City Council - Regular Meeting

All right, hello and welcome everyone to tonight's Tuesday, July 28th, 2026 regular meeting of business meeting of the Olympia City Council. First up, our roll call. As you can see, our mayor is not with us today, but I am. I'm Mayor Pro Tem Huynh, and our mayor does a lot, so it's nice for him to have a night off, I think. With that, everyone else is here on council, so we'll move to announcements. And I just have a quick one, which is just letting folks know that there will not be a regular council meeting next week. It is also primary election night, Tuesday next week, so reminding everyone

Thank you. Ashley, I'll just ask for you to stand at the podium there so you might hear any comments from council. Oh, perfect. All right, Council Member Gilman, followed by Council Member Madrone.

Just say welcome, Ashley. Welcome home, and I'll look forward to sharing some teriyaki with you.

Yeah, I just want to say welcome. It's been an open position for a long time. And there's a lot of work to be done, as you've probably heard drinking from that fire hose. We have some really big goals as a city. We have some really big challenges. But we also have a lot of political will and ambition around this. You know, you probably have heard some of the history, but we were the first city in the state of Washington to legalize middle housing across the board. We're often on the leading edge of a lot of issues, and I think that's where we'd like to stay. So glad to have you aboard and on t

Well said. Just looking around for any additional comments.

Yes, I just wanted to join the others in welcoming you and... saying thank goodness you're on board. We've got a lot going on. It's an aggressive agenda, and I look forward to working with you as everyone else. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. And with that, I'll just close us out of announcements just saying a hearty welcome from all of us on here. Truly, Council has been keeping abreast of the hiring and interview process. And while Council Member Madrone is correct that it was open for a while. And that's not because no one wanted to apply. It was because we needed the right person. And it was competitive. And I have heard so many great things about you. And I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're looking forward to getting to know you more and being able to learn from your expertise and do some great work

All right. With that, we'll move to approval of the agenda.

Second? All right. I will just note that while the agenda for tonight has been republished to now just go from three to two items for business items, we decided to move, which was originally item 6B, off till a later date. It just needed a little bit more work. So with that, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. All right. The agenda has been approved. And then that moves us to special recognition. And we're just having one council member read that tonight. And is it appropriate if I ask you, Council Member Barron, to stand up so we can read your shirt?

It says parks make life better, with the exclamation point. So I think we chose the right person to read this proclamation, so go ahead.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem, and it's an honor to be able to read this proclamation this evening. Parks and Recreation Month. Whereas parks and recreation is an integral part of communities, throughout this country, including the city of Olympia, and whereas parks and recreation promotes health and wellness, improving and physical and mental health of people who live near parks, and whereas parks and recreation has the opportunity to create a sense of belonging for all who engage in our services and facilities, and whereas parks and recreation promotes time spent in nature, which positively impac

Thank you, Council Member Barron. Next, we have a receiving this proclamation tonight, and I understand a short presentation to follow from Laura Keahan, who is a director of Parks Planning and Maintenance.

Thank you. Thank you, Laura. Are there any responses from council members? Oh, Council Member Barron.

Thank you. Thank you for that presentation. I get really excited about the parks because we have such fabulous parks. Since being elected to the council last fall, I made it a point of trying to visit every park. I haven't gotten to them all yet, but I will be. And Grass Lake, Watershed, Squaxin Park, such fabulous trails. for the community to get away. I'm a daily user of the parks. I have a dog and I go to the dog parks at both Ward Lake and Mud Bay. And people love those parks. The community, we just have this tremendous deep well of affection towards the parks that, not just the dog parks,

Thank you. Well, I think that wraps us up really nicely. Here, here. I agree with Council Member Barron. Parks makes life better. You did such a great job of laying that out. And you are one of many, but a very, very important one of our park system and maintaining it. So thank you so much. And would you like to take a picture with us?

Yes. She sees us all the time. All right. Thank you, Laura. I'm still going to come give you the proclamation. All right. So moving on, we have public comment tonight. And I see we have a few that have signed up in person and just one online. So just quickly for those that may not be familiar with public comment, or are returning after some time. So each public commenter gets two minutes. We'll do in-person first to honor those that have made their way here to join us in person, and then we'll follow with our single public commenter online. So when you hear your name, please do step at the pod

Thank you. Another thing I should have mentioned in the housekeeping is that there will be run through all of the public comment tonight. There's just four short ones. It'll go pretty quickly. And then there will be an opportunity at the end for council to comment. So we are listening to you and you're hoping if you're hoping for a response, I'd really encourage you to stick around. All right, next, Jen, and you're going to teach me how to say your last name, Jen.

Oh, I see what you're saying. Unfortunately, I don't have the time.

