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City manager orders discretionary spending freeze, hiring and travel limits as budget signals weaken

3660388 · June 3, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

City Manager Jay Berney told the Olympia City Council he has implemented a discretionary spending freeze effective June 1, restricted out‑of‑state travel and imposed a soft hiring freeze pending midyear budget review and sales‑tax tracking.

City Manager Jay Berney told the Olympia City Council on the evening of the meeting that he has implemented a discretionary spending freeze effective June 1 to reduce near‑term budget pressure. The freeze exempts necessary safety purchases, protective equipment and funds required to advance the city’s stated priority work; it also limits out‑of‑state travel unless required for certification and imposes a "soft" hiring freeze that requires his approval before a hiring offer is made.

Berney said the measures are intended to be responsible and…

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