[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-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",[32,75,87,99],{"_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",6493328,"mediaKeyId","5605805-9edc68a245623205024c36400a8c2a86","parentId",5605805,"title","One-year review: Olympia's rental registry shows progress and software, staffing and data challenges","audioSeconds",7291,"startMs",6077610,"endMs",13369392,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5605805-9edc68a245623205024c36400a8c2a86&start=6077&end=13369","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5605805-9edc68a245623205024c36400a8c2a86/thumbnail_6077610.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6493328/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/One-year-review-Olympias-rental-registry-shows-progress-and-software-staffing-and-data-challenges","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493328-1cb6ddf8dcfbe3c87e5c68a14ed9c557/orig.mp4?Expires=1770700933&Signature=mzPCRoMTSUohIzSM8gQfeX8DA3OyYXzBKwpmfWqRo6-b8uwJ8oWSCHhSiQTxYDN0FV0Hj9xFOMXR-Qc6XevsPkrwZ~oYNs22887N~Y0WVvwl3rlpV6w7ZCqHg9oTRuftOCtORDfcRea6yNvuUX85Gw-8Ou~YENThoXKykDIihqcEuunOPLGlAthzC1JNpzqavmuYxt9He~PWZd~2w6wgaZ0PNBknposjmD4A4NtT-~40E4WKSKmBg1Gcdsey6EWgvBZwvA6Vh-QdOVx2CmULZWSpXekBfcP9uomBVQ3BnOdJXht-iRprrKK4vFL0onw~iatOvIOcbZ1tyQ44g0pArA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Olympia","date","2025-08-19T00:00:00Z","article","City staff presented a one-year operational evaluation of Olympia's rental-registry program and recommended a set of technical fixes, further staff work and several options that would require council policy or budget decisions.

Program purpose and basic design
The rental-registry program requires landlords to register rental properties annually, hold a state business license with a City of Olympia endorsement, and schedule third-party inspections on a five-year cycle (one zone per year). Susan McLaughlin, director of Community Planning and Development, said the evaluation's objective was to \"highlight successes and also talk, really frankly around some of the challenges\" so council can decide whether to authorize program changes.

What staff reported as accomplished
- The program launched on schedule and staff reported extensive outreach materials, webinars and handouts for landlords. Sarah Williams, the rental-registry program manager, said staff assembled unit-level data from valid registrations that has begun to illuminate rental rates and unit sizes across the city.
- Staff reported collecting 555 validly registered units in the downtown zone and completing 13 third-party inspections in that zone as the program's first inspection cycle began. Staff also said the team published a downtown flooding page and offered landlord training and mold prevention webinars.

Challenges driving staff time and costs
Staff documented three principal operational challenges:
1) Software and application workflow: the city currently uses the SmartGov licensing module for registrations. Staff said the module allows incomplete submissions, lacks autofill for repeated fields and requires landlords to submit a separate application for every parcel, which produced many incomplete records and large customer-service demands. Staff plan to switch the registration process to SmartGov's permitting module (no license cost) to create more tailored applications and to collect rent-roll data as structured fields rather than as an uploaded spreadsheet.
2) Department of Revenue endorsement and verification: city code requires a Department of Revenue business license with an Olympia endorsement and staff must currently verify the license, an effort that consumes staff time. Staff and council discussed alternatives, including accepting the business-license field on the registration form (with verification by tax/audit staff on a separate cadence) or issuing a city rental-business license as part of registration.
3) Inspections and inspection costs: landlords asked for clearer pricing and inspector-selection procedures; staff said they will publish average inspection cost estimates once more inspections are complete and will formalize procedures for adding and removing third-party inspectors.

Data and revenue
Staff revised earlier rental-unit estimates upward after a GIS review and now estimate ~18,423 rental units in Olympia (previous estimate 15,500). As of a July snapshot staff reported approximately 28% of projected units were validly registered; another portion of units were noted as incomplete applications, previously registered but not yet renewed, or pending staff review. Sarah Williams said some of the units now registering are single-family rentals, a segment that prior data sources undercounted. The city also reported preliminary business-license revenue tied to registered units; staff noted about $25,000 was recorded in the first year but that figure includes some property owners who already held licenses prior to the registry.

Staff proposals and council-level options
Staff presented a package of operational fixes they will implement without council action: switch software modules in SmartGov to improve application design; create separate application flows for 1'14-unit properties and 5+ unit properties; integrate rent-roll fields into the web form; provide clearer renewal guidance and mass-notification approaches; and publish inspector procedures and average cost data when available. These fixes, staff said, should reduce staff time per application.

