Olympia City Council OKs consolidating its municipal court with Thurston County
The Olympia City Council voted unanimously April 22 to direct staff to begin negotiating an Interlocal Agreement with Thurston County for court services, ultimately doing away with the city’s long-standing and nationally recognized municipal court.
Mayor Dontae Payne said the council’s vote wasn’t the final decision in the process. The agreement with the county wouldn’t come to the council until June or July.
Several judges and other court employees from around Western Washington spoke against the proposal to regionalize services. One county commissioner backed the decision during public comment, saying the county is well prepared to take on all the services Olympia offers people coming into contact with the court system.
How did the city get here?
Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan briefed the council on how the city began considering merging the courts.
She said the council first spoke in January about the possible sale of the aging Lee Creighton Justice Center at 900 Plum St. to the Squaxin Island Tribe. The plan was approved on April 8, and the tribe revealed plans to build a hotel with conference rooms and a restaurant on the site.
“As soon as the city entered into the exclusive negotiation agreement, the city got to work, with help from the court, the court staff, prosecution and public defense, to find a path forward,” Sullivan said. “The intent was to relocate Municipal Court and all of the related programs and services.”
Sullivan said transitioning judicial services to the county, given the city’s financial challenges, was considered a viable option. The district court already serves most jurisdictions in the county, including Lacey and Tumwater.
“Their judges are held in high regard, are experienced, have deep roots in Olympia, with two of them having served as the city’s chief prosecutors, and they are independently elected,” she said.
“The county has well established, successful therapeutic courts that are recognized in Washington as mentor courts. They offer pre-trial services, including a robust resource hub, supervised probationary services, and are adding additional programs.”
Sullivan said she didn’t want to suggest the county and city’s programs and services were the same, but that both are excellent.
“They are focused on achieving the same outcomes, which is to move people to wellness, reduce or eliminate people going to jail, and reduce recidivism,” she said.
The city considered three options for moving forward after the sale of the justice center campus.
The first option was to lease commercial space across from the campus, which would have the largest impact on the city budget out of the three options. Sullivan said it would include a one-time cost of $7 million to cover tenant improvements, plus a lease payment of $815,000 yearly.
Option two was to use city-owned buildings for court services. Sullivan said the option would increase the annual operating budget by $260,000 and would only be a short-term solution. The building staff considered is 108 State Ave., the old city hall building the city had earlier supported turning into a museum.
Under option two, the city would continue to design, fund and construct a permanent building for court services. That could cost the general fund up to $4 million a year in debt service.
Option three was to enter into an agreement with Thurston County and regionalize services. That option was the least expensive. There is a one time cost of $742,000, and it would add approximately $80,000 to the annual operating budget.
Comments from judges and local leaders
Maryam Olson is the court administrator for Olympia Municipal Court, a position she’s had for nearly 13 years. She said she was a court clerk under Judge Lee Creighton in 2000.
She said she can’t imagine a more important Municipal Court and a representation of what can be achieved in Olympia.
“We’re a family here at the court, and it makes me sad to think our court will be no more,” Olson said. “People are truly happy here and enjoy the work they do. I’ve expressed the community importance of this court to the council and the mayor, from our robust probation department with many jail alternatives and classes to our outstanding community court with exceptional staff, dedicated providers who appear week after week, and have done so since we began our program.”
Olson said she thinks it’s important for staff’s voices to be heard prior to the city making a decision to contract with the county. She said the decision won’t just affect staff, but the community at large.
“We are here in Olympia, serving this community where they are at,” she said. “We are the resource available at our court to help those in need with services every week, walking distance from Olympia. I urge the council to pause this vote and take the time to speak to more court staff in order to understand our passion and to work with us on cost-cutting solutions as well as possible court locations.”
Kimberly Walden, the Municipal Court Judge for the City of Tukwila, said municipal courts are often the most accessible part of the justice system.
“They’re where people encounter not just accountability, but also compassion, flexibility and second chances,” Walden said.
She said in Tukwila, as in Olympia, they work closely with local services, community groups and culturally responsive programs to address the root causes behind cases and not just the symptoms. She said they don’t handle civil suits or protection orders, and they focus on infractions and misdemeanor offenses that affect daily life.
“Our municipal courts are efficient, innovative and solution oriented, delivering justice that reflects the needs of our communities,” she said. “When a city closes its court, it doesn’t just lose a building or public servants, it loses the ability to shape justice based on local values; it loses the opportunity to build trust and respond in real time to community needs.”
She said Tukwila is facing similar financial pressures, but a local court is an investment in the people.
Walden suggested holding municipal court hearings in city council chambers. She said Tukwila shared its council chambers with the court for many years before voters approved the construction of a new justice center.
LaTricia Kinlow, judicial branch administrator for the Tukwila Municipal Court, echoed Walden’s suggestion. She said one of her duties as court administrator is to scope things out and find solutions. She said Olympia’s council chambers are a solution.
“It’s already technology equipped for hybrid hearings,” she said. “Basically, you’ve got a bench and you got a jury bench. Got a jury area right there. You just need a couple of tables and maybe a couple of microphones.”
She said she thinks the council will do a disservice to its citizens if they get rid of their court.
“Municipal courts are the people’s courts,” she said. “And another note that’s important for you to understand, if the county is already having issues funding their current court, what makes you think that they’re going to be able to do a viable job for you?”
Thurston County Commissioner Carolina Mejia spoke during public comment at the Tuesday meeting. She said Olympia has done important work in reimagining public safety goals, centering equity, wellness and accountability.
She said one of the goals of the city is to reduce the number of individuals who connect initially and repeatedly with law enforcement and the criminal justice system. She said these same principles are at the heart of the programs they’ve been building in Thurston County.
“Olympia residents would gain access to a range of innovative, person-centered services already in motion,” Mejia said.
Some of the services and programs include the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program (LEAD), the resource hub, which she said offers mental health and substance abuse disorder assessments on site, and it’s a satellite location for the Thurston County Food Bank.
Mejia also mentioned the county’s court alternative program. She said it’s the county’s newest program and is adapted from the San Diego homeless court, which has been recognized by the American Bar Association.
“Some of the unique standouts for county and district court are mental health, probation, pre-trial services, substance monitoring program, mental health court, veterans court, a text notification suite, procedural justice, and we’ve just added equine therapy,” Mejia said.
She said when it comes to judicial representation, Thurston County judges are elected by all county voters, including those in Olympia.
“City residents will continue to have a democratic say in who represents them on the bench,” Mejia said.
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 2:05 PM.
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