[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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],{"_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",6579128,"mediaKeyId","3100410-34d99f42103107f439e90bd4a640b4ac","parentId",3100410,"title","Olympia council directs staff to negotiate interlocal agreement with Thurston County for judicial services","audioSeconds",5001,"startMs",2047000,"endMs",7048000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3100410-34d99f42103107f439e90bd4a640b4ac&start=2047&end=7048","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3100410-34d99f42103107f439e90bd4a640b4ac/thumbnail_2047000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6579128/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/Olympia-council-directs-staff-to-negotiate-interlocal-agreement-with-Thurston-County-for-judicial-services","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6579128-c8ad31cc503878824fea3fed4ee7dff7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157253&Signature=jZ~WpwDdDRczj1wOMQFC7jPeLegJspxHoPrb8yeAGw-pw70NpeUF41ZWuTopyqZ1n1EPWBycqAG8FDdBGurjt7ynezTjwaG6wtwZWhdyG0Ru4h2BqLXUtOuJlofVNZRc57LEnGbEWuK2npUCCuNNNLpywMJmzpuHAYgxv-0DtaWWYWlOpEOSMiw90N4TvSVza9L8MmpC8REjjfIVI6JE0bfp~F1xgNjvfJ8OEHb9-AuMfGf4NvAZR7lnI6jbRF0vFe6y4~uBz2DSKqYNAwzb~sYr-zM0kv2dVRVfDjaaS14rG~vhh5WgQgcPsDL3F0NWKMvf0S-EXgMxN8~UqwNGww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Olympia","date","2025-04-22T00:00:00Z","article","Olympia — The Olympia City Council voted unanimously April 22 to direct staff to begin negotiating an interlocal agreement with Thurston County for judicial services, jail alternatives and supervised probation, a step staff and council framed as a response to the city’s long-term budget and capital constraints.

Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan presented the proposal, telling the council, “This is a hard place to be, and I sincerely wish we weren't here.” Sullivan said staff considered three relocation models — leasing commercial space, repurposing city-owned buildings, or contracting with Thurston County — and recommended pursuing negotiations with the county because it had the smallest projected impact on the general fund.

Sullivan summarized the fiscal and program context for the proposal. The city has been evaluating options since entering an exclusive negotiation and later a purchase-and-sale agreement for the Lee Creighton Justice Center property at 900 Plum Street. A 2022 Justice Center master plan estimated a full replacement cost in 2023 dollars at roughly $89–$94 million; Sullivan said rebuilding even without a jail would be “north of $50,000,000” with annual debt service of about $4,000,000. She said the municipal court’s operating budget is roughly $2.5 million annually and that the county’s preliminary 2026 estimate for taking on judicial services would increase Olympia’s operating costs by about $78,000 compared with a like-for-like 3% COLA adjustment to the city budget. One-time transition costs to the city were estimated at approximately $742,000.

Sullivan described community court and probation activity: the municipal court averages about 1,565 filings annually. Community court referrals and participation varied after the program’s 2024 relaunch: in 2023 there were 97 eligible referrals with 78 opt-ins; in 2024 there were 90 eligible with 21 opting in; through February 2025 there were 23 eligible and 3 opted in. She said the county does not operate a community court but runs multiple therapeutic courts and has said it would transition current community-court participants and continue jail-alternative and probation services.

Public comment and council discussion focused on the court’s history, community-court model, impacts on employees and on local control. Former municipal judge Dave Larson warned the council that closing a city court would remove the electorate’s power to choose a municipal judge, saying, “This is the most important level of court and I hope you consider that.” Miriam Olsen, identified in public comment as the Olympia municipal court administrator, said, “This court means more to me than just a job,” and urged the council to pause and work with court staff on alternatives. Thurston County Commissioner Carolina Mejia urged the council to consider the county’s existing programs: “Olympia residents would gain access to a range of innovative person centered services already in motion.”

Union and employee concerns featured prominently. Court employees, a union representative and public defenders said the city had not done enough outreach; Council members and the city manager responded that staff had met multiple times with employees and that any transition would be negotiated with the union. City Manager Jay Birney said staff would prioritize individual conversations with affected employees and work in partnership with the bargaining unit.

Sullivan emphasized next steps if the council approved the motion: staff would open formal negotiations with Thurston County, prioritize employee transition conversations with the union, and return any final interlocal agreement to both governing bodies for approval at open public meetings. If an agreement were signed by both parties, the city would provide a six‑month notice to the state Administrative Office of the Courts.

After questions and extended discussion about alternatives (leasing commercial space, using council chambers and 108 State Street, or building a new justice center), Council Member Cooper moved to approve the resolution directing staff to negotiate an interlocal agreement with Thurston County; the motion passed unanimously.

Council members and staff said the action does not finalize a transfer of services: it authorizes staff to negotiate terms and return to council with a concrete agreement for consideration and a public vote. Sullivan and the city manager said they will continue outreach with the judge, court staff, unions and community partners during the negotiation period.