Staff also listed potential policy or budget changes for council to consider: increase program staffing (budget enhancement), buy dedicated rental-registry software (estimated annual ongoing cost ~ $60,000), extend the renewal cycle (would require code amendment but reduce annual processing), eliminate the rent-roll requirement and rely on external datasets (would reduce staff time but lose unit-level detail) or shift inspections to an affidavit/self-certification model (reduces cost but depends on complaint-driven enforcement).

Council discussion
Council members urged patience for a new program to mature and noted that the classification-and-compensation study that raised staff salaries after initial program budgeting affects cost comparisons; council members suggested a general-fund subsidy in the near term might be appropriate. Several council members favored keeping the business-license requirement on the books but questioned whether verifying the Department of Revenue endorsement should be handled by registry staff or matched periodically by the tax/audit team. Others urged a cautious approach to removing inspections or rent-rolls without more data.

Next steps
Staff said they will implement the no-cost technical fixes in the coming months, continue targeted outreach to landlords, and return to council if a program change requiring a code amendment or budget enhancement is recommended. Staff asked council for policy guidance on which of the larger, discretionary options (software purchase, staffing increase, or inspection model change) to study further.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Olympia - City Council Study Session on 2025-08-20 at 6:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","City staff presented a 17-month operational review of Olympia's rental-registry program, reporting a successful launch and unit-level data collection but noting software limits, verification workload and inspection workflows have driven larger staffing needs than originally projected.","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},6493334,"City updates council on Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Plan; partners, timelines and midterm infrastructure needs outlined",2333,3765224,6098320,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5605805-9edc68a245623205024c36400a8c2a86&start=3765&end=6098","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5605805-9edc68a245623205024c36400a8c2a86/thumbnail_3765224.jpg","/articles/6493334/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/City-updates-council-on-Olympia-Sea-Level-Rise-Response-Plan-partners-timelines-and-midterm-infrastructure-needs-outlined","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493334-cda255685f908af474cd7713081a04bc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770700933&Signature=HKEnaFt~yNp3E00fqrQTqVAniCvIjs~V-FiLFi0Y6~2UryTej0mONpohTsxEYQLJQMlCJ83BsFIGDdLp2HRIJWcqDOjA2XMN2m~1E8M5oqMiDi6YWmxkvuAG9yCeArIVQekDfp~L61I90sOQknSb4kEANeq0eN1SqYlm2LE3XIjsj21NFJZhxCFR2vlN14Nz8Ep46ccw6DdF-mT~yZj31aXYf9SBAs-6omQiFuulwVG-HMEsmaRiPdRu5IlZd~tqjtcljLryPMc~CKYZkJLSXV9YMxA2Otr~BIsGig3ltOPYMv0t52M4TzHL2hki0iOg5g3AmedlmfAtsqqqZCKOMQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City climate staff briefed council on progress implementing the Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Plan (2019), on near-term accomplishments and on planned midterm actions through 2050.

Climate Resilience Coordinator Natalie Weiss and Director of Climate Programs Dr. Pamela Braff summarized why Olympia is planning for a high-range sea-level-rise scenario and what public assets are most vulnerable. The plan focuses on adaptation measures for publicly owned shoreline and rights-of-way because much of Olympia's downtown shoreline is publicly owned. \"We have an Olympia Sea level rise response plan that was published in 2019,\" Weiss said, and the city is implementing the plan together with partners including the Port of Olympia and the LOTT Clean Water Alliance under an interlocal collaborative.

Near-term progress and tests
Staff reported that 86% of near-term implementation tasks identified in the 2019 plan were completed on time. Completed actions include installing backflow prevention on key stormwater outfalls, improved sandbagging operations and outreach during high tides, publishing a downtown flooding information page, and conducting winter preparedness and coordinated operational responses. Weiss said recent king-tide events provided a real-world test: temporary protections and sandbagging reduced potential damage to some businesses.

Midterm strategies and costs
The presentation laid out a hybrid green-and-gray strategy for midterm protection through 2050 (the plan's midterm horizon). Staff showed a map of interventions needed to provide roughly two feet of protection by 2050, including berms and green infrastructure in Percival Landing Park and constructed interventions along Fourth Avenue. Weiss emphasized adaptive-pathways planning to identify trigger points when the city should move from temporary to permanent infrastructure. \"This is going to cause some significant intervention and investment,\" she said, urging early coordination because capital project delivery takes time.

Science, federal data and funding risks
Staff discussed the role of federal tide gauges and NOAA-produced projections in informing local planning and noted there is an element of uncertainty in projections; Dr. Braff explained that projections account for multiple drivers and that some restoration projects (for example, estuary restoration) can reduce certain tide-driven flood risk by up to roughly a foot for some event types but will change river-driven flood dynamics. Staff also described concern that federal funding and grant programs and federal agency staffing reductions could slow access to design and construction funds; staff reported one planning grant won for separation work but said other grant pipelines were uncertain.

