[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6120186,"mediaKeyId","2709015-f73f4ab1f6242a628415ed3e57c21d4f","parentId",2709015,"title","Tumwater reports 11 referrals to CARES program in partnership with Olympia Fire; half-time coordinator onboard","audioSeconds",135,"startMs",2214000,"endMs",2349000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2709015-f73f4ab1f6242a628415ed3e57c21d4f&start=2214&end=2349","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2709015-f73f4ab1f6242a628415ed3e57c21d4f/thumbnail_2214000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6120186/Tumwater/Thurston-County/Washington/Tumwater-reports-11-referrals-to-CARES-program-in-partnership-with-Olympia-Fire-half-time-coordinator-onboard","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6120186-6a9ddb9753eb806171ccee896019e746/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199799&Signature=JQ33rfERy2QmdG0f-n0DvyClXqQ0zcWo9lWqIYwZYTDr24ljGysEaU0hEJOJMNUtZDO0UttQ2g9xbQXY0jSB7cGCUnY1pold9j6ZWSOxaE6zDcoJRuYwYU1Q~KoYtzTJpEhgXJ67coXTikEC556v1oYTT3zcrUUPUF4Vfa3v8kuRw3L6~hEyTY5QD2IakSKtkZNmGLCkIPstiJb-3MDgW1QcsokjpdpCaPO0b~my1WIgVh0QYUkQiy9sKIJVkgc-LKIp7-BubdBzqTE5qepOmjVcp9vtt9UF6jIk1WnF~0vEoZcjtA462k10v8iu2BgcTrh1WF1t7sSLF4mUMtoymg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Tumwater, WA - City Government","date","2025-03-20T11:32:09.783Z","article","TUMWATER, Wash. — At the March 18 Tumwater City Council meeting, City Administrator Parks provided an update on the city’s CARES program, a joint initiative with the Olympia Fire Department aimed at diverting nonemergency 911 calls to community services.

Parks said the city’s half-time CARES coordinator, Ariana Gomez, is now working out of Tumwater headquarters with office space and will soon have a program vehicle. \"This CARES program, as you recall, is a partnership with the city of Olympia Fire Department,\" Parks said. He added that all firefighters have received referral training and the program has handled 11 community referrals to date.

Scope and purpose: CARES stands for Community Assistance Referral and Education Services. Parks described the program as a resource for people who call 911 for nonemergency needs such as help obtaining medications or addressing home-safety concerns; the intent is to connect people to appropriate services rather than use emergency medical responses.

Operational notes: Administrator Parks said the city has a half-time employee assigned to CARES and that a vehicle for community outreach will be available soon. He said the program is set up to reduce unnecessary 911 responses by making referrals and coordinating support services.

Next steps: The city indicated it will continue integrating CARES referrals into fire department operations and monitor outcomes as referrals increase.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting March 18 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City Administrator Parks told the council that Tumwater’s CARES (Community Assistance Referral and Education Services) program, a partnership with the Olympia Fire Department, has placed 11 community referrals since launching and has a half-time coordinator, Ariana Gomez, onsite.","taxTitle","Tumwater, Thurston County, Washington","taxId",70653,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6120191,"Tumwater council approves standardized employment-agreement template for department directors",459,1467000,1926000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2709015-f73f4ab1f6242a628415ed3e57c21d4f&start=1467&end=1926","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2709015-f73f4ab1f6242a628415ed3e57c21d4f/thumbnail_1467000.jpg","/articles/6120191/Tumwater/Thurston-County/Washington/Tumwater-council-approves-standardized-employment-agreement-template-for-department-directors","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6120191-5d2cede31ed2f51ca6802641d4e294e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199799&Signature=GuLPsZz6F45XGb1GHoqBnUMxYYpxTXastsMtFIr0CXOHXN1qlgYfYkCoRT-VA0LsT5L4Xe~eGSmF3T67UtwdA2cl7KyzUxvkg-LRWaeipF~GPbnxSI7i1PVyPq7uhNuH30h15iy6VOw~SGacNLE64IB14D1pGIDiGMG-~1oMwDMXYJxx4a40tcAb1Q3fC-uOfJkprsYoxQzmHq4C~IHDFL19C6m~7U2viVQvW6sXaa0mpf8hn2IPH4vtPiLYVGlpvxtiNN9TnV2pzN4XeZ8vpTAa-KdxA5ikVcACagJisaVIICiYXzYC9gcQwuEeAbwKd9gHGHjDx3Y~WwgtMBH3mA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","TUMWATER, Wash. — On March 18, 2025, the Tumwater City Council voted unanimously to approve a standardized employment-agreement template for department director positions and authorized the mayor to sign agreements in substantially similar form.

City Administrator Parks presented the template, saying the goal was parity and consistency across director positions. \"The why is, as I mentioned, is to ensure that all of the directors have employment agreements,\" Parks said, adding that the template would also standardize terms across positions.

Key provisions: The template emphasizes that department directors serve at-will and attaches each director’s job description to make an agreement specific to a position. The proposed template standardizes severance language; Parks told the council existing severance for directors ranges from two to six months and the template suggests six months, consistent with the City Administrator’s agreement. Salaries remain tied to the city’s salary-and-grade system adopted in the annual budget.

