Olympia Finance Committee approves interim funding to maintain downtown programs

The Olympia Finance Committee recommended the approval of $285,000 in funding for the continuation of four Olympia downtown programs, including the Guide Program which functions similarly to the former Ambassador Program by providing a welcoming environment downtown and supporting safety.

At the committee meeting on Monday, Olympia City Manager Jay Burney said the funding allocation is only a one-time money from public safety funds that will allow current operations to continue through 2025.

"Anything that we want to pass that will have to be reevaluated,” Burney said, “because I don't have any other ongoing money to support this."

Burney acknowledged there has been ongoing discussion among the city council regarding the future management of the Downtown Guide program. He noted questions have been raised about whether the program should remain operated by the ODA, or if the city wants to reinstate some form of an in-house ambassador program.

The city manager stated more time is needed for the city to further explore these options and how best to manage the guide services moving forward.

Downtown programs

Todd Cutts, director of the Olympia Downtown Alliance, presented the programs and its corresponding budget that would be continuing to operation through December 2025:

Downtown Guide Program – the funding would include four guides, including an operations supervisor. The program has been operating since 2018 and serves as a supplement to the previous Ambassador Program.

The proposed contract would fund the partnership through ODA through December 2025 for $145,000. According to Cutts, private-sector donors have provided approximately $140,000 in matching funds.

Maintenance worker. With a funding allocation of $55,000, Cutts proposed an addition of a new full-time position in 2025 to assist with downtown maintenance needs.

Graffiti abatement program, with proposed $25,000 funding. Cutts said the program is intended to eradicate graffiti tags from downtown property. He said the ODA has a contract to do so with the city for 2024. The program collaborates with the Clean Team to reach tags that are above their reach on the second floor of downtown buildings. Cutts noted that since inception in March, 65 tags were reported and 31 abated.

Tree Lights, with proposed $60,000 funding. The program was initiated in 2020 installing lights on 72 trees throughout downtown during the "dark" season – October through April. The proposal would provide funding for 2024 and 2025, as the program is currently unfunded for this year. While light string replacements are needed every three years, Cutts said most of the cost is labor for installing and removing the lights each season.

Surveys on downtown

In the same annual survey, ODA Director Todd Cutts shares that cleanliness perceptions in downtown dipped to 37% in this year's survey.

Along with the budget proposal, Cutts presented the results of the annual downtown vibrancy survey conducted by the Downtown Alliance to gauge stakeholder perceptions. The survey received 114 responses from businesses like retailers and restaurants.

When asked if downtown was improving, an increasing percentage believed it was heading in the right direction, with 82% indicating this in 2024.

Regarding safety, 94% feel safe downtown during the day and over 50% feel safe at night.

However, cleanliness perceptions dipped to 37% in this year's survey.

Cutts acknowledged a disconnect between what stakeholders reported and his visual assessments of downtown cleanliness levels. " This is what our stakeholders told us… We're always looking at how we can provide value for downtown stakeholders. And this is an area where my eyes were open."

The surveys indicated that in 2021, 24% of stakeholder respondents felt the area was clean. This number rose to 31% in 2022 and 41% in 2023.

Cutts mentioned that in all four years of the Downtown Alliance's survey, from 2021, the four most common issues of concern selected by downtown stakeholders have remained consistent. People experiencing a mental health crisis continue to be the number one concern, followed by issues involving trash, litter, graffiti, and personal hygiene/cleanliness downtown.

Cutts shared results from two survey questions related to the Downtown Guide program. About 84% of respondents agreed that the guides are positive factors for safety downtown, while 3% disagreed.

Approximately 84% also agreed with that statement, indicating support among stakeholders for the program's contributions.

When Councilmember Jim Cooper asked Cutts about the year after the proposed interim funding period ends in 2025, the ODA director responded without partnership funding from the city they would likely revert to just providing core services in the downtown core area.

Cutts noted that they currently serve a much broader area of downtown due to the expanded funding and partnership with the city.