The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office’s request to increase the department’s budget by more than a half million dollars next year is not included in the county’s 2024 preliminary budget, one of many funding increases the Board of Lewis County Commissioners opted to either partially or fully reject.
According to Commissioner Sean Swope, the increase would have funded two additional deputy positions, additional outfitting of six vehicles and operating fees and other expenses “we would like to see them absorb into their budget.”
The request to fund additional positions came despite current vacancies in the department, Swope said.
“We don’t want them to take away or cancel any services, but as much as they can, try and find room to absorb that insular into their budget,” Swope said in a Tuesday night budget meeting. “We do want more law enforcement. But at this point in time, if there’s vacancies, we want those to be addressed before we approve other spots.”
In August, the undersheriff told Lewis County fire commissioners there were nine vacancies in the sheriff’s office’s corrections department and at least three that were “on the horizon,” according to previous reporting by The Chronicle.
Sheriff Rob Snaza’s plea for additional funds were not fully approved in 2022 or 2021, either. According to previous Chronicle reporting, the Sheriff’s Office requested an additional $496,000 from the 2023 budget, but the commissioners only approved an increase of $29,000.
This year, his request of $576,000 was fully rejected.
The decision on 2024 budget requests came on Nov. 20, as commissioners prepare to adopt a final budget in early December. On Tuesday, Swope, his fellow commissioners, county staff and the citizen budget committee discussed the funding requests, the need to “rightsize” staff and the overall financial health of the county during a preliminary budget review.
The review comes as the county prepares to adopt a budget in early December.
When crafting their 2023 budgets, departments asked for an additional $2.1 million, though $900,000 of the requests were fulfilled.
Nineteen offices and departments requested budget increases in 2024, for a total of $2.49 million, yet only $1.2 million in increases were approved. Departments with rejected increases included:
• WSU Extension at an additional $50,568
• The Board of County Commissioners at a $46,500
• The Superior Court at a $50,000
• The Assessor’s Office at a $68,500
A $240,000 request by the Coroner was partially funded, with the office set to receive an additional $152,000 in 2024. According to Commissioner Lindsey Pollock, the increase will ultimately result in net savings for the county through savings on outside services.
Coroner Warren McLeod previously said the office’s biggest expense is hiring consultants.
A focus on the future
County Manager Ryan Barrett said there will be a continued focus on Vision 2025, the county’s five-year strategic plan initiated in 2020. The plan includes five focus areas: economic development, housing and proactive growth, public health and social services, fiscal sustainability and organizational efficiency and public safety.
“As we look to accomplish all of those goals and find strategic ways to meet the mission, we’re also having to be very cognizant of our financial picture,” Barrett said.
In early November, the commissioners eliminated six county positions to save an estimated $500,000 yearly. Those included
• Chief of internal services
• Administrative assistant to the chief of internal services
• Housing and infrastructure specialist
• Public information specialist
• Human resources records manager
• Assistant to the county manager
County Manager Ryan Barrett said Tuesday that, moving forward, “we’re going to be doing absolutely everything we can to avoid eliminating these services.”
“As the commissioners said, we’re putting ourselves in a position where we need to do more with what we have,” Barrett said. “So we’re taking a hard look right now at maybe shifting some of those duties.”
The housing and infrastructure specialist position is funded through Quarter 1 of next year, which Barrett said would allow more time for “distributing some of those responsibilities.”
With those positions cut, Barrett said, county steps toward “rightsizing the organization.” The 2024 budget cycle serves as the first for Barrett, who started as county manager on Aug. 28. Barrett said part of his task is to bring in “a fresh set of eyes, if you will, on the structure, and that’s something that I take very seriously.”
“Facing potential fiscal uncertainty, it was a good motivator, if you will, to make sure that we are staying in front of the budget and that we’re rightsizing the organization budgetarily as well as organizationally,” Barrett said.
Next year, the budgeting process will begin about six weeks earlier, which Barrett said will “give people more lead time on making some decisions that are in the best interest of the organization.”
The commissioners will hold a public meeting where “any taxpayer may appear, be heard for or against, or ask questions concerning any part of the budget” on Dec. 4, the day the commissioners plan to adopt a 2024 budget.
