County Officials and Staff Work to Protect Core Services and Balance Budget
CONTACT: Susan Melnyk, Chief Communications Manager, (360) 867-2097 or susan.melnyk@co.thurston.wa.us
County Officials and Staff Work to Protect Core Services and Balance Budget
The County’s three-year budget plan is designed to limit impacts from reductions.
OLYMPIA – Thurston County officials yesterday wrapped up two days of strategy sessions outlining possible service impacts from a second year of budget reductions. The County government is navigating a $5.5 million dollar spending cut for 2027 and working to spread it strategically across its offices and departments while complying with state mandates and federal constitutional requirements.
The reductions are part of a three-year budget plan the County shared with the community during its June 3 Work Session to close a gap between projected expenses and revenues for 2027 through 2029 of $23.3 million. The plan calls for dividing about $15 million in reduced spending over three years to lessen impacts on community services, and factors in about $8.3 million in anticipated reversions – that is the return of any unspent budget dollars back to the General Fund - and relies on hopeful revenue projections.
The County’s Board is responsible for determining annual budget appropriations from its General Fund for each elected office and department, while officials and appointed department directors maintain operational oversight determining staff levels, service counter hours and other details of daily functions.
On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, most County officials and department directors presented multiple budget reduction scenarios to inform the community and the Board of potential ramifications that could result from coming reductions.
During Wednesday’s presentations, the County’s Director of Community Planning & Economic Development Ashley Arai projected a major reduction for the Code Compliance Division which could leave all but the most egregious large-scale unpermitted construction and environmental code violation complaints unaddressed.
In Thursday’s presentations, the County’s Public Works Director Karen Weiss said budget cuts to the road fund could impact road maintenance, leading to more costly repaving in future years, and could put road project grants from state and federal funders out of reach if the County can’t come up with matching funds necessary to apply.
Sheriff Derek Sanders said cuts to the Sheriff’s Office and Corrections would likely impact staffing.
The County’s Public Defense Director Patrick O’Connor reminded the Board that cuts to public defense directly clash with constitutional mandates and Washington’s Supreme Court standard requiring lower caseloads for public defenders.
The County faces rising gas, service, and utility costs alongside its residents, with strict limitations imposed on revenue options by Washington state. While an individual property tax bill may rise by three percent or more, that extra revenue doesn’t go into the County’s General Fund. State law caps annual growth on regular property tax levies for counties and municipalities at just one percent. Any increase beyond that on a tax statement comes from a local school or fire district - a separate taxing entity - or other voter-approved levies or changes in assessed values.
County officials say it’s not only the revenue-growth cap that stretches dollars thin; it’s also the underfunded work mandated by the state legislature. Unlike cities, county governments function as an administrative extension of Washington state, carrying a unique legislative requirement to deliver foundational services on a large scale. From running state and federal elections and assessing regional taxes to managing state courts, public defense and regional public health, Thurston County provides essential infrastructure for 310,000 people across more than 770 square miles.
According to the Washington Association of Counties (WSAC), what’s happening in Thurston County is also happening to counties throughout the state. WSAC points to four main reasons for this: Inflation running at a historic high acts as a cost multiplier. Unfunded or underfunded state and constitutional mandates for courts, corrections, tax assessment and collection, voter registration and elections, public safety and health. Skyrocketing insurance and legal costs due to high dollar payouts and jury awards. And lastly, the state’s one percent cap on growth of a county’s regular property tax levy regardless of inflation, population growth, or property value increases.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) points to deep shifts in federal funding leaving counties in a systemic fiscal crisis that no amount of belt-tightening or departmental restructuring can fix.
In past years the Board consistently allocated a large share of the General Fund to law and justice services rising to about 70 percent for 2026-2027 – things like the Sheriff’s Office, the courts, Public Defense, Prosecuting Attorney, Clerk’s Office, and the Auditor - reflecting the constitutional and legal mandates for these services, and highlighting the Board’s role which is set the overall spending limit for offices and departments. Each independently elected official and appointed department director determines how they will deploy the resources allocated to them.
County leaders say they are also pursuing alternative revenue approaches to maximize taxpayer dollars and minimize budget cuts. Key measures include reviewing agreements and contracts to ensure full cost recovery, leveraging interest earned by County accounts, and utilizing local revenue-generating options in state-level legislation like House Bill 2015.
The Board will begin deliberating on budget allocations for each office and department during next week’s meetings. Stay updated on public meeting dates and times, and find links to the recorded budget exercises on the County's Balancing the Budget webpage at https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/balancing-budget
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