Board tables appeal over Office of Administrative Hearings office-location suggestion

The Productivity Board on Tuesday agreed to postpone a decision on suggestion 2410003, an appeal related to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), after extended public comment and testimony from the agency.

Shaman Chi, who filed the suggestion and appealed the agency's non-adopt response, told the board the agency's materials addressed only Seattle and did not adequately respond to concerns about Olympia and Tacoma. "I submitted a suggestion, 2 4 1 0 0 0 3, in January 2024 regarding the Office of Administrative Hearings," Chi said, adding that the agency "did not adopt" the suggestion and that the agency's documentation did not address Olympia or Tacoma locations. Donald Kapp, deputy chief at OAH, replied that "the Olympia and Tacoma officers are still in operation and still under existing leases, and that the Seattle closure was talked about as early as 2019."

Board members debated whether the agency had already been moving to consolidate space at the time the suggestion was filed, and whether state guidance from OFM and DES influenced subsequent agency decisions. Emily Hetland, an ex officio member, urged the board to examine the timeline alongside the state's consolidation directive, noting Governor Inslee's August 2023 guidance to downsize office footprints. Several members said more context was needed about lease expiration dates, costs to move into state-owned facilities, and whether DES or OFM had directed the agency to consolidate.

By vote, the board tabled the appeal until its next meeting and instructed staff to seek additional input from DES real estate services and OFM facilities oversight before the board revisits the appeal. The board also noted concerns raised by the suggestor about possible document date errors in the agency's submitted materials.