Commissioner requests joint planning session with Olympia on municipal court services transfer

Commissioner Klaus asked the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners on June 10 to plan a joint meeting with the Olympia City Council focused on the transfer of Olympia Municipal Court services to the county and the upcoming interlocal agreement (ILA).

Klaus said the county is preparing to take over municipal court services and initially sought a joint planning session before the ILA was finalized. After conversations with Olympia council members, Klaus said the timing made a pre‑ILA session impractical because Olympia must give six months’ notice to change court arrangements and summer recess limits availability. Instead, Klaus asked for a broader joint meeting with Olympia later this year to discuss the transition and related topics.

County Manager Leonard Hernandez provided a scheduling update at the meeting, noting Olympia’s council may consider the ILA in mid‑July and the county is likely to take the item up in late July; commissioners suggested scheduling a general interjurisdictional meeting in late summer or early fall that includes court services among other agenda items.

Commissioners expressed support for a general joint meeting with Olympia to maintain relationships and coordinate on shared issues; several members cautioned that county officials should avoid intervening in the court negotiation process and that any joint session should be informational rather than part of the formal negotiation.

No formal vote was taken; commissioners directed staff to explore scheduling a joint meeting with Olympia for later in the year.