News Flash

CITY OF MONROE NEWS RELEASE

Monroe City Hall and Municipal Court are moving to temporary locations while the Administrative Wing of the Municipal Campus is remodeled. City Hall will temporarily be located at 14841 179^th Avenue SE, Suite 320 (Sky River Medical Center). Monroe Municipal Court will temporarily relocate to the city’s Public Works/Parks & Recreation Building located at 769 Village Way. Customer parking is available at, and transit service is available near both locations. The relocation of city and court staff will occur in phases. Services will be available at the temporary locations on the following schedule: 

Monroe City Hall services

• Monday, July 31: Community Development (land use, building, engineering and fire permits, planning and transportation planning)
• Monday, Aug. 7: Executive/Administration (Mayor and City Council, administration, human services, public records)
• Monday, Aug. 14: Finance/Utilities (Utility account services and payments, financial planning, and budgeting)

Monroe Municipal Court services

• Monday, Aug. 21: Court services and scheduled proceedings resume.

City services have occupied the campus currently located on West Main Street since 1977. The buildings have not had significant upgrades in over 30 years, which now present life-safety and accessibility deficiencies. With more people and businesses calling Monroe home, city infrastructure needs to support more demand for city services. A 2019 evaluation of the campus concluded it was less expensive to remodel the existing building than to build a new municipal campus. 

“City councilmembers and I have long supported improvements to our municipal campus to create a place of belonging, provide better access, and support service delivery to our community and customers,” notes Mayor Geoffrey Thomas. “We are extremely proud that our careful and conscientious financial planning is funding the design and construction costs using existing revenue sources.”  

Remodeling costs, estimated at $17 million, will be primarily funded through councilmanic bonds which commit the city to pay the debt within existing revenue over the next 35 years. The revenue source to pay the debt is the first quarter percent Real Estate Excise Tax (REET). Councilmanic bonds are not a property tax increase. Additionally, funding for the remodel will not affect funding for other planned capital projects.  

In March 2023, the Monroe City Council unanimously approved long-term debt financing to remodel City Hall and Monroe Municipal Court in support of the Municipal Campus Improvement Master Plan. In June, Standard and Poor’s gave the City a AA bond rating for the remodel funding, noting Monroe’s broad and diverse regional economy, growing tax base, and strong financial performance. 

With the remodel, building system improvements will include fire protection and seismic upgrades, energy efficiency, and network upgrades. City Hall interior improvements to enhance the customer experience and accessibility include new Council Chambers, a secure customer service window, foyer, and counter areas. Outside improvements include increased parking, native landscaping, and pathways connecting pedestrians to West Main Street. As part of the remodel, Municipal Court will be relocated between City Hall and Police Station, in the Justice Wing of the campus. 

The Police Department (818 West Main Street) and the Public Works and Parks & Recreation Departments (769 Village Way) are not relocating.

Monroe’s master plan of its Municipal Campus – City Hall, Municipal Court, Public Works, and Police Station – has been underway since 2008. A 2008 campus study identified space and operational deficiencies for city departments providing public services. The Municipal Campus Improvements Project was funded as early as 2016 by the City Council to be completed in three phases. The initial phase completed improvements to the public works and parks and recreation facilities. The second phase currently includes the remodel of City Hall and Municipal Court. The third phase will improve the interior of the Police Department. 

For project information, go to MonroeWA.gov and search “Municipal Campus Improvements.”