Community Livability and Public Safety Committee Meeting - May 28, 2026
Community Livability and Public Safety Committee Meeting - May 28, 2026
The Community Livability and Public Safety Committee of the Olympia City Council met on May 28, 2026, from 5:30 PM to 8:52 PM. The committee discussed recommendations for council-appointed advisory bodies, approved Inspire Olympia funding recommendations (with a split vote), and approved CDBG allocations. Public comment was received on the Inspire Fund and arts organizations. Note: The meeting minutes and transcript indicate the meeting occurred on May 27, 2026; this summary uses the date provided in the instructions.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the agenda unanimously.
- Approved the minutes from the May 6, 2026 special meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Anna Schlecht (Olympia resident for nearly 50 years) expressed strong support for the Inspire Fund, describing it as a voter-approved initiative that supports arts alongside housing and homelessness services. She emphasized the importance of public investment in both "bread and roses."
- Schyler Raad (Dr. Schyler Raad, involved in the Olympia arts community) spoke about two items: first, the need to improve the qualitative assessment of arts grants, advocating for integrating quantitative and qualitative measures; second, urged protection of the Decay organization (Diverse Events and Creative Arts Yard), describing it as a vital space for trans people and vulnerable to gentrification.
Discussion Items
- Council Appointed Advisory Bodies (Item 6.A): Assistant City Manager Stacey Ray, Community Engagement Program Specialist Margo Morales, and independent consultant Genevieve Canceko Chan presented recommendations. Two options were discussed: (1) improvements to the current system (including recruitment process changes, standardized onboarding, and restructuring four advisory bodies) and (2) a transition to a multifaceted engagement approach with multidisciplinary advisory bodies aligned to comprehensive plan focus areas. The committee expressed support for Option 1. A motion to direct staff to further develop Option 1 and bring it to a full Council study session passed 3-0 (Madrone, Green, Huỳnh).
- Inspire Olympia 2026-2027 Funding (Item 6.B): Inspire Olympia Program Manager Marygrace Goddu and Cultural Access Advisory Board Co-Chair Anne Larsen presented. They reported 94 applicants, a record number, with 85 organizations recommended for funding totaling $3,303,288. The committee discussed the need for more detailed information about funded organizations, including mission, requested amounts, and deliverables. A motion to recommend approval of the Cultural Access Advisory Board (CAAB) funding recommendations and advance them to City Council passed 2-1 (Madrone and Green in favor; Huỳnh opposed). Huỳnh expressed concerns about insufficient information to make an informed decision and frustration with the expectation to approve without deeper knowledge. The committee agreed to provide additional information to Council for the June 16 meeting.
- CDBG Program Year 2026 Allocations (Item 6.C): Senior Housing Program Specialist Anastasia Everett presented staff recommendations for a direct award to existing subrecipients due to federal uncertainty, totaling $411,000 (including reallocation of $35,000 from revolving loan funds). Staff also proposed dissolving the rental rehabilitation program and amending the consolidated plan. The committee discussed the rationale. A motion to approve the recommended CDBG allocations and forward to full City Council passed 3-0.
Key Outcomes
- Advisory Bodies: Motion passed 3-0 to further develop Option 1 and present at a Council study session.
- Inspire Olympia Funding: Motion passed 2-1 to recommend approval and advance to Council. Huỳnh voted nay, citing need for more information.
- CDBG Allocations: Motion passed 3-0 to approve and forward to Council.
- The committee decided to add a summary of funded organizations (mission, deliverables, requested vs. awarded amounts) to the Council packet for the Inspire Olympia item.
Meeting Transcript
All right, everyone. This is the community livability and public safety committee of the Olympia City Council. It's May 27th at 5 30 p.m. My name is Danny Madrone. I serve as the chair, and I'm calling the meeting to order. For roll call, we have all committee members at present. Hello, committee member Kelly Green, committee member Ian Huen. We need an agenda to proceed with our meeting. So can I get a motion? We have to approve the agenda. I guess I can. Okay. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Hi. Unanimous. That's amazing. All right. Public comment. We don't often have public comment with this committee, but we do have two people today. We've got one person signed up in person. And one person online who is, I see that they are there. So I'll first go ahead and uh uh call up the in-person public commenter. So Anna, please make your way to the podium. And um, I don't have a timer, but we don't have a whole lot of people, so you know, two minutes-ish, but you know, I won't be, you know, kicking you out if you go a little over. Hi there. Do I take it away now? Yeah, go right ahead. Can you hear me now? Great. Well, good evening. Um, my name is Anna Schleck, an Olympia resident for nearly 50 years. I'm here tonight because of an item on your agenda, but I'm also here um speaking because I read a Jolt article in which people made nasty comments about the Inspire fund. And rather than right back to the jolt, I would like to share with you. Um, that the Inspire Fund was created by a ballot measure that was supported by a very strong majority. A majority of the people in our community support the arts. And it's something that I really believe in. Um, some of you know that I spent a little bit of time here at City of Olympia, um, nearly 40 years working on housing and homelessness. And the way that I portray it is that um I believe in bread and roses. I spent 40 years of my career focusing on bread, the survival issues of um housing and homeless shelter and services, but I also believe deeply in roses, what we live for. Um I'm just really proud of a city that both funds housing, homeless services, but also the arts. I'll just end by saying taxes are what we pay to live in a civilized society. And I'm so grateful to live in the city of Olympia, um, where I've been for nearly 50 years, and so appreciative of the work that your committee does, your staff do, um, and that all of all of our community supports. So thank you very much. Thank you, Anna. Our next speaker um is virtual. Uh, and this is Skylar. Skylar, I believe your last name is Rad, but I hope you will correct me if I am incorrect. Uh, you have the ability to unmute yourself now, and you can go right ahead.
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