Commissioners ask staff to quantify court workload from resumed Capitol parking enforcement

Thurston County commissioners asked staff on Feb. 4 to work with District Court to quantify the operational impact of the state’s decision to resume parking enforcement on the Capitol Campus, a change county staff say could increase District Court caseload and costs.

County staff explained the state previously used State Patrol for Capitol Campus enforcement, then a notice indicated the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) would resume on-site enforcement, a shift staff and the court expect will create additional work for District Court. Staff said there is no active bill in the Legislature addressing the issue.

Commissioner Mejia said she has been in touch with Frankie Peters from District Court, who will track caseload and cost increases this year. Commissioners directed staff to coordinate with Peters to gather those data and to incorporate the findings into the county’s full cost-recovery rate study so the county can quantify any funding shortfall before asking the Legislature or allocating county operational funds.

Commissioner Klaus said it would be helpful to have a District Court representative at the table when the information is presented. County staff agreed to follow up and return to the board with quantified impacts.

No formal motion or vote was recorded; the discussion produced direction to staff to collect data and report back.