Thurston County staff urges adoption of 2025–2030 Capital Improvement Plan; public raises questions about REIT funds

Ashley, director of community planning and economic development, told the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners on Thursday that the proposed 2025–2030 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is included as an appendix to the county’s comprehensive plan and fulfills state growth-management financing requirements.

"The state does require us to adopt a financing plan for the county's public facilities," Ashley said, adding that the county will transition to biannual CIP updates after the comprehensive plan is adopted on Dec. 16. She said cost estimates in the plan are preliminary and that new public dashboards published by public works and central services provide more detailed project information.

The planning commission reviewed the proposed CIP over the summer and, Ashley said, recommended that the board consider adopting the updated CIP once the public dashboards were published. She noted the county received two written comments since the planning commission’s review; both concerned streamflow and groundwater monitoring in the Deschutes Watershed, which she said fall outside the CIP’s scope but are addressed elsewhere in the comprehensive plan.

During public comment, John Pettit of Rich Road, East Olympia, voiced procedural and fiscal concerns. Pettit questioned whether the planning commission had made a recommendation and urged the board to adhere to the capital facilities plan when spending funds tied to bond proceeds. "There is no mention of either the atrium...or the Plum Street property on the site. So, therefore, you could not use REIT money to make bond payments on a project that wouldn't be in that location," Pettit said, urging commissioners to check with staff before reusing such funds.

County staff and other participants responded that the planning commission had provided its recommendation and that legal review had been conducted; speakers referenced a review involving the prosecuting attorney's office and said they had notified members of the public who raised concerns. The exchange included staff statements that past purchases were reviewed and no violations of the CIP had been identified.

After discussion, the board voted by voice to close the public hearing on the CIP. Chair Ty Mansour announced the board would reconvene at 4:00 p.m. to continue public comment on the '2627' biennial budget.

The hearing record shows the planning commission recommended the board move forward with the CIP after publication of the dashboards; commissioners closed the hearing without taking a separate adoption vote during this session. The county’s published dashboards and the CIP appendix to the comprehensive plan are referenced by staff as the primary sources for project-level details.