Olympia Municipal Court's transition to Thurston County moves forward

The Olympia City Council approved a resolution authorizing an interlocal agreement to initiate the process of transferring the city's judicial services to Thurston County District Court.  

The city council made the decision at a meeting on Tuesday, July 9.

The move will effectively dissolve the Olympia Municipal Court by early 2026. Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne said the decision was driven by long-term budget challenges and the city's commitment to reimagining public safety.  

Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan presented the proposed interlocal agreement, outlining the transition and discussing the significant budget constraints and high costs associated with maintaining the Lee Creighton Justice Center at 900 Plum St. in Olympia.

According to Sullivan, the facility faces more than $12 million in deficiencies, and replacing it could cost as much as $90 million, including $32 million for a new jail. The city closed its municipal jail in 2023.  

The interlocal agreement will transfer all court services to the county, including case processing, supervised probation and access to therapeutic court programs, such as veterans court, mental health court, and potentially a community court. The county has also committed to providing annual reports detailing services and participating in these programs.  

"We are grounded in two guiding principles," Sullivan said. "One is the council's commitment to reimagining public safety, and two, the need to achieve long-term budget sustainability." 

Before recommending the county partnership, city staff explored several alternatives, including leasing commercial space, relocating to city-owned spaces, such as a building at 108 State Ave. or the city council chambers, which were deemed logistically and operationally unsustainable.  

The third option was partnering with Thurston County. Option three would allow the city to retain prosecution, public defense service, and victim support services. It emerged as the recommended approach.  

The agreement allows the city to shift court services to the county beginning Feb. 1, 2026, while maintaining local control over prosecution, defense and support programs. The agreement runs through the end of 2026, with an option to renegotiate or terminate.  

Sullivan noted the transition is designed to support Olympia's public safety goals, including diversion programs, restorative justice, and therapeutic courts, such as veterans and mental health courts. The agreement also includes provisions for annual joint meetings and performance reporting.  

Public comments 

Judge Pam Nogueira, who has led the Olympia Municipal Court since 2023, said the city was ignoring court staff, the public, and public safety goals.  

"This is financially unreasonable, and longer term, more expensive and riskier to the city," Noguera said. "We have continued to show and provide you with every information we possibly can, when in exchange, the information from the city has been protected … safeguarded against true sharing." 

Nogueira claimed architectural reports that challenged the city's estimates were withheld from court staff, and she criticized the process as lacking transparency and respect. 

Longtime court advocate and Federal Way Judge Dave Larson also spoke during the public comment period. He argued that alternative proposals, including issuing bonds to build a new courthouse, were not given consideration. He criticized the city for selling the Lee Creighton Justice Center property without securing a replacement plan first.  

He questioned why Olympia discussed issuing bonds for the Hands On Children's Museum, but it did not seriously consider a similar proposal to fund a new courthouse.   

Council members 

While all council members voted in favor of the agreement, several expressed sadness at closing a court, which had served the community for 166 years.  

Council member Clark Gilman said he supported the agreement "without reservation, but with a real sadness." He praised the Municipal Court staff, public defenders and prosecutors.  

Gilman recalled the court's national recognition under Judge Scott Ahlf's leadership and its standout performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

While the city council considered many options, Gilman said transitioning the court services and entering into an interlocal agreement with the county is "the best option for Olympia at this point." 

Council member Kelly Green echoed that sentiment.

"I'm not excited that this is a choice we have to make … but there's just nothing that has shown us a long-term path forward that seems viable given the realities of our budget," Green said.

Payne recognized the difficulty of the decision. He said the city could preserve the court "but it is not a long-term solution to share the council chambers, as an example of one of the options, for the next 30 years."

In addressing the maintenance of the municipal court, Payne said the city does not have $50 to $90 million for a new facility.

"We are just not in a place where we can do that with our budget," Payne said.

Payne also addressed concerns about the loss of local control, noting Olympia has never had full authority over the judicial branch. He stressed the interlocal agreement includes commitments from Thurston County to support Olympia's public safety goals and expand alternative services.

"We will be monitoring what happens with our court services," Payne said.

Next steps 

The Thurston County Board of Commissioners is expected to consider the agreement at a meeting on July 29. If approved, the city will submit a six-month notice to the state Administrative Office of the Courts. The formal transition to county-provided judicial services would occur on or around Feb. 1, 2026.