[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-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",6493683,"mediaKeyId","5506669-0df6de7b94b6e4e86c693bea5dd9f5b0","parentId",5506669,"title","Council reviews revised public safety chapter; seeks clarity on sanctuary language, oversight and staffing","audioSeconds",2281,"startMs",4050820,"endMs",6332715,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5506669-0df6de7b94b6e4e86c693bea5dd9f5b0&start=4050&end=6332","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5506669-0df6de7b94b6e4e86c693bea5dd9f5b0/thumbnail_4050820.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6493683/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/Council-reviews-revised-public-safety-chapter-seeks-clarity-on-sanctuary-language-oversight-and-staffing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493683-79c306bb7560e83d9941d6dbd4d4c208/orig.mp4?Expires=1770741259&Signature=fJ1qdpuFpXnRUv~S~m7M8hwX2uTm0J4jIwhWeuvyFeugDXLN6nwnpe~DsAWwkkccmEkI4ydLvEDAHdLkY1k8bsh91HhAaBvq-o9qOB8CNko05agkEh7-wiPYUzFDo7ALMmKVAndvSlT2di8-rCan6B~UParc2dU3o~ruJtnxt88GLD55WVkynRP6uEDskDdZ~3af3ilnW4MQbcAESzK6QS7mghZWCJoi6y82MJk35zorjBZsmW6UR3pLlFLnbd83v8bUelSY3nWNi0lv0z09ecRU-EINobS5IPznDXPOQP4roqjZfxPGsomNsNfxBjVR0fx4xFddMno-UT-F0iBj7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Olympia","date","2025-07-29T00:00:00Z","article","Casey Schoffler, associate planner with Community Planning and Economic Development, presented a revised public safety chapter that staff rewrote following a December 2024 study session and input from the Planning Commission, the Social Justice and Equity Commission, and the Community Livability and Public Safety (CLPS) committee. Schoffler said the rewrite centers equity, accountability and community‑centered approaches and reduced scope by moving schools, social services, housing and sustainability topics into separate chapters so the public safety chapter focuses on code enforcement, fire response and city policing.

Schoffler told the council the draft reflects multiple concurrent efforts: the “reimagining public safety” process, community outreach (including the 1Community plan and resident surveys), the Olympia Police Department and Olympia Fire Department strategic plans, and a staffing study. The presentation added a new goal and supporting policies on public demonstrations, drawn from the City of Olympia review of 2020 public‑demonstration responses and crowd‑management practices; Schoffler noted that goal was a significant, late addition that did not have the same level of prior public review.

Interim Police Chief Shelby Parker and Fire Chief Matt Morris joined Schoffler and answered council questions about staffing and implementation detail. Council members asked how the chapter addresses staffing, recruitment and retention. Chief Parker and Schoffler pointed to department strategic plans and a separate staffing study that provide numbers and operational guidance; Schoffler said the comprehensive plan is intended to describe service levels and that the departments’ strategic plans would contain how positions will be staffed, recruited and retained.

Chief Morris said the fire department recently completed a standards‑of‑cover analysis and will present related operational work plans, noting that many apparatus and infrastructure questions are answered in those department plans rather than in the comprehensive plan.

Council members sought explicit recognition in the chapter of the city’s sanctuary status and requested a short historical note linking the chapter to the December 2022 Reimagining Public Safety report and its recommendations. Council Member Susan Madrone asked staff to remove the word “citizen” from policy language about First Amendment rights (pS 9.1) so the chapter speaks inclusively. Several council members suggested adding photos to show first responders participating in non‑emergency community activities, reflecting the Social Justice and Equity Commission’s emphasis on community presence and prevention.

Schoffler said staff can add an introductory paragraph referencing the Reimagining Public Safety work, will update language to remove “citizen” from the crowd‑management policy, and will work with communications on photos. Council members discussed whether to return the draft to the Social Justice and Equity Commission for review; staff said the commission recently completed comp plan review and is poised to shift to other work but could be asked for additional comment if council wants it. Several council members endorsed familiarizing the incoming community oversight body with the chapter as part of its onboarding.

