Note: The transcript states the meeting date as April 14, 2026, but the supplied metadata indicates April 15, 2026. This summary uses the date provided in the instructions.
The Olympia City Council held a regular business meeting on April 15, 2026, proclamations, public comment on housing and safety, adoption of the consent calendar, discussion of the Parking and Business Improvement Area (PBIA) evaluation, approval of 2026 Neighborhood Matching Grant allocations, and council reports.
Parking and Business Improvement Area (PBIA) Evaluation (Item 6A):
2026 Neighborhood Matching Grant Allocations (Item 6B):
Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 regular business meeting of the Olympia City Council. For the record, we have a quorum with Councilmember Gilman excuse tonight. So I do just want to mention that City Manager Bernie is in Washington, D.C., uh advocating for the Deschutes Estuary, and is participating in Puget Sound Day on the Hill. So we have Debbie Sullivan, who is our uh assistant uh city manager as acting city manager for tonight. Um I also want to mention that council met uh for a joint meeting with the Port of Olympia just uh yesterday um over a dinner meeting where we discussed uh several of our joint priorities, uh specifically around uh sea level rise, uh economic vitality and development uh in our downtown and so on. And we appreciated that meeting. Um we've uh now met with them uh for a second time. This time we both have new members, both on the port and on the council. So we're looking forward to developing and building stronger relationships and and working together on a shared vision for our community. So I thank the Port of Olympia uh for having us. And so with that, uh I'd love to entertain a motion to approve tonight's agenda. So moved. Second. All those in favor of the agenda is published, signify by saying I. Aye. My mic on. Now it is. All right, so our first item tonight is item two A on our agenda, and it is a special recognition proclamation recognizing Fair Housing Month, and we have a shared reading beginning with Councilmember Madron. Whereas the Fair Housing Act, enacted in April 11th, 1968, enshrined into federal law the goal of eliminating racial segregation and ending housing discrimination in the United States, and whereas the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability, and commits recipients of federal funding to affirmatively further fair housing in their communities and whereas Olympia is a committed to the mission and intent of Congress to provide fair and equal housing opportunities for all, and whereas our social fabric, economic, health, and environment are strengthened in diverse, inclusive communities and whereas more than 50 years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, discrimination persists and many communities remain segregated. And whereas acts of housing discrimination and barriers to equal housing opportunity are unacceptable and whereas the City of Olympia has completed work to identify housing disparities and barriers through formation of regional goals to affirmatively further fair housing in Thurston County, and whereas the City of Olympia supports efforts to assist individuals harmed by discriminatory practices in Washington State, such as the Covenant Homeownership Program and whereas the City of Olympia has joined the Black Home Initiative to strive to right the wrongs of past discriminatory practices and and and commits to doing all it can to assure black homeowners get the opportunity to purchase homes. And whereas the City of Olympia will co-host a Thurston County Home Buying Expo with Thurston County Realtors Association on April 18th, 2026 to expand access to homeownership for Thurston County residents and now therefore be it resolved, the Olympia City Council does hereby proclaim April 2026 as fair housing month in the City of Olympia as an inclusive community committed to fair housing and to promoting equal housing opportunities for all residents and prospective residents of Olympia, signed in the City of Olympia, Washington this 14th day of April 2026, Olympia City Council Dante Payne, Mayor. Okay, and now I'd like to invite up Krista Lenson, who is our senior housing program specialist. Hi, Krista. Um good evening, Council. Um for the record, Krista Lenson from the City of Olympia's housing team. Um I would just like to invite up a couple of community members to provide some brief comments tonight. Um first I have Steve Chung, who's the president-elect of the Thurston County Realtors Association, um, and followed by that uh Cassandra Wyckoff, who will be here from the uh Fair Housing Center of Washington. Good evening, Mayor and Council members. My name is Steve Chung, and I serve as president-elect of the Thurston County Realtors, representing more than 750 real estate professionals who serve thousands of buyers and sellers across the region each year. On behalf of our members, I want to sincerely thank the City of Olympia for the Fair Housing Month Proclamation and for your continued partnership in supporting equitable access to housing in our community. Fair housing is not just a policy, it's a promise, a promise that where you live should never be determined by who you are. And as realtors, we believe it's important to acknowledge that our profession is not always lived up to that promise. The history of housing in this country, including within the real estate industry, includes practices that excluded segregated and limited access to home ownership for many. We cannot change history, but we can and must learn from it. Today that commitment shows up in the work that we do every day. Realtors are bound by a strict code of ethics that goes beyond the law, requiring us to provide equal professional services to all clients. We invest in ongoing fair housing education, implicit bias training, and programs designed to expand access to home ownership. Here in Thurston County, that work is strengthened through partnerships like the one that we have with the City of Olympia. On April 18th, we're proud to once again host the Thurston County Home Buying Expo at the Olympia Center in collaboration with our local jurisdictions and community partners. This event is designed to connect aspiring homeowners with trusted resources, education, and support, helping break down barriers and opening doors of home ownership. Fair housing is about more than compliance. It's about the opportunity. It's about building stronger communities, creating pathways to stability, and ensuring that the dream of homeownership is accessible to everyone. We are grateful to stand alongside with the City of Olympia and work and remain committed to being part of the solution today and every day. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Mayor and members of the City Council for the proclamation. My name is Cassandra Wykoff, and I'm the test coordinator at the Fair Housing Center of Washington. Our agency serves 23 counties across Western and Central Washington, including the City of Olympia and Thurston County. Our goal is to create inclusive communities, advocate for potential victims of housing discrimination, provide training for housing stakeholders, and conduct testing. We focus on identifying unlawful practices within housing industries to bring forward complaints and possible litigation to achieve compliance with the Fair Housing Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination to ensure greater housing opportunities for all.