Olympia City Council confirms 2026 state legislative priorities after meeting with 22nd Legislative District delegation
The Olympia City Council met Thursday, January 8, 2026, with the City's 22nd Legislative District delegation, Sen. Jessica Bateman and Reps. Beth Doglio, and Lisa Parshley, to align on shared priorities and confirm
Olympia's top legislative requests for the 2026 Washington State Legislative Session.
This year, Olympia approached the annual delegation meeting with draft legislative agenda to create space for a discussion about the delegation's priorities and the City's most pressing needs. Following that conversation and consultation with the City's contracted state liaison firm, Capitol Path, the Council adopted its
final 2026 legislative priorities on Tuesday, January 13 at their regular business meeting.
"Olympia's legislative priorities are rooted in our responsibility as the Capital City to help ensure equitable access to housing, mobility, services, and opportunity, while restoring and protecting the extraordinary environment that surrounds us," said Mayor Dontae Payne. "With a short session and difficult budget conditions at the state level, we are focused on the areas where Olympia's advocacy can have the greatest impact for our community."
The City's 2026 agenda is organized around a focused set of priorities where Olympia will concentrate its advocacy.
1) Housing, homelessness response, and supporting infrastructure
Olympia is requesting state actions that protect and strengthen local tools that keep people housed and improve the City's ability to operate supportive housing and related services, including:
-
Protecting operational funding for supportive and transitional housing projects, including tiny home villages, such as Quince Street Village and supportive housing, such as Maple Court.
-
Identifying alternatives to current eviction processes in certain supportive housing settings, recognizing the barriers residents can face when trying to secure new housing.
-
Removing the 33% cap on the portion of the Home Fund that can be used for operating costs, providing flexibility beyond capital expenditures.
2) Deschutes Estuary Project
Olympia supports the Governor's Office and the Department of Ecology budget request for $7.2 million in combined state, private, and local funding to complete the 100% design of the Deschutes Estuary project by the end of the 2027 fiscal year.
3) Sustainable and stable city revenues
Olympia continues to face structural revenue shortfalls driven by rising costs and insufficient revenue growth. The City is asking the Legislature to:
-
Protect key state funding resources for cities, including programs that support housing, community revitalization, environmental cleanup, and infrastructure improvements.
-
Preserve and modernize local fiscal tools, including greater local authority and adjustments to limits that restrict communities' ability to raise revenue to maintain core services.
-
Extend time-limited authorizations, including continuation of select local financing and annexation-related tools that have existing expiration dates.
Next steps
With a
finalized legislative agenda, Olympia's state lobbyists, Councilmembers and staff will be tracking related bills and providing letters of support or testimony when opportunities arise. The City will continue working closely with the 22nd Legislative District delegation and partner jurisdictions throughout the 2026 session to advance shared priorities and deliver results for residents.