Next steps
Planned near-term work includes an \"adaptive management pathways\" contract to set trigger points for action, guidelines for incorporating sea-level projections into public capital projects, and continued coordination with the Port, LOTT and the Department of Enterprise Services. Staff will bring a recommendation on FEMA accreditation of any constructed flood-mitigation systems to the collaborative's executive committee in September; accreditation could reduce flood-insurance needs for some properties but staff noted that currently few downtown properties would benefit under existing FEMA maps.

What council asked
Council members asked about estuary restoration impacts, links to emergency management and to FEMA accreditation and raised questions about funding sources and private property owner engagement. Staff said they will expand outreach to downtown property and business owners as midterm projects move toward design and funding.","Climate staff presented progress on the Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Plan (2019) and a five-year implementation update. Staff said 86% of near-term actions are complete, described midterm (to 2050) green/gray protection concepts for downtown, and flagged funding and federal data uncertainties.",{"_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},6493339,"Staff briefs council on House Bill 2015: 0.1% councilmanic public-safety sales tax and $100M grant program",1249,2496880,3746110,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5605805-9edc68a245623205024c36400a8c2a86&start=2496&end=3746","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5605805-9edc68a245623205024c36400a8c2a86/thumbnail_2496880.jpg","/articles/6493339/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/Staff-briefs-council-on-House-Bill-2015-01-councilmanic-public-safety-sales-tax-and-100M-grant-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493339-6b66e859de1f8b208c501a8bf8d37d75/orig.mp4?Expires=1770700933&Signature=RjU9ZF10iimjrx20xzN3Sj1oJmQoiimZ4T~h74m0754ErG6C7IU-LPABHCbdW9CojbwG2yAMFp2WBam0Q9UD3IMofReHIT7UDt448iL26OrjH8kvMjNwyXrfdKe~vS1lMgOehAzXy~gQwAPABqx69tDTeZnScK-Z2p4n-02Ex59czwYfSyAMx~8ulwySqjyrXwU46dH3eAL-8S65Io4XJa697EtilvNS7MfNWqU0-Tv-X56r80OxblYJ8nFrY~8ALwRpP~yZmGSdUNg0U3Gvu52OT5Z9ADjaNhL4ZIrbuCGBsjNqDgEXXYFYSo0e7g7055V~sw1Up6A-XYji9XhLJw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City of Olympia staff updated council on House Bill 2015, a legislative change that allows jurisdictions to levy a councilmanic 0.1% local sales tax for broad public safety and criminal justice needs and that established a separate $100 million grant program to assist jurisdictions with hiring and training personnel.

Finance Director Mike Giffins summarized the package and the mechanics: if enacted locally, the added 0.1% would increase Olympia's combined sales-and-use tax rate from 9.8% to 9.9%, and unlike some sales taxes that are shared, the additional tenth would be retained entirely by the jurisdiction that levies it. \"It completely comes to Olympia,\" Giffins said. City Manager Bernie and staff explained that the city would not need to wait for county action and that the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) will evaluate whether a jurisdiction meets training and program standards. CJTC has 45 days after levy enactment to determine eligibility; if the jurisdiction is not initially eligible, CJTC must specify deficiencies and the jurisdiction will have six months to correct them and resubmit.

The $100 million grant program and eligibility
Council members asked whether the grants are restricted to sworn officers. Staff explained the grant program prioritizes law enforcement hiring and training and can cover a portion of salary costs for new hires: the grant can offset up to 75% of a hire's salary with a cap noted in the briefing (staff cited a $125,000 per position limit over the three-year grant period in examples). Staff emphasized an important sequencing rule: jurisdictions must enact the councilmanic 0.1% tax to be eligible to request grant funds; the grant program is effectively first-come, first-served and expires in June 2028.

Uses and local choices
Staff noted the 0.1% tax is broad in allowable uses: police and fire, alternative response teams, homeless response and other public-safety-related expenditures could be supported. Several council members expressed interest in directing a portion of funds to co-responder teams for behavioral-health or basic-life-support work, and staff said they will evaluate which departments and positions would best match the grant and levy structure. Staff also said some portion of the funds could be reinvested in non-police public-safety alternatives depending on council direction.

Timing and fiscal assumptions
City Manager Bernie recommended beginning the CJTC 45-day eligibility process early so the city can know whether it meets criteria before final budget decisions later this year; staff warned that revenues in year one should be conservatively forecasted because implementation timing and Department of Revenue notification windows can delay when revenue is actually received.

