Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
After defeating challenger JW Foster in the 2025 Thurston County general election last November, Mayor Joe DePinto has his sights set on improvements to public safety, recreational opportunities, infrastructure and transportation in 2026.
He told the Nisqually Valley News on Monday, Jan. 5, that as “boring as it sounds,” those primary objectives are what his administration will be focused on. One of his biggest points of emphasis while on the topic of public safety is that Yelm will continue to use the Flock Safety system.
DePinto knows there’s been some controversy with the technology, but claimed that the City of Yelm would work with the Washington state Legislature to “tie up any concerns.”
“We’ll make sure we’re doing everything on our end as we have good control policy,” DePinto said. “We’re going to make sure the state has good policy as well. But we’re going to make sure we keep utilizing that because it’s reducing crime here in Yelm.”
Additionally, DePinto said public safety will continue to improve in Yelm as the city has added more police officers to the force every year he’s been mayor — and he said that trend would continue in 2026.
“Every year I’ve been here, we’ve added at least one officer but usually about two officers a year now. We’ll add two more this year,” DePinto said. “We’re going to be ensuring they have all the training they need. We’re working on that.”
Recreationally, DePinto said that the City of Yelm will continue forward with its plans for a future Yelm Athletic Complex. The city is looking into different methods of funding for the project, he claimed.
“We already have some draft plans right now. It will be more concise than what I’ve shared earlier in regards to where things would be laid out,” DePinto said. “It’s still at the location we discussed off the Yelm Loop, but we’re also looking at other locations as backups.”
He added that the 640-acre property purchased by Blue Fern, and formerly owned by the City of Yelm, is another location Yelm could seek for an athletic complex. Additionally, he believes the purchase by Blue Fern of the 640-acre property in 2025 will lead to “something big” in 2026 and coming years.
“We’re working with the council to make sure that the direction is still where they want it to be, in terms of getting the road completed first. We’ll be working with Blue Fern to make sure they’re on the same page,” DePinto said. “I think it was a very big deal that we were able to negotiate the price, cost, and the terms of infrastructure they’d be providing. Conversations are continuing every week with them. I expect that to move forward.”
With transportation, DePinto said the City of Yelm has been working day and night with the state of Washington to ensure construction begins this year for the Yelm Loop project. He believes Yelm is still on track to begin the long-awaited bypass this year.
“I had a good conversation with representative Andrew Barkis last month. He doesn’t believe that there is any way that money’s going to be taken away or anything like that. We’re moving forward with that project,” he said. “The first thing that will be started with the Yelm Loop will be the roundabout by Walmart, and shortly after that’s completed we’ll be doing our roundabout at Five Corners. That’s all fully funded and moving forward.”
Additionally, DePinto said he’d like to see the WSDOT roundabouts and the City of Yelm roundabouts — along with the Yelm Loop — completed in his final term as Mayor of Yelm. Additionally, he’d like to see the Southern Loop project begin as well.
One of the final goals and updates DePinto told the Nisqually Valley News in regards to 2026 was that the City of Yelm is “potentially looking at” at judicial appointment this year as judge Thomas Meyer’s term is up and he’s implied retirement.
“He’s been our judge for over two decades, at least, but probably closer to three decades. He’s done a great job for us and I want to make sure I appoint someone who is going to continue on his legacy and do the people of Yelm well,” DePinto said. “That also brings me to the fact that we are the only municipal court in Thurston County. That’s something important to me and my administration that we maintain that. With Olympia now shutting their doors, we are the only one that’s open now and I think we can provide a valuable service for our folks here.”