Ending — The council’s direction begins a negotiation phase that staff say would curb the city’s near-term capital exposure while seeking to preserve locally valued programs and people. Any final transfer would require an interlocal agreement approved by both Olympia and Thurston County and will be brought back to the council at an open meeting.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Olympia - City Council Meeting on 2025-04-22 at 6:00 PM - Apr 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Olympia City Council voted unanimously April 22 to direct city staff to begin negotiating an interlocal agreement with Thurston County for judicial services, jail alternatives and supervised probation, a staff recommendation intended to reduce long-term capital and operating exposure.","taxTitle","Olympia, Thurston County, Washington","taxId",4862,"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},6579123,"Olympia begins 2026 budget planning, flags long-term gap and launches priority-based review",1883,7673000,9556000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3100410-34d99f42103107f439e90bd4a640b4ac&start=7673&end=9556","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3100410-34d99f42103107f439e90bd4a640b4ac/thumbnail_7673000.jpg","/articles/6579123/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/Olympia-begins-2026-budget-planning-flags-long-term-gap-and-launches-priority-based-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6579123-1470514f9b6b16a08fade863efac8ab9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157253&Signature=Uy3PuP3cSh9-Kk3enTl0szx70J5I-sQKQVY-TBn4h-EM-LfRchjfhCm-9fYfzChZGL6tX6s48bhi05ZWGaO9CzJe1Vy8~NKL29Ety-Pqbh9Ty7ED6ZjWuRPjkWpqFmRqzJ6Vj2lXAdwQAgBBbgKrdze2FSdEBaCkvDqAWG0tCwTLvUBTRkNu~EpnCzj1mwHfxNUKCChxDyDX08ymsfWCz2OHZf6W~gaTM-xunPEORS7w2khXuY8u7r8rtkJRclzZsghIWf2OM3~oKXtGKbvZlGudfJBDFKYRrcYdxdHADq8la0WxDtnqHKBKGLHJ3B6pl0SygH4iKCihKtEH4JA8ng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Olympia — City Manager Jay Birney and finance staff told the Olympia City Council April 22 that staff will present a detailed budget briefing in May and continue work through the June retreat to address a persistent structural gap and identify options for 2026.

Birney said the council must adopt a balanced budget each year and that staff are bringing an expanded analytical toolkit, including priority-based budgeting, comparable-city analyses and a review of business-and-occupation (B&O) tax options. “We must adopt a balanced budget every year,” Birney told the council; he said staff expect the May study session to present program-level costs and recommended next steps.

Staff recapped actions taken to balance the 2025 budget: the council faced an $11.8 million gap and approved $7.7 million in reductions, including 27 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, and used $4.1 million of one-time fund balance. Birney said the city ended last year with roughly $3 million in fund balance above reserves and that staff will provide updated projections for fund balance at the May study session.

Planned topics in May include: a revenue and expenditure update for 2025; comparable‑city metrics (FTE growth vs. population and program changes); a detailed B&O tax breakdown and policy options (including filing thresholds and exemptions); the status of a half‑percent nonvoted utility tax that sunsets at year‑end and would become available to the general fund in 2026 (Birney said that half‑percent figure is about $500,000); and an initial review of priority‑based budgeting results, which staff described as a program‑level inventory and analysis that will highlight “low cost/high impact” and “high cost/low impact” services.

Birney and budget staff said the priority‑based budgeting work is underway: program descriptions and cost allocations have been compiled and staff are scoring programs for mandate, demand, population served and cost recovery. Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan and staff said that analysis will provide a “road map” for council decisions on which services to protect and where reductions would have the least community impact.

The council’s finance chair, Council Member Gilman, asked staff to include more detail on the county’s current courthouse capacity and any plans the county has for a regional justice center; Gilman also flagged potential bond proposals later in 2025 or 2026 to fund park and Armory projects and asked staff to show how those capital plans would interact with general‑fund budgeting. Gilman told staff she expects more specificity on space, leasing and debt capacity before a final decision on large capital projects.

Birney also flagged outstanding budget uncertainties the council will monitor: a pending Washington Supreme Court decision on indigent defense standards (Birney reiterated the city had budgeted approximately $500,000 in 2025 to cover potential impacts pending the court’s decision), and the progress of the state legislative session on any new municipal revenue options; he noted the “1% cap” property-tax proposal appeared unlikely this session.

Timeline and next steps: staff said the May study session will provide the first detailed results of the priority‑based budgeting effort and additional revenue/expenditure analysis; the June retreat will continue the budget conversation, and formal budget development and adoption will follow the usual September–December calendar. Birney told council members the May materials will be detailed enough to inform early direction and that additional study sessions can be scheduled if council members request them.

Ending — Council members expressed both urgency and caution: several said they want options that include both near‑term reductions and longer‑term regional partnerships. Staff committed to sharing the finance committee materials in advance of the May study session and to working with council to identify priority services to protect as deeper program‑level analyses are completed.
","City Manager Jay Birney briefed the council on the 2026 budget timetable, comparable-city analysis, priority-based budgeting and revenue options; staff flagged an $11.8 million 2025 shortfall, prior reductions of 27 FTEs and a need for May/June study sessions to identify further reductions or revenue changes.","actionData","errors"]

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Olympia council directs staff to negotiate interlocal agreement with Thurston County for judicial services

Olympia begins 2026 budget planning, flags long-term gap and launches priority-based review