Sorry, I'm going to have to wrap you up. This is the unfund part of my facilitation role.

It sounds like you have some comments written out there. And so I don't know if you feel comfortable sharing that with our assistant city manager so that we can have a copy of that. You're also welcome to email us as well.

Thank you. Okay. With that, we are transitioning to our single online public commenter. Okay. Oh, looks like they're online. So, is it Andre Lynn?

Oh, wonderful. Okay, we can hear you. You can go ahead.

Thank you for your comments so before I go to the Ask counsel for their response, but just with this one I heard most of the things that you had said and then there were some moments that I'm not sure I quite caught everything and this is sounds like a an urgent and delicate matter so i see that when you registered to public comment we also have your email so if it's all right i'm going to ask staff to follow up with you directly as soon as possible to just understand more fully what's going on and how what support looks like on the city level it sounds like you do understand that we the city

Well, first, I just, Norman, I'm Clark Norman, so meeting Norman Clark is pretty cool. But I also, I hear your concerns. I've actually been engaged on some work around the well in particular in the last couple weeks, and if it's okay with you, I'd be glad to reach out and talk about what's going and what you think should be added to the efforts that are going on now. I appreciate your coming down tonight. And I'm glad that Jen shouted out the Realtors and Builders Tour. I'm not available this year, but I've gone several years, and I find it a really useful time to spend together with Realtors

All right, I'll just run through mine. I think Councilmember Gilman covered it well, but for Norman, thank you for coming and taking the time to express your frustrations. And I oftentimes think that, well, I know it to be true is when people take the time to share their frustrations, it's because they care. So while I don't quite see it your way because I mean it's probably because I'm on the City Council and I'm aware of what efforts that we're trying to do and I could sit here and tell you all the efforts that we're really doing this we put more emphasis in here and at the end of the day if

Thanks so much, Natalie. This is a win. So it's great to have you pull and highlight it. And speaking of if it's going to be approved, we'll just pick it up at the end here by opening the consent calendar and asking if we have a motion from council.

I would move to approve the consent calendar.

Aye. Consent calendar passes. Congratulations to all and congratulations to Natalie. All right. And that moves us to our first item of business tonight, which is item 6A. That's Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project Update. And we have a number of folks that are in person tonight. And so I'll just hand it over to Southwest Region Director of the Washington State Department of Ecology, Bobak Tlaiby.

Lynn, is it already if I ask you a question? Of course. I just don't want, I got a little caught up when you said, completely unintended, but you said at which time we will do the dam removal. And I know you mean D-A-M.

Remove the dam. But I want to make sure I didn't miss over something that very important that you said. You said that there are two items that potentially could move. in time. And so could you tell me again what those two things are?

Okay, that's really helpful for me. And I didn't mean to, you know, cause you don't have to spell it out for the rest. It was great levity for me at these meetings. So thank you so much for clarifying that.

Thank you. I'll go ahead and turn it over to my councilmates for response, comments, questions. Sounds like Council Member Madrone and then did I see your hand, Council Member Vanderpool, followed by Council Member Gill. Probably everybody. But feel free to stand up. And we'll go ahead and go in that order.

All right. Of course I got something to say. Um, I really, really appreciate this update. Um, actually let me back up a bit and say, I really, really appreciate ecology taking leadership on this issue. Um, you know, the folks at department of enterprise services got it as far as, as I think they could, but really this is a huge habitat and environmental restoration project. And so, you know, I, I really believe that ecology is a really great place for this to live. So I really want to thank you guys for pulling together and say okay we're doing this now, and you know I see you guys out there i

phasing, and so I see that broken out here, and I mean I know that was part of the proviso language also is like, how are you going to do this in phases, so that it's like more. Manageable bite-sized chunks large bites still but you know So is that is that part of the is that tied to the funding strategy like okay? We're gonna go after this part of the project with this fund and are you doing like some matchmaking around that?

This issue is a very long time coming for our community and we've gotten to the point where I just see people casually talking about how cool this is, and even the lake drying down this past week, people are like, that's kind of what it's going to look like. It'll look very different. We all know that. But people are really, really excited about this. So thanks again for your work.

Thank you. And is it all right, Council Member Vandepoel? It sounds like city manager had to follow up on that. Go ahead.

