Current and former Olympia city hall buildings under consideration for court services
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Olympia considers housing municipal court at City Hall or 108 State Avenue.
- Interlocal Agreement shifts criminal court services to Thurston County in 2025.
- Court remodel at City Hall may cost $1.5M, limiting meeting space and access.
Olympia City Hall on Fourth Avenue and the original city hall building at the corner of Capitol Way and State Avenue might both be used to house municipal court operations and other court services, according to a recent Olympia City Council study session presentation.
Bill Valdez with KMB Architecture and Fran Eide, a project engineer, walked the council and court staff through potential plans to locate court hearings in council chambers and other services at 108 State Ave. as a more permanent solution.
Eide said a number of programs could be located at a modified 108 State Ave., including municipal court administration, community court services, probation services, public defender and prosecuting attorney offices and more.
Valdez said a number of renovations and modernizations would need to be done to the former city hall and fire department building, which was built in 1912, for court services to run smoothly. The current council chambers would also need to be modified for daily court services as well.
Valdez said the current seating need within the courtroom is around 50 or 60 occupants, with a future need of around 75 to 80. There would need to be a location for the judge’s bench, a position for the court clerk, a defendant and a prosecution table, a witness podium and more.
The room would need electrical upgrades so video teleconferencing can be available for people, and so residents can watch meetings online. Space would have to be reserved for a judge’s robing room, and for judicial staff. Staff would also need to have access to a secured restroom.
There would also need to be a secured route for any in-custody defendants. Valdez said plans haven’t been fully drawn out yet, but there are options with the adjacent police department.
There would also need to be room for a jury box that can hold six jurors plus an alternate. The jury also needs a deliberation room.
Residents coming into court would also need to be screened for weapons by security. The lobby would need to be modified to accommodate security screening measures.
Valdez said there are conference rooms throughout the City Hall building that could be used by court staff and as a jury deliberation room.
Eide said the lobby may also be outfitted with meeting pods that can be ADA accessible and hold up to four people for discussions. She said they’re outfitted with power outlets, a ceiling fan and heating, they’re soundproof and private.
Valdez said this type of setup for council chambers and the lobby would limit the amount of seating available for larger meetings. The need for security at the entrance for court services but not for public meetings also complicates sharing the space.
Eide said the court would need access to Room 112, which will limit what rooms the public and staff will be able to use for meetings. She said there are other small meeting rooms throughout the building, but scheduling a larger group event will be much harder if the court shares the space.
She said conference room 207 at City Hall is the next largest meeting space available for staff. Its occupancy is 32 people and the capacity for council chambers is 267 people.
Eide said outfitting City Hall to accommodate Municipal Court would cost around $1.5 million.
Interlocal agreement
Meanwhile, the city is still working on an interlocal agreement to transition some judicial services to the Thurston County District Court through next year.
Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan reviewed the negotiations and language in the ILA with the county. She said the agreement was shaped by the city’s reimagining public safety goals that were adopted in 2022.
“It speaks to the commitment by both the city and the county to balance compassion and accountability through the expansion of restorative justice programs and evidence-based courts, as well as our mutual desire to provide progressive alternatives and community support through pre-trial and probation service opportunities,” she said.
The agreement is for the county to provide all court services for all criminal cases and infractions requiring a hearing, as well as progressive alternatives and supervised probation.
The scope of services would include case processing and management, and services such as veterans court, mental health court and other therapeutic courts.
Sullivan said the city and county will meet annually at a minimum to discuss goals and to collaborate on strategies for moving forward with progressive alternative programs and services.
The amount of work asked of the county would require 17 full-time employees, Sullivan said.
The term of the ILA is July 1, 2025, through December 31, 2026.
Council frustrations
Council member Clark Gilman said he’s frustrated with how much would need to be done to City Hall to make the plan work. He said he didn’t expect the pods, separation wall and security measures to make such a change in how the space could be used.
“I’m challenged by adding the security elements and having the courtroom spill out to also use half of the lobby,” he said. “I hadn’t anticipated that.”
Gilman asked how other cities in Washington have made shared spaces work. The city of Tukwila was used as an example, although the city has also issued a bond measure to build a new courthouse rather than continue sharing City Hall.
Council member Robert Vanderpool said one of the concerns he’s heard from the public is around local control and what the city’s role would be if the county took on court services.
Mayor Dontae Payne said the ILA with the county will stress the importance of the city’s goals around reimagining public safety, and in that way the city will maintain a sense of control over what’s happening in the justice system.
“I know that this is a tough decision for me, but I also see tremendous value in moving towards regionalization,” he said.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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