Port of Olympia adopts 2024 budget

The Port of Olympia Commission voted to adopt its 2024 operating budget, capital investment plan, and tax levy on Monday, November 27. 

According to the budget, the Port would spend $7.2 million in operating expenses, $4.4 million in non-operating expenses, $3.8 million for administrative costs, and $3.3 million for maintenance projects in 2024. 

The Port will also allocate $4.6 million for debt service payments and $2.4 million for capital investments. 

Operating revenue is projected at $15.3 million next year. Another source of funding are revenues from property taxes which the Port expects to be $7.8 million. 

In total, the Port is set to incur a loss of $2.3 million in 2024, bringing its net cash down to around $13 million. 

Little League concerns 

The Commission did not have much discussion as they already had several meetings and a public hearing about the budget, but Commissioner Amy Evans Harding asked about the status of her proposal to allocate $10,000 to support the Capitol Little League to fund a new ballfield. 

The League has been leasing an airport property for its ballfields since 1999, but the Port is now looking to use the lot for aviation-related use. Earlier during the meeting, the Commission also authorized extending the League’s lease until 2028 and set the annual increase of the lease rate to just 5%. The extension would give the League more time to find another lot to construct its new ballfield. 

The $10,000 proposal was not included in the 2024 budget, but Interim Executive Director Rudy Rudolph said that it could come up in a later discussion. 

General Legal Counsel Rick Hughes added that giving the League $10,000 could be considered as gifting of public funds, however Port staff are exploring ways that it could still be achieved without infringing the law.