stray rain

City Manager Jay Burney’s budget fix for Olympia’s $6.5 million deficit: freeze vacant positions, reduce staff, and leave police, fire, and homeless response completely untouched. HR, IT, and finance absorb the pain. A new 0.1% public safety sales tax is expected to generate $1.5 million. The message is clear: public safety is a protected category in Olympia’s budget. Support services are not. Why the state’s new millionaire tax won’t change this equation.