Olympia Metropolitan Park District Board Special Meeting - October 21, 2025
Olympia Metropolitan Park District Board Special Meeting - October 21, 2025
This was a special meeting of the Olympia Metropolitan Park District Board held on October 21, 2025, at 5:30 PM. President Jim Cooper presided with four members present (Cooper, Vanderpool, Green, Payne) and three excused (Gilman, Huỳnh, Madrone). All actions were taken unanimously. The board received a compliance report, held public hearings on the 2026 preliminary budget and ad valorem tax, and approved related motions.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Agenda: Approved unanimously without amendment.
- Approval of April 29, 2025, Meeting Minutes: Approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public signed up or spoke during any public comment period or public hearing.
Discussion Items
- OMPD Advisory Committee Annual Compliance Report: Chair James Reddick presented the 2024 Compliance Report, confirming that the district remained in full compliance with the interlocal agreement. He noted that the program is now running smoothly and is regarded as a model for other cities in Washington. President Cooper thanked Reddick for his years of service and commitment to parks.
- 2026 Preliminary OMPD Budget: Parks, Arts and Recreation Director Sylvana Niehuser presented the proposed budget totaling approximately $5.9 million. Key allocations included approximately $4 million to the operating budget, with the remainder supporting capital projects, insurance, and audit costs. A new green slice represented the bond payment for the Armory and Yum Highway. The budget fully funds the stewardship and ranger program, partially funds planning and design overhead, and half of parks maintenance. On the capital side, $750,000 is allocated for ADA/asset management (50% of the ADA transition plan complete), $160,000 for Percival Landing, and $500,000 for Lily Road neighborhood park. The proposed levy rate is estimated at 48 cents per $1,000 assessed value, within the voter-approved cap of 54 cents. President Cooper noted that the statutory maximum is 75 cents but the district has chosen to collect less, and declining assessed values are reducing the rate.
- 2026 Ad Valorem Tax: Senior Budget and Finance Manager Joan Lutz explained that state law limits property tax growth to 1% (or the implicit price deflator, whichever is less). The 2025 assessed valuation for 2026 collections is nearly $12 billion. The highest lawful levy amount is $5.5 million; with the 1% factor and allowable add-ons for new construction, state-assessed properties, and refunds, the proposed levy is $5,760,213, translating to a rate of 48.17 cents per $1,000 assessed value – a slight decrease from 2025 due to a large refund amount.
Key Outcomes
- Public Hearings: The board opened and closed public hearings for both the 2026 preliminary budget and the 2026 ad valorem tax. No testimony was received.
- Procedural Correction: The board initially voted to direct staff to prepare a budget resolution before opening the public hearing. Upon realizing the error, the board reopened the public hearing, then re-voted and approved the budget ($5,919,004) and directed staff to prepare a resolution for final approval on November 10, 2025.
- Ad Valorem Tax Resolution: The board voted to direct staff to prepare an ad valorem tax resolution in the amount of $5,760,213 for board approval on November 10, 2025.
- Next Steps: The board will meet on November 10, 2025, to consider and adopt the formal budget resolution and ad valorem tax resolution.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to the Olympia Metropolitans Park District Board meeting for October 21st. Pardon me while I adjust my voice to this very loud microphone. Um we have a couple of board members that are excused this evening. So board member Madrone, Quinn, and Gilman are all excused, but we do have a quorum. I need a motion to approve the agenda. So moved. Second. Motion a second. Any amendments? Inside voices. No amendments. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Okay. So then let's go to public comment. We have no one signed up for public comment. Is there anyone that would like to make public comment to the Metropolitan Park District Board? Okay. Hearing none, we'll move on. I'm looking for a motion to approve the April 29th minutes for the OMPD. So moved. Second. A motion and a second. Any discussion or amendment? All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries unanimously. So we'll go on to item 4B, which is a presentation of the Olympia Metropolitan Park District Advisory Committee's annual report regarding compliance of 2024 funding levels. And we'll go to Silvana, our new director of arts, parks, and recreation. Congratulations, Silvana. All right. Thank you. My name is Silvana Nehauser, Director of Parks Arts and Recreation. And James Reddick, who is the chair of the Metropolitan Park District Advisory Committee, is here to speak on behalf of the advisory committee and the compliance report. James Reddick with the chair of the Olympics Metropolitan Park District Advisory Committee. At our last session, we reviewed the 24 information, and it was in client in compliance with the interlocal agreement that we have. And I think the other thing is we really like what's going on because it's getting to the point where there's very few questions coming up about the uh interlocal agreement and the compliance. And we're the envy of most of the cities in the state of Washington because I've talked to a number of uh people, even like when we interviewed for uh Savannah's position, there was somebody from Skagit County said, Oh, I wish we had what you guys have. So, you know, there I think you guys have really done a good job. So anything else? Thank you. Thank you, James.
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