Scope: Administrator Parks identified seven director positions that already have agreements (fire chief; transportation and engineering director; administrative services director; police chief; water resources and sustainability director; city attorney; finance director) and three directors without current agreements (parks and recreation director, community development director, and the new IT director position). The presentation said the template would be used to update existing agreements and to create new ones for positions that lack them.

Council action: Council member Swarthout moved to approve and authorize the mayor to sign the employment agreements in substantially similar form, as recommended by the Budget and Finance Committee; Council member Jefferson seconded the motion. The council approved the motion by voice vote.

Additional context: Council members asked whether the positions are union-covered; Administrator Parks confirmed these director positions are not union positions. Parks said the template is intended to help recruiting and to address inconsistent contract language among current agreements.","The council authorized a template employment agreement to be used for current and future department directors, standardizing severance, at-will terms, and job-description attachments; the motion passed unanimously on March 18, 2025.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6120196,"Tumwater council backs resolution supporting renewal of 0.2% transportation sales tax on April 22 ballot",35,568000,603000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2709015-f73f4ab1f6242a628415ed3e57c21d4f&start=568&end=603","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2709015-f73f4ab1f6242a628415ed3e57c21d4f/thumbnail_568000.jpg","/articles/6120196/Tumwater/Thurston-County/Washington/Tumwater-council-backs-resolution-supporting-renewal-of-02-transportation-sales-tax-on-April-22-ballot","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6120196-27384bc39cd5a66ffda7d7ce9bec7e54/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199799&Signature=KK5TLu9FJ7KEasFdlXufw6DxOxDoeLnQdHU4-LRz-Yiokdq39-II3HgsjBGT-itYI61vDqkIw7HFVi0j62OeQrVfP2MTVczGmj6l5vEwabIA27JULK5S2p9NqNBDejk7gUc7O9OfEHVUhGBUBIerVDyBPYck3U8LfJJOkQHjNPrP2Wa4F8qOicxQe8rf7GSRCVr02A3q89ft2NbBfO1ohkuvRNv1a12RbguUEIWODoI7smMXfYmdompGhBWg7p2~HKxHVq3qM~3oqG0OTnVY4A6KPiLLPLU6a7l~vGXgU0i6zKxmnPMFd34WGE3g5JKvLyD4RgGt0HBey7u0FeQ0-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","TUMWATER, Wash. — On March 18, 2025, the Tumwater City Council unanimously approved Resolution R2025-005, a formal statement in support of Proposition 1, a ballot measure to renew the city’s 0.2% Transportation Benefit District (TBD) sales tax.

The resolution, moved by Council member Swarthout and seconded by Council member Dalhoff, records the council’s endorsement of placing the renewal before voters in a special election on April 22, 2025. Brandon Hicks, the city’s transportation and engineering director, said the renewal would continue an existing tax and estimated that “the TBD sales tax is estimated to generate over $30,000,000 for street and sidewalk maintenance over the next 10 years.”

Why it matters: The tax is a renewal, not a new levy, and has funded routine and capital street work in Tumwater since its initial adoption. Supporters told the council the tax stretches local dollars through grants and preserves public-safety access for emergency vehicles.

Brandon Hicks, Transportation and Engineering Director, described the item as \"the specific purpose of this agenda item is to consider resolution number R2025-005 in support of the Tumwater Transportation Benefit District proposition 1.\" He added that the resolution is a council statement supporting placement of the renewal on the ballot.

Council members who spoke framed the renewal as continuation of an established program. Council member Angela Jefferson said, \"I strongly support this transportation benefit district because we need to maintain our streets and sidewalks,\" and recounted recent pothole damage that was remedied quickly. Council member Lietta Dalhoff noted the tax is not new and credited the existing revenue with paving more than a hundred lane miles and attracting “over $6,000,000 in grants to stretch local funds.” Council member Michael Althouser emphasized public-safety benefits, saying well-maintained streets help emergency responders. Council member Kelly Vonholtz, who previously worked for a state Department of Transportation, said maintenance funding is essential and reiterated support.

Public input: The council opened a public hearing but no members of the public signed up to speak on the proposition and no online comments were recorded during the hearing.

Formal action: Council member Swarthout moved to adopt Resolution R2025-005 in support of Proposition 1; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously by voice vote.

Context and next steps: If voters approve Proposition 1 on April 22, the existing 0.2% TBD sales tax would continue for the next 10 years and — according to the estimate presented to the council — could generate more than $30 million to be used only for city street and sidewalk maintenance. The resolution itself does not change tax law; it records the council’s support for placing the renewal on the ballot.","At its March 18 meeting the Tumwater City Council unanimously adopted Resolution R2025-005 supporting Proposition 1, a renewal of the existing 0.2% Transportation Benefit District sales tax that would fund street and sidewalk maintenance if approved by voters on April 22, 2025.","actionData","errors"]

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Tumwater reports 11 referrals to CARES program in partnership with Olympia Fire; half-time coordinator onboard

Tumwater council approves standardized employment-agreement template for department directors

Tumwater council backs resolution supporting renewal of 0.2% transportation sales tax on April 22 ballot