called Energize Thurston.

Fields said Energize Thurston launched in March and uses Climate Commitment Act (HEAR) funds and other local match dollars to subsidize heat-pump installations for low- and moderate-income households. \"We're hoping to subsidize altogether partial and fully around 40 homes,\" Fields said, noting that the exact number will depend on each home's retrofit needs, electrical upgrades and heat-pump sizing. She reported that Lacey had received 21 applications from residents seeking full subsidization as of the meeting.

Fields described roughly $418,000 in HEAR and local match funds allocated to the program and said part of that money covers administrative work conducted by Habitat for Humanity, which is handling intake and income verification. The program aims for a mix of fully subsidized and partially subsidized installations (Fields said an early target of about 22 fully subsidized and 18 partially subsidized homes, contingent on costs) and offers a group-purchase discount for privately funded participants.

Fields said Energize Thurston will host a workshop at the Lacey Timberland Library on April 22 and that an on-demand workshop is available for residents to register and apply; subsidy awards are first-come, first-served until funds are exhausted. She encouraged interested households to apply early if they seek full subsidy.

On regulatory work, Fields said the collaborative produced a model home-energy-score ordinance. Jurisdictions in the region are reviewing it on different schedules; Lacey expects to begin local ordinance work in 2026 to align with the city's comprehensive-plan update, with potential implementation in 2027. Fields also said the comprehensive-plan update will include a new climate element and resilience sub-element; the city has a $350,000 Commerce grant to support that work.

Fields noted that Commerce intends jurisdictions to use 2022 as the greenhouse-gas baseline year and that the city will rely on the regional greenhouse-gas inventory for targets and reporting. She said staff are awaiting final state reappropriation decisions for some funds but that the HEAR-funded program could be re-run in future years if funding is reappropriated.

Council members asked about jurisdictional progress on the home-energy-score ordinance. Fields said Olympia is moving toward adoption, Tumwater's legal staff is reviewing the model ordinance, and Thurston County's adoption status was unclear. Fields also described workforce and credentialing pathways for home-energy scorers and noted ongoing questions about quality assurance and long-term federal program availability.

Fields's presentation covered energy, buildings, transportation and water/wastewater projects in the 2025 work plan and emphasized community education, equity considerations required by recent state legislation, and regional collaboration to lower greenhouse-gas emissions.","Climate and sustainability coordinator Lindsey Fields presented the city's 2025 climate work plan, described the regional Energize Thurston heat-pump subsidy program using HEAR funds, and outlined Next steps for a home-energy-score model ordinance and a climate element in the comprehensive plan.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6092217,"Lacey council votes to put Metropolitan Park District measure on Aug. 5 ballot",2352,1984000,4336000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2856092-7ba7dd8aa89f2986d8b38e703ca8477a&start=1984&end=4336","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2856092-7ba7dd8aa89f2986d8b38e703ca8477a/thumbnail_1984000.jpg","/articles/6092217/Lacey/Thurston-County/Washington/Lacey-council-votes-to-put-Metropolitan-Park-District-measure-on-Aug-5-ballot","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092217-fe1f758f421165f2a5907d9890de7173/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147394&Signature=mk49bCnKxuz~OSf6dIE0sfi7CJFuIAiMHp62pE17XbK1kY~kadXv8Xug5VlD-B-piAUOzVQ2vVrMm0zDg1UtVJnPlm~82pAaF1KdlmVb~Ueu5wCA4RpSLIekgoWol-XK8JB~prNLfDZcZpYED8ObX73aEXkIsxes97EDsclgibF3DOGRzCvC68nqzYWFwwN2OW9rEzXShj8j-lNAwxSQztOISoexi-Ibf1HaByqjXH-dgsgE19S0Fh-j7aZJ78JcttakIqlYCab5gaYt3m0ywppevCyk~7vW8UgqDYeDO9VvlTfqhPFktL134IRD5BGylZhxOyLf9evUYiSyvwawsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lacey City Council on April 1 adopted Resolution 11 66, directing staff to place a measure on the Aug. 5, 2025, general-election ballot to form a Lacey Metropolitan Park District with a levy rate of up to $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to acquire, maintain, operate and improve parks, natural spaces, trails, recreational facilities and programs within the city limits.

The vote was unanimous. City staff said the resolution sets the district boundary to match the city municipal boundary and clarifies that levy proceeds are intended to supplement — not supplant — existing parks and recreation funding. The draft resolution was revised after council discussion to replace the term \"desires\" with \"will\" when describing how the city would use the funds.

The resolution follows recommendations from the Parks Improvement Funding Work Group and a months-long public outreach effort. Supporters at the meeting described a multi-decade capital and maintenance gap: city materials and multiple speakers cited a roughly $60 million funding need for new parks and projects and about $6 million in deferred maintenance and replacement costs.

\"Creation of a Metropolitan Park District is the only way to meet the need with predictable, sustainable, sufficient, and long term funding,\" said Mark Brown, a Lacey resident and former mayor who served on the parks work group.

Several residents and park advocates testified in favor of the measure, including Ruth Weigelt, Cynthia Pratt, Deb Clemens, Wendy Goodwin, Michelle Gibson representing the Park Foundation of Thurston County, Jeff Prevost of the Thurston County Pickleball Club, and a longtime park commissioner identified as Aaron. Commenters cited potential benefits including improved maintenance of existing facilities, funding to complete large projects such as Greg Cuyo Park, opportunities for partnerships with school districts and nonprofits, and regional economic benefits from tournament and event hosting.

City staff addressed questions about exemptions for low-income seniors and veterans with disabilities. The Thurston County assessor's office told staff that levies from the formation of a metropolitan park district are considered regular levies, and existing county-administered exemptions would apply where residents meet age and income thresholds. Staff said they will coordinate a presentation with the assessor's office and add explanatory material to the project FAQ so residents know how to apply for tax-exemption programs.

Parks Director Jim Burbage and City Attorney Dave Schneider were available to answer technical and legal questions; staff recommended adoption of the resolution, and the council moved and seconded adoption as presented. The measure will appear on the Aug. 5, 2025, ballot if no further procedural changes are made.

The council and speakers repeatedly emphasized that the funding is intended for long-term maintenance and new facilities rather than replacing current general-fund park expenditures. Staff and the council also noted that further implementation steps — including ballot language finalization and voter outreach — will follow the resolution's adoption.","The Lacey City Council unanimously adopted Resolution 11 66 on April 1, 2025, directing staff to place a measure on the Aug. 5 general-election ballot to form a Lacey Metropolitan Park District with a levy up to $0.45 per $1,000 assessed value to fund parks, maintenance and programs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council schedules discussion on renter protections after public comment

Lacey staff outlines 2025 climate work plan, launches Energize Thurston heat-pump subsidies

Lacey council votes to put Metropolitan Park District measure on Aug. 5 ballot