There was no formal vote. Schoffler said the next steps are to seek feedback and guidance, proceed toward chapter acceptance and then full plan adoption in 2025. Council praise for the rewrite focused on the chapter’s broader framing beyond policing, its emphasis on data and community partnerships, and the new emphasis on disaster preparedness and smoke impacts as a climate‑linked service issue.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Olympia - City Council Study Session on 2025-07-29 at 6:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","City planners presented a substantially rewritten public safety chapter at the July 29 study session; the draft centers equity, non‑enforcement responses, data‑driven prevention and disaster preparedness and adds a new crowd‑management goal drawn from a 2020 city review.","taxTitle","Olympia, Thurston County, Washington","taxId",4862,"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},6493688,"Olympia council studies draft 'Olympia 2045' transportation chapter, emphasizes multimodal priority",4036,36129,4072640,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5506669-0df6de7b94b6e4e86c693bea5dd9f5b0&start=36&end=4072","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5506669-0df6de7b94b6e4e86c693bea5dd9f5b0/thumbnail_36129.jpg","/articles/6493688/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/Olympia-council-studies-draft-Olympia-2045-transportation-chapter-emphasizes-multimodal-priority","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493688-912d1a9cfaf3677a25edb7c94c3cb2be/orig.mp4?Expires=1770741259&Signature=HXX8hX8ClUVWinxDfnWv38AKSD5lrc0Q0zWKmIgWSJany-gI2ripNDDO~-rG8Zm7gIb3GHD7wu1HqkRvlULzaP5oSTAOf7YwgLTDeJ0ZBty9l8d6VUIqMAlVGuh9HZ22tX3apJC9KUuvufImjtBXm6DTCvXogdqDvAovpjan7OdDk~FoThZP7wG4D1Y3P~xb9HUjuhtNVZ-WWvb~noxXDDV45vioe2yk-Eog7tr7quee1w8mRs30US8jesi8U4hFDTeJHm7KUj84Qa1guXoZPkxovBTT7bJuIVHQtazV-1AzkagmZbkYhOAeKM6fCQpcVblPR4BYJ-F91lgxHFENvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Michelle Swanson, senior planner in Public Works — Transportation, briefed the Olympia City Council on the fourth draft of the transportation chapter of the Olympia 2045 comprehensive plan, saying the update is being done chapter by chapter and that staff intend to return later this year for acceptance and then for full-plan adoption before year-end.

Swanson said the chapter integrates the Transportation Master Plan adopted in 2021 and that it now prioritizes “walking, rolling, biking, and taking transit over driving,” reflecting public and advisory‑committee input. She also noted new state requirements: multimodal performance metrics and inclusion of an ADA transition plan in an appendix, and that the Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) issued provisional consistency certification pending finalization of the land use chapter.

Council members praised the draft’s shift away from car-centric language and asked detailed policy and implementation questions. Council Member Susan Madrone said the city needs to balance policy with staffing and capital resources; Council Member Robert Vanderpool and others pressed staff on whether policies calling for building arterials, major collectors and neighborhood collectors reflected current practice and whether “build” should instead read “reconstruct” or be limited to cases where reconstruction is necessary. Swanson explained the chapter reflects a street‑hierarchy policy and applies when new streets are built or existing streets are reconstructed to ensure multimodal features are included.

Public Works Director Mark Russell explained staffing and delivery constraints during the discussion, saying hiring for engineering positions has been difficult and that many projects require site‑specific design work to avoid unintended consequences (stormwater, utilities). Russell also described where the city uses standard details and when site‑specific design is required.

Council members asked about implementation and funding. Swanson and staff pointed to a local sales‑tax increase approved in December 2023 (a tenth of 1 percent) earmarked for pedestrian, bicycle and active‑transportation projects. Swanson said staff began collecting that revenue in April 2024 and are already using it on projects such as State Avenue and Pacific Avenue resurfacing work that has been scoped to add parts of the city’s low‑stress bike network and a floating bus stop configuration to help transit stay on time.

Council members also requested policy edits and clarifications: replacing “large vehicles” with “service vehicles” where appropriate; adding “pilot” language when studying road closures; considering explicit mention of bus lanes under corridor strategies; expanding language on secure/long‑term bicycle parking beyond downtown; and ensuring compatibility language with neighboring jurisdictions emphasizes safety and accessibility. Several council members expressed interest in piloting incremental or temporary treatments (barriers, pilot reconfigurations) to test street design changes before full reconstruction.

Swanson described outreach to date: two rounds on the city’s Engage Olympia platform (roughly 750 page visitors in the first round, about 230 downloaded documents, 71 short‑survey responses; the second round had about 230 visits and 17 survey responses), briefings to BPAC (Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee), the Planning Commission, the Social Justice and Equity Commission, Youth Council, and the Land Use and Environment Committee. She said most respondents supported the multimodal direction but wanted projects built sooner.