Yeah, a lot of my questions are already answered, but I also want to have praise for this because it seems more tangible now in a lot of ways, right? it's not often you see something go pat and be near 90% design and be that close right i'm so used to projects taking significantly longer, so I really do appreciate the fact that there is a timeline I realized that there's a lot of money attached and you're in you're. Working really hard to fill those funding goals and making sure we get it done, but like it is it feels a lot more tangible. in a lot of ways, I don't usually see big projects get

Thank you. Well, it is, I guess, quick progress, as you're saying. And I'm also thinking the lake closed to swimming 40 years ago. because we decided it wasn't safe for people or small hydros to be out there. So it's both this particular effort is moving pretty quickly, and also there's been conversation in the community and efforts. I first met Councilmember Madrone when she was speaking on behalf of the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team, I don't know, 12 years ago or something, in advocating for this. So for me to have that slide up, and I realize that the dates aren't set in stone, but to

And so my experience is that e-bikes are in the bike lanes and the sidewalks routinely. And so we have this evolution right now where we're not treating them as a separate third kind of vehicles, the light electric vehicles, and it's just blurry. So that's one thing I would consider in the bridge design is that it's going to last forever.

Thank you. Thank you for your work. I'm excited about this value-engineered bridge design. Thank you.

Thank you. That's a great point, Council Member Gilman. Did you have more to share? It's fine. Go for it. Tessa, this council loves hearing from you.

Thank you. That was helpful. Council Member Barron.

Thank you. I think the greatest challenge this project has faced is that the community has had a hard time visualize the reality of it. It's been a conceptual, but not reality. And I'm so excited by this presentation because it's very tangible and real for the first time for me personally. So thank you, and thank you for all your work. I also just want to recognize our legislative delegation that has worked so hard on getting this to this place. Representatives, partially, Indolio and Senator and, frankly, Governor Ferguson. I think his office has really not turned his back on this project, an

Yeah, thank you, Council Member Barron. I agree. Yeah, I'm excited by all this, too. I think my councilmate said it well. So I'll just say thank you so much for being here. Thank you for this very comprehensive presentation. You all moved just so seamlessly. It's clear that you're familiar with each other and working hard on this. And glad to meet a new team member. So thank you for saying yes to us, this place, and this project. Jay said we'll be seeing more of you. So look forward to that 100% design. And thank you so much for all your hard work. And do the damn removal. Thank you. All right

Hey, take your time. Yeah, and for the things you didn't say in the mic, Mike Givens is really excited to show us something.

Oh, is that our, we have a question from council. Is that all right?

Thank you. I have a question just looking at the areas where, I mean, I, my eyes certainly drew to police over time versus what we've budgeted. And it, I mean, it looks like we're going to exceed what we've budgeted for police over time. But the question I have is we also budgeted for positions that are currently vacant. And so, um, I'm curious, I mean, if you've dug in there to be like, okay, well, we don't want people working over time because that exhausts them. And you know, it's, it's, uh, it's not the best position for them to be in. That being said, what we've budgeted for vacant positi

Yeah, absolutely. I'm thinking about, like, what is the other information behind this other than the dollar signs? I'm seeing impact on people right there.

And with additional information, I saw City Manager Burney.

Thank you. Does that satisfy your question? Okay. All right. Council Member Madron is satisfied.

Thank you. We'll see what we have. I will first like to turn it over to the chair of the council's finance committee, which is Council Member Gilman.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. A couple of takeaways and then a question for you all. First, I think, as Mike was pointing out, you watch month by month, and there's going to be some things that don't exactly align on last year's line because transactions happen at different times of year. So for me, taking this look halfway through the year is really important because we're getting a look at the six-month point. And I just want to say that While we did have a red on the expenditures for general fund, it's pretty close. We're not in the same urgency we were feeling the last couple of years, and I'm

This is super cool. And I can feel your excitement. It's like you're showing off your new toys. I love it. It's really, really great to have this kind of a visual. And one question I have before I get to answering Councilmember Gilman's question is, you know, so on the main screen there, you know, it shows we're in the red for something, but we're not worried about it because we're mid-year and we expect that revenue is going to catch up to those expenses. We had big expenses early in the year. What is the indicator if somebody is looking at this to know that it's red, but it's serious? Are th

Okay, but what I'm hearing there is that, so I do not have 20-20 vision, like it's good enough, but like I can't read that. So, but what I'm hearing there is in the narrative there, it kind of explains what we're seeing in these numbers here that would give the average person, you know, as they look at that, some assurance that yeah we see that it's red we're watching it closely and here's why okay correct and we'll change these notes each month and that's why i wanted to point out i think it's really important when the page loads it's like that that you look at them okay great that that that'

Thank you. Next, we have Council Member Barrett.

Thank you. And Mike, thank you. This was a really good presentation, and I'm grateful for it. And just a few thoughts. I fall into the category of liking a quarterly report. When we see these reports in real time, these are metrics that really show the exact management health of each of these departments in real time. So twice a year is great, but I think quarterly provides council members with more robust information to make decisions. I also think that we, from time to time, are asked to make unbudgeted budget approvals. And while they fall more like in the $10,000 range or the $30,000 range

Thank you. Council Member Vanderbilt, did you have something?

