Thurston Regional Planning Council prioritizes funding preservation 

The Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) has outlined draft 2026 legislative priorities, focusing on protecting its existing funding rather than preventing potential budget cuts.  

“We all learned last year that we thought the things we had written down in budgets and bills were safe, and we learned that they were not," said TRPC Senior Planner Veronica Jarvis at a meeting on Friday, Sept. 5.

She said they were surprised last year when numerous long-term projects were either postponed or completely eliminated from proposed packages. The TRPC had asserted the region’s stance to protect funding for the programs in the region.  

 Jarvis cited the Nisqually Bridge replacement and the roundabouts on Yelm Highway as examples where TRPC successfully held its ground. The draft priorities noted ongoing support for maintaining current funding streams, including federal transportation funds and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fish-related funding, with the goal of protecting existing project investments, such as the Deschutes Estuary restoration.

 “Our main ask is to maintain the funding we have for the region and not go backwards on any of the projects that we are seeing currently funded,” said Jarvis, who presented the TRPC’s 2026 legislative priorities at the meeting.  

The TRPC is monitoring federal funding, in addition to state-level legislative efforts. They want to strengthen connections with federal delegations and Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations to proactively protect transportation funding.

Jarvis said the goal is to stay vigilant and prepared in case of potential funding cuts or reductions in order to ensure they can quickly respond to any threats to their transportation resources.  

Because the 2026 legislative session is a supplemental, or “short” session, TRPC leaders acknowledged opportunities for major funding packages are limited.  

The draft program outlines a tiered approach: one or two primary asks, several secondary opportunities if funding arises, and a broader list of policy areas where the council supports regional advocacy. That includes safety and multimodal connectivity, high-capacity transit planning, including future rail readiness, support for housing priorities identified by the Regional Housing Council and sustainable land use planning.  

 Other elements of the draft priorities include: 

• Rural State Highways as Main Streets — Updating the region’s project list should any supplemental funding opportunities emerge.  

• Transportation Safety Investments — Monitoring “mega project” safety funding anticipated in the 2027-29 biennium.  

• Exploration of Transit-Oriented Development and Flexible Street Design — Positioning the region to adapt to new technologies and opportunities.  

• The draft legislative priorities will return to TRPC in October for final approval, after which staff and subcommittee members will begin meeting with legislators ahead of the 2026 session.