The council did not vote on any ordinance or action tonight. Staff said the next steps are continued revisions, a return for formal acceptance later in 2025, and coordination with the land use chapter so TRPC can issue final certification under Growth Management Act consistency requirements. The Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) preliminary list is scheduled for publication in early August and will show how the recent local sales‑tax revenue is being used.","City planners presented the fourth draft of the Olympia 2045 transportation chapter; council members lauded multimodal emphasis, asked for clarifications on street hierarchy, piloting, secure bike parking, and asked staff to align city code and CFP spending with the chapter.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6493678,"Council hears staff briefing on state rent‑stabilization law and impacts on Olympia code; manufactured‑home preservation options requested",0,6965005,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5506669-0df6de7b94b6e4e86c693bea5dd9f5b0&start=6965&end=6965","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5506669-0df6de7b94b6e4e86c693bea5dd9f5b0/thumbnail_6965005.jpg","/articles/6493678/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/Council-hears-staff-briefing-on-state-rentstabilization-law-and-impacts-on-Olympia-code-manufacturedhome-preservation-options-requested","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493678-2d6ba1ddf4582943e71a470f8aa92cc6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770741259&Signature=KHz1Bt-MJJd~tjNIXwe85oXQ23hApFCUBeohJu1PE1QwOqT-TjEsUMMYGUlqr0Vo~ItH3UoOUiwI1yl6r1HmFNp4q~Z-UV1aCs-JY9gHLjJusqvIYbWdrsmzIk8Onl6NXvcYhPyDqXck2on1x0Hu-dvrk2zldCbNpTa-NRpVe1vr5JiqYdVCfZW-ZML4OMSZRtoUBTRGy5Wuc9RF7zxx~STmALl-sZBWNptKCOeACoavy4JQnkFqiRe3DlBKJlKdyZsUdT3SA0qJkiRFHdt3uuaDxhecR851no8enKOJYlJEMYGF~EtiHgzunzRZUErLVVbjh20yjf1f2Vwh1cvkEA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Krista Lanson, senior housing program specialist, briefed the Olympia City Council on House Bill 1217 (referred to in the briefing as the rent‑stabilization bill) and its effects on both residential tenancies and manufactured‑home tenancies. Lanson said the city will hold two additional tenant‑protection study sessions: a review of the first year of rental‑registry implementation on Aug. 19 and a tenant‑screening briefing on Sept. 16.

Lanson summarized key state changes: for residential tenancies the law caps annual rent increases at “7% plus CPI up to 10%” during a 12‑month period (the July‑to‑July implementation is phased and the cap is set at 10% for 2025), extends rent‑increase notice to 90 days and requires a state rent‑increase notice form, prohibits increases in the first 12 months of tenancy, and requires the state Department of Commerce to create an online landlord resource center. Lanson noted the rent‑cap provisions for typical residential tenancies expire in July 2040.

For manufactured‑home tenancies (where residents own the home and rent the lot), Lanson said the state law is stricter: a 5% annual cap on lot‑rent increases, a prohibition on increases during the first 12 months, caps on move‑in fees and security deposits (one month’s rent, two months if a pet), and capped late fees on a stepped schedule. Those manufactured‑home provisions do not expire.

Lanson presented three local policy options for residential rentals: (1) keep Olympia’s current relocation‑assistance and notice provisions (the city currently requires tenant relocation assistance for rent increases totalling 7% or more within 12 months and longer local notice in some cases); (2) remove the local relocation‑assistance requirement to align strictly with state law; or (3) a middle ground that retains relocation assistance for properties exempted from the state cap or for increases above the state threshold. Staff recommended a middle ground that clarifies the relationship between city code and state law and preserves protections for tenants in some exempt circumstances while reducing confusion.

Council members asked procedural and substantive questions. Council Member Megan Gilman asked why staff had proposed some policies that are now more protective at the state level; Lanson said the state law supersedes and staff recommended not pursuing local versions that are weaker or redundant with the state law. Council members asked about enforcement and whether tenants would know whether to contact the state Attorney General or city staff; Lanson said staff could update local templates and outreach materials to make notification and enforcement pathways clear.

Lanson also summarized staff proposals presented earlier in the year for manufactured‑home communities—tenants had asked for relocation assistance if lot rents increase by 7% or more and for six months’ notice for large increases, tenant‑rights information at new or renewed leases, and exploration of zoning changes to preserve manufactured‑home park land. Staff noted the state legislation did not address zoning or park‑preservation approaches. Council members and staff discussed practical preservation tools: zoning changes, deed restrictions/easements tied to compensation, tenant opportunity‑to‑purchase models or community land trusts, and regional funding sources such as the Thurston Regional Housing Council Opportunity Fund. Several council members asked staff to pursue more detailed options on manufactured‑home protection and recommended referring the topic to the Land Use and Environment Committee for deeper study and possible future action.

There was no formal vote. Staff asked for direction on whether to return with code amendment drafts to align city rules with HB 1217, and whether to explore manufactured‑home preservation (including the possibility of a zoning‑oriented approach or alternatives such as deed restrictions, land trusts or acquisition strategies). Council members generally favored sending the rental‑code alignment to the Land Use and Environment Committee for further consideration and requested follow‑up materials and timelines; staff said manufactured‑home preservation work could become a 2026 work‑plan item depending on council direction and capacity.","Staff summarized the new state rent‑stabilization law (House Bill 1217), explained near‑term implications for local rental‑housing code and manufactured home tenancies, and requested direction on whether to amend city code and whether to explore zoning or other options to preserve manufactured home communities.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council reviews revised public safety chapter; seeks clarity on sanctuary language, oversight and staffing

Olympia council studies draft 'Olympia 2045' transportation chapter, emphasizes multimodal priority

Council hears staff briefing on state rent‑stabilization law and impacts on Olympia code; manufactured‑home preservation options requested