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Public commenter flags 1997 utility‑tax allocation in Olympia budget; staff say calculation follows ordinance and past practice
Summary
At the Nov. 19 Finance Committee meeting, resident Jim Lazard said a 1997 half‑percent utility‑tax increase was wrongly included in the city’s general‑use calculation in the draft budget; city finance staff reviewed the claim and said the half‑percent has historically been treated as part of the 11% ILA calculation and is shown more transparently in the current draft.
At the Nov. 19 meeting of the Olympia City Council Finance Committee, resident Jim Lazard said he had corresponded with staff and identified an apparent error on page 22 of the draft 2026 budget involving a 1997 utility‑tax increase.
"I am here for public comment," Lazard said, and explained that the 1997 increase — a half‑percent added at that time — has historically been dedicated to parks maintenance and related projects and, he said, should be appropriated to parks maintenance rather than counted as part of the general‑use…
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