Thurston County has narrowed its estimated budget deficit but many offices and departments are still facing deep cuts.
The Board of County Commissioners approved new general fund budget reduction targets in a 3-2 decision last week.
The new targets add up to about $11.5 million, a far cry from the estimated $36 million shortfall that county officials previously considered. Over the last few weeks, the board has made a series of decisions to cut the deficit for 2026 and reduce the impact on county services. In effect, about half of the county’s offices and departments are now contending with 10-19% budget cuts rather than a blanket 26% cut.
A few offices and departments are facing even small cuts. The Sheriff’s Office, headed by Derek Sanders, must now deal with an estimated $2.5 million cut, which is about 4% of his combined law enforcement and corrections budgets.
The smaller target for the Sheriff’s Office was decided on as Sanders rallied his supporters to voice their opposition to deeper cuts last month.
Community input such as this helped inform the board’s new targets, the county shared in a news release.
“We spent the last several months researching solutions to keep us from having to make these difficult but necessary reductions, and no choice was made lightly,” Commissioner Tye Menser said in the release.
“As the organization begins to outline what this reduced budget will mean, the Board is committed to advocating for Thurston County at the state and federal level along with our neighboring districts.”
The county officials have attributed the deficit to rising costs outpacing flattening revenue from property and sales taxes, The Olympian has reported. To make the necessary cuts, many offices and departments will likely have to curtail county services and lay off workers.
Menser, who serves as Board Chair, said in the release that the Board recognizes the impacts these reductions will have on county services, programs, residents and employees.
“We could not be prouder of the work that our county employees do each and every day for the residents of Thurston County,” Menser said.
Commissioners Rachel Grant and Emily Clouse voted against approving the new targets. Grant said she felt concerned with how the reduction targets were applied and how the county calculated the deficit.
“I can’t in good conscience, at this point, support a preliminary budget that reduces funding for public safety,” Grant said. “Superior Court and the Sheriff’s Office provide essential services that protect and uphold justice, and they’re not areas that we can afford to cut.”
Menser and Fournier pushed back on Grant’s concerns, saying the cuts were applied in a thoughtful fashion. Sheriff Sanders previously expressed that a 4% cut would be manageable and have minimal community impact, Menser added.
Prior to the vote, Fournier and Clouse noted that the board reduced the deficit by making several one-time decisions that do not entirely fix the county’s budget problems. One such move was the reallocation of reversion funds, or money that happens to be left unspent.
“That doesn’t fix the deficit, that just punts the discussion to next year and puts us in the same position very shortly,” Fournier said of the reversions.
Menser said the county set aside some of its budget policy to make those one-time decisions due to the severe impacts that deeper cuts would have on offices and departments.
“That comes at a risk and a cost and I’m glad my seatmates are recognizing that,” Menser said.
The board only approved reduction targets last week. Now, the county’s elected officials and appointed directors must plan for the cuts in their 2026 budget.
Once they do, the board will review the preliminary budget, deliberate further and hold public hearings. The board will approve a final budget by Dec. 16.
What else did the board accomplish last week?
The board approved a $1.6 million contract to renovate the new building for the Sheriff’s Office at their Tuesday board meeting.
The county finalized a $14.25 million real estate deal for the building, located at 1111 Israel Road SW, earlier this year, the Olympian previously reported. With this building, the county plans to consolidate the Sheriff’s Office law enforcement operations and provide more space for deputies and staff.
To realize that plan, the county needs to make certain improvements to the building. Tony Schall, a capital project manager for the county’s Central Services department, said the county called for sealed bids for the renovation of the building.
“The low responsive bid was received from Construct Inc. with the total bid amount of $1.6 million,” Schall said. “This bid is approximately $800,000 below the original approved budget amount.”
The work planned for the building includes, adding secure evidence storage with a walk-in cooler/freezer, a workout area with locker rooms, a large training room, a secure lobby and security film on exterior windows for “critical operations,” according to county documents.
Additionally, the county intends to add an emergency generator, install a fence around the parking area and have exterior sliding cleaned and painted.
Sheriff Sanders shared additional details about the development in a Facebook post Friday. He said the new building will feature multiple interviewing rooms, a child safe room and a central command room for critical incidents and emergency management.
“So far, county taxpayers have saved a significant amount of money during this project compared to new construction,” Sanders said. “Thurston County Central Services Staff have done an exceptional job during this process.”
Sanders said the work on the building is scheduled to be done by April 30.
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