What staff will return with
Staff said they will come back within roughly 30'1 days with a proposal that identifies candidate positions (police, fire, co-responder types), estimated first-year revenue under the 0.1% tax, an approach to conservative first-year budgeting, and an assessment of eligibility against CJTC criteria. Staff also flagged that King County has already enacted this tax and is pending CJTC review; that underscores the competitive nature of the $100 million grant program for jurisdictions that apply early.","City staff explained new authority under House Bill 2015 for cities to enact a 0.1% councilmanic sales tax for public safety and a related $100 million grant program that can offset hiring costs for officers. Staff recommended starting the 45-day CJTC eligibility clock early and said grants require the city to levy the tax before applying.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6493344,"Olympia council hears staff analysis of possible B&O rate changes, staff to begin business outreach",1064,1489200,2553860,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5605805-9edc68a245623205024c36400a8c2a86&start=1489&end=2553","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5605805-9edc68a245623205024c36400a8c2a86/thumbnail_1489200.jpg","/articles/6493344/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/Olympia-council-hears-staff-analysis-of-possible-BO-rate-changes-staff-to-begin-business-outreach","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493344-0556fb0dfbd64a372ea5b866d91b4038/orig.mp4?Expires=1770700933&Signature=hOGJ-KDtdpcDYZrC76trAHb6MlaShy2rREbZ4mYYMHlRVJqsCdcg2ieagod6xewdVub~gx1jbejLGQbeEbS4m~M6siWvUsW3w3q8vkK-0ygQcZSVDKH33Aa3ysfofKHJAtb4~WdqxFzGuTNkYnQj3fbwfa6GG6DCxXyLMPoCtfXeQG9PhOkxlO7dhVUN48gWLrPz219zkv4iFeAsE-hmt1N0cxzYn2gzb8LJFdFJ-9RpdjkDfh91fF0XAVWSdFmzYIKSwgVPulDI6nyLnJn9Rk5SB7ECwjcuu4nGB2PFcONSXx9fO7Ji9QD-SPoNZ8BeJcw6WHjOdXUTgBO17gCIag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City of Olympia staff briefed the council on options to change the city's business-and-occupation (B&O) tax and on steps to begin outreach to local businesses.

The presentation compared two local options and showed sample impacts on businesses of different sizes; staff also summarized the state-level B&O changes that take effect next year. \"My old rate ... totals $7,500, and my new rate is $10,000,\" said Brandy, describing an example of a large business and how the retail component would carry the increase. City Manager Bernie told council that staff will start business outreach immediately and that he expects updates on the first scheduled meetings in roughly 30 days. \"If we want to implement it by January 1, that means it'll be difficult to wait till final budget balancing to make this decision,\" Bernie said. \"So this may be a decision that needs to come to you in September.\"

Why it matters: the city is exploring revenue options to help balance the 2026 budget. Council members pressed staff for combined, business-level estimates that include the effect of concurrent state B&O rate increases and for an estimate of how much the city would actually raise under each option. Several members noted that Olympia's current B&O rates remain lower than many neighboring jurisdictions and asked staff to show comparative tables of exemptions used by peer cities.

Key details
- Staff will begin one-on-one outreach: the city manager said staff met with Susan McLaughlin and Jennica Machado to schedule business visits and would report back after the first conversations.
- Online tool: staff developed an Excel-based model to help businesses estimate their city-only B&O change and said they will post a calculator on the city's website for the public to use.
- State B&O changes: staff described House Bill 2081 (referenced in the briefing) as raising certain state B&O rates that will affect large firms beginning next year; the city presentation used a $5 million-revenue example to show the combined effect on a large retailer/service business.

Council reaction and next steps
Council members asked staff to provide consolidated cost estimates that combine city and state changes and to return with clearer comparisons of exemptions and impacts by neighborhood and by business type. Council member Green emphasized that Olympia's rates are low relative to nearby cities, a point several members said should be included in outreach. Staff said they will be conservative about implementation timing, factoring in at least 60 days' notice if council decides to move forward with a change taking effect January 1.

What staff will deliver next: more detailed business outreach feedback, the online business calculator, a comparison of B&O exemptions among peer cities, and a schedule for council decision-making that accounts for notification and Department of Revenue timelines.","City staff presented options for changes to Olympia's business-and-occupation (B&O) tax and estimated impacts for local businesses. Staff will begin outreach to local businesses and post an online calculator; council members asked for combined state and city impact estimates and urged a conservative timeline for any decision.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

One-year review: Olympia's rental registry shows progress and software, staffing and data challenges

City updates council on Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Plan; partners, timelines and midterm infrastructure needs outlined

Staff briefs council on House Bill 2015: 0.1% councilmanic public-safety sales tax and $100M grant program

Olympia council hears staff analysis of possible B&O rate changes, staff to begin business outreach