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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, March 21, 2003
| Contact: |
Don Krupp, Thurston County Chief Administrative Officer, 360-786-5440 |
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Ralph Osgood, Tumwater Mayor, 360-754-4120 |
Judge Rules
Regarding Court Siting
OLYMPIA – A visiting Superior Court Judge from
Grays Harbor County ruled Thursday that core courthouse offices must remain in
Olympia. The cities of Tumwater
and Olympia had challenged the relocation of certain courthouse functions to a
proposed justice facility at the Mottman Industrial Park on the basis that
offices such as Superior Court and Prosecutor had to be “at or near” the
seat of county government, which is Olympia.
The county participated in the court process in order to clarify the
proposal. The judge commented
that such offices might be located in the Olympia growth management area
outside the city limits, but ruled they could not be located inside the
city limits of other municipalities.
Thurston County Chief Administrative Officer Don
Krupp says it’s good to have the ruling in hand. “Of course we’re somewhat disappointed in the actual
decision, but we are pleased to have some legal certainty on the issue.
We went forward with Tumwater and Olympia in seeking a declaratory
judgment as part of our due diligence on the matter.
We will now continue to work with all the other jurisdictions on
options for a facility that can help alleviate the jail crowding and maintain
criminal justice system efficiencies.”
Tumwater Mayor Ralph Osgood says the city was
pleased to take part in the court action in order to discover what was legal
under the statute. “The process
does give us some parameters as to where certain offices can be located.
I should point out however, that does not mean a new jail could not be
located in Tumwater or anywhere else in the county; jails do not fall under
the “at or near” issue regarding the county seat.
We look forward to more work with the other jurisdictions in finding
the right solution.”
The county and all the cities and towns in the
county have been working on the jail issue for about two years.
Their work will continue with the next meeting of the Jail Management
Team set for next week.
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