Olympia studies shifting municipal court services to Thurston County as renovation and relocation costs mount

Olympia City Council members heard on June 12 that the city faces three paths for municipal court services: build a new justice facility, retrofit/relocate court operations into City Hall and 108 State Avenue, or transition judicial services to Thurston County under an interlocal agreement.

Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan told the council staff developed the three options and has been negotiating terms with the county. “This is a hard place to be. We hold our court and the employees in high regard, and absent the significant budget issues facing council, we wouldn’t be here,” Sullivan said, summarizing the fiscal pressure behind the review.

Why it matters: Council must weigh capital and operating costs, impacts on public access and city operations, and continuity of services for defendants, victims and court staff. The city faces an ongoing structural budget gap and earlier facility studies showed rebuilding the Lee Creighton Justice Center would be expensive; staff framed the study session as information gathering to seek council direction at a later date.

Key options and estimated costs

- Rebuild the Lee Creighton Justice Center (900 Plum Street): a prior feasibility estimate (2023 dollars) put the project at about $89–$94 million; roughly $32 million of that estimate was attributed to replacing the jail. Rebuilding without the jail would still be north of $50 million with about $4 million a year in debt service, staff said.

- Lease commercial space: earlier design work produced a tenant-improvement estimate of about $7 million plus an estimated $815,000 annual lease. Combined transition and operating costs would have left an additional $3.2 million to be funded; staff said annual operating increases could exceed $1 million.

- Use City Hall (council chambers) plus 108 State Avenue: architects estimated roughly $7 million in tenant improvements across both buildings (similar to the lease option). Staff said using city-owned buildings would avoid an annual lease but would require selling debt to fund a…