The Olympia City Council holds a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 6, on three November ballot measures, including a library tax increase and two statewide initiatives.
City staff recommend the council support Timberland Regional Library's levy lid lift. The agenda also includes resolutions opposing two initiatives backed by the political action committee Let's Go Washington: one restricting transgender student athletes and another rolling back changes to the state's parental rights law.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Olympia City Hall, 601 4th Ave. E. Under state law, the council must take public comment before voting on any ballot measure position.
Library levy lid lift
The biggest local dollar impact is Proposition No. 1, the Timberland Regional Library (TRL) levy lid lift. If voters approve it, the library's property tax rate would rise to 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, up from 22 cents. TRL spokesperson Chris Chrzan told The Olympian in July that Thurston County homeowners would pay about $69 more per year.
The levy would generate roughly $14 million in its first year, according to the city's staff report. TRL plans to use the money to restore staffing levels, extend library hours, reduce wait times on popular titles and address deferred building maintenance. The 29-library system faces a $3.8 million budget shortfall.
TRL Board President Brian Mittge said in July, when the board voted unanimously to place the measure on the ballot, that the library system would keep running without the levy. "But it won't be what anybody wants or a library that you can go to have fun with your kids," Mittge told the Nisqually Valley News.
It will be the first time in more than 17 years that TRL has asked voters for a levy increase. The last attempt, in 2009, failed. The Tumwater City Council has already passed a resolution supporting the measure.
Trans athlete testing initiative
The council's agenda includes a resolution opposing Initiative to the Legislature 26-638 (IL26-638). The measure would bar transgender girls from competing in girls' sports at K-12 public schools and nonprofit organizations. Students would need to submit healthcare provider documents verifying biological sex based on reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup or testosterone levels, as first reported by The Spokesman-Review.
The city staff report notes IL26-638 would also require female students who want to play sports to undergo additional physical, genetic or hormonal testing during routine sports physicals. Staff cited the council's 2025 resolution declaring Olympia a safe and equitable community for LGBTQIA2S+ residents as grounds for opposition.
The Washington Legislature declined to act on the initiative during the 2026 session, sending it to the November ballot instead. Let's Go Washington, the PAC founded by hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, gathered more than 440,000 signatures to qualify it, well above the roughly 300,000 required.
Parental rights initiative
The third resolution opposes Initiative to the Legislature No. 26-001 (IL26-001), which would undo changes the Legislature made in 2025 through House Bill 1296 to the state's parental rights law. Among those changes was removing a guarantee for parents to access student medical records, according to the Washington State Standard.
The city staff report states that IL26-001 could affect the ability of school counselors and healthcare staff to provide confidential support to LGBTQIA2S+ students.
What's next
Ballots go out to registered voters Oct. 16. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Residents who want to comment on the Oct. 6 resolutions can attend in person or register for virtual comment at olympiawa.gov/council100626. The meeting streams live at olytv3.com.
