Seventeen nonprofits that serve unhoused residents across Thurston County will not receive $15.3 million in contracted funding.
The Board of County Commissioners voted 3-2 on June 16 to table the spending at the request of Tumwater's first-year mayor.
The 49 contracts cover shelter, rental assistance, food, tiny homes and other basic needs for a one-year period beginning July 1. The Regional Housing Council, an advisory body of elected officials from Thurston County, Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Yelm, finalized the funding recommendations on May 26.
Tumwater Mayor Leatta Dahlhoff sent a same-day email to commissioners asking that the contracts be returned to the Regional Housing Council for further review. She attended the meeting in person.
"I took time off my day job to be here because I support the work that you're doing and I have unanswered questions," Dahlhoff told the board. "I want it on the record, what is coming to Tumwater? How are we contributing?"
Tumwater City Administrator Paul Simmons said the city's concerns center on how money is allocated across jurisdictions. He declined to name specific nonprofits or programs when pressed by Commissioner Emily Clouse.
Commissioner Carolina Mejia moved to remove the item from the agenda; Commissioner Wayne Fournier seconded. Clouse and Commissioner Rachel Grant voted no. Board Chair Tye Menser cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of tabling, but said he expects action by Tuesday, July 21, the board's first regular meeting after its June 25–July 12 summer recess.
Menser said if nothing is accomplished by then, he would likely move to approve the funding outright.
Clouse, who also serves as vice-chair of the Regional Housing Council, called the delay a potential "death sentence" for unhoused neighbors. She noted that the state's largest encampment sits directly behind The Atrium, 3000 Pacific Ave. SE in Olympia, where commissioners met.
The Regional Housing Council held a special emergency meeting on Monday, June 22. Its outcome has not been publicly reported. County Manager Leonard Hernandez had said the council was not expected to meet again until late July, meaning without that emergency session or further special meetings, the contracts could have been delayed into August.
The Board of County Commissioners meets Tuesday, June 23, at 2 p.m. at The Atrium, 3000 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia. The meeting is open to the public in person, via Zoom and livestreamed on YouTube. Whether the contracts appear on the June 23 agenda has not been confirmed.
A separate public hearing on Thurston County's draft 2026 HUD Annual Action Plan follows at 3:30 p.m. at the same location.
