Thurston County asks county manager to seek formal proposal from Lacey on possible Metropolitan Park District including UGA

The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners voted Feb. 4 to direct the county manager to engage the City of Lacey about a concept to establish a Metropolitan Park District (MPD) that could include county residents in Lacey’s urban growth area, and to return a formal proposal with staff analysis and a timeline.

County Manager Leonard Hernandez briefed commissioners that Lacey’s city manager had raised the concept and that the idea was at a high level; Hernandez told commissioners he would request a more formal proposal and report back with budget, staffing and legal implications. "If the board is interested, then I can engage Rick with the confidence that from a concept to figuring out what the details are," Hernandez said; the transcript identifies the City of Lacey contact as "Rick," the Lacey city manager.

Supporters on the board said the idea could bring new funding and amenities to residents in the UGA and create opportunities for better alignment between Long Lake Park and the Thurston County Fairgrounds. Commissioners also raised caution about trade-offs: several noted that an MPD is a separate taxing district and that including the UGA voters could affect future countywide park-district options. One commissioner said the county would not give up current property-tax revenues, but that creating a city-led MPD can change the political calculus for any future county measures.

Commissioners asked for staff input from parks, public works and budget staff and requested that the county manager return a timeline, potential election costs and the staff analysis necessary for a decision. Several commissioners asked the county manager to emphasize to Lacey officials that the county was not committing to the proposal but was willing to discuss details. The motion asked the county manager to report whether election costs for including the UGA would fall on the county or be absorbed by the city.

Commissioners also requested that the county manager include historical context about prior MPD proposals and past coordination attempts so the board can evaluate the concept against previous efforts. The board approved the direction by voice vote; the motion carried with all commissioners voting in favor.

Next steps: the county manager will contact the City of Lacey for a formal proposal, gather staff analysis from parks and public-works teams, return historical context and timelines for any ballot schedule, and report on potential election costs and implications for county operations.