Not extensively. I mean, I'm okay with continuing to have it quarterly, as my councillors have said. We also kitted it on Finance Committee, so it's perfectly fine.

Yeah. OK. I have some questions. Easy peasy for you. So how often is this updated? Is it every month?

Oh, got it. Okay. And then are you tracking or is your team tracking usage of this? Are there any analytics? I mean, not necessarily who's using it, but I mean, are you tracking if folks are visiting it much outside of the organization? Can you share anything about that?

Yeah, yeah. And I'd love to, at your next update, hear about how sort of, how granular are we going on that? You know, are we finding out there are analytics that people are just obsessed with fund four through three or, you know, or something like that? Like where are the trends? So that would be nice to know.

Yeah, that's my style too, yeah. As evidenced by the 20th, but we almost always beat it. This is really, really great work. I wonder about community members that are bumping around here for the first time or many and they have a question. Is there somewhere on here that says if you have a question, go to this email or?

Thank you. Wow, you have a question straight to the director. I mean, that's powerful. Other than that, I really just have praise. This is really, really exciting stuff. I mean, the level of detail here, I love the notes, that there's notes to explain the story behind the numbers, right? And while we do have some red, which I appreciate that you said you decided to not take any liberties of making it green. So thank you for that. But also is that my understanding is we're where we plan to be.

So the city manager reminds me this is a big one for us. So very, very good work on behalf of your team. And then also through this, you collaborate with all the other departments.

um so yeah really great stuff and just gonna do a last scan uh and i see council member gilman i just i wanted to appreciate both council member barrett and council member madrone's thoughts about how frequently to bring this and i i think just as um city manager bernie had said that um We would bring this up if there was ever a red flag sort of issue. I guess I would also suggest that, as Council Member Barrett said, sometimes we have decisions that come up during the year. And I think bringing along this dashboard when we discuss a budget amendment or when we discuss a one-time expenditure t

Thank you, Council Member Gilman. That's a great point. And to make sure I answer your question, I don't have strong feelings. Although it might make sense to start with more and not less and see if we need them. If folks are feeling they really need the quarterly. But I'm really excited that I can just go on here or any member of the public and just bump around by ourselves. All right, anything else, finance director?

Thank you. Likewise, really exciting stuff. Okay, that closes us out for business items tonight. And that takes us to council reports. Is there someone that's so excited to give a report that would like to start? Go ahead.

I see that as a challenge, and I take it. All right. Then we'll just follow down the line.

All right. So Regional Housing Council met. We gave an update to the board on where we are with the jungle by a city manager and assistant city manager that came out and City Council Chambers, Talk to the board about that, and one I guess a couple other things that they. City Council Chambers, brought up some of the board members brought up so they had concerns about illegal dumping, but also made sure that there was concerns about privacy of individuals are kept concerns. City Council Chambers, Well, about ensuring that, like the lacy that that Center. is used as a resource, a part of that wo

Thank you. Any comments or questions for Council Member Vanderpool? Oh, Council Member Gilman.

Thanks. I was wondering if the city manager might be able to amplify or comment on consulting the lived experience working group from the county on that difficult decision that the

All right, any other comments or questions? Okay, Council Member Gilman.

I have a couple of things. I just want to acknowledge that I attended the Thurston County Food Bank conference breakfast, and Councilwoman Madrone was one of the great speakers at that, talking about food security. She did a fabulous job and represented us well, and it was a great event for one of our community's premier nonprofits. I also met with a group at the South Capitol neighborhood. really want to try to help them work through a dozen sticky issues. And we discussed this some at our land use meeting under short-term rental policies. There are many, many issues facing the households in

Thank you. Any comments or questions for Councilmember Barron? Oh, Councilmember Madron.

I just want to thank you for mentioning the food bank event. That was a good one, the annual breakfast. And I was very pleased to speak at that. And then as a result of that, I got an invitation to be one of the elected officials to judge the berry pie contest at the county fair this weekend. I'm so excited. I told her I have been waiting my whole career as an elected official to be invited to some kind of baked good judging contest. So excited for that.

Very good. Very good. I know you want to go there now. You are so excited. Any other comments or questions for Council Member Barron? Okay. Well, with that, that closes us out for the night. Oh, sorry about that. I forgot, didn't I? I'm going to have to make it up to him later, I'm sure. Okay. Council Member, or sorry, there. City Manager Bernie, do you have a report for us tonight?

That was great. Okay. Thank you. With no further business before us tonight, we are adjourned. Thank you.