During a public hearing on the 2024-25 midterm budget held on Monday, Dec. 2, Thurston County officials discussed concerns regarding funding priorities, particularly for law enforcement, infrastructure, and information technology.
The hybrid hearing also prompted discussions on the need for increased public participation and transparency in the county's budget process.
Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim pressed for increased budget allocations to address staffing shortages and difficulties accessing Public Safety Sales Tax (PSST) funds.
“One of my concerns about how the resolution that ultimately was approved by the voters was created and drafted is that it puts the prosecutor’s office and the public defender’s office in direct competition for the same pool of funding,” Tunheim said, pointing to what he described as a flaw in how the funds are distributed.
Tunheim described recent setbacks, including rescinding a job offer due to budget cuts.
“We had made a hiring decision for that position. We had made an offer for that position to a person, the only lawyer who was about to take the bar,” Tunheim said. “It was a contingent offer that if the person passed the bar exam, then they would have that position... and the board eliminated the position.”
Despite broader challenges, including PSST funds being blended into the general budget without clear guidelines, Tunheim was willing to work with officials to address the issues.
Transitioning to law enforcement concerns, Sheriff Derek Sanders defended his department’s use of PSST funds, outlining how his office has balanced public safety needs with infrastructure priorities.
“Yes, there is stable funding within the fund. There’s enough funding within the public safety tax to support the bond payments, and we wanted to find that balance where we’re still putting a hefty number of deputy sheriffs out there on the streets,” Sanders said.
Sanders highlighted investments such as hiring 27 new deputy sheriffs and addressing space constraints through a new facility.
Sanders also emphasized plans for ongoing maintenance, including roof and HVAC system repairs.
Attention shifted to infrastructure as Interim Central Services Director Bruce Rohrbough responded to concerns about facility management and expense transparency.
“Central Services has conducted a comprehensive review of the facilities as part of an implementation of Strategic Asset Management & Capital Planning software from Brightly, [and] will be coming before the board in 2025 to share those findings,” Rohrbough said.
Resident Jon Pettit criticized delays in the courthouse remodel project, citing significant interest payments.
“Could you give us an update as far as what’s actually happening? We’ve been paying interest for two and a half years," Pettit asked. "We’re about $6 million, I think, in interest expense so far, and I don’t see any progress.”
County Manager Leonard Hernandez acknowledged the delays but assured stakeholders that progress was being made. “The team is working on the next steps and moving it forward,” he said.
The Information Technology (IT) Department faced scrutiny over its $18 million funding request.
Pettit questioned its cost-effectiveness, saying, “At $18 million, that means for each employee, the basic cost appears to be $15,000 of what cost might be. You might want to check my math on that.”
IT Director Sherrie Ilg clarified the allocation in response, breaking down the department’s expenses.
“We pay about $6 million a year in maintenance of our applications, and the rest is in salaries, our network, maintaining our network,” Ilg said. “Everything includes cell phone bills, replacement of hardware. It’s all counted into that $18 million.”
Commissioners followed up with questions to ensure the funds were effectively used to support county operations.
County Assessor Steven Drew also expressed concern about the impact of general fund reductions on his department, noting cuts had led to fewer full-time employees.
“I have two fewer FTEs than in 2023 due to budget cuts,” Drew said, emphasizing that reductions to the general fund compounded the financial strain on his office.
Public frustrations arose during testimony, with citizens criticizing the four-minute time limit for comments.
“Public involvement has been involved in every aspect of this packet,” Commissioner Wayne Fournier said, acknowledging that the public hearing serves as a formal opportunity to document public comment as the budget is finalized.
Fournier defended the process and emphasized that public input has been sought throughout the year, with multiple public meetings and hearings on various budget items, including the PSST.
Fournier pointed out that while public comment has been ongoing, there are time limitations for hearings to ensure that meetings remain efficient.
Resident Eric Casino, however, pushed back, saying, “One of the reasons for a public hearing is to hear the public.” He urged the board to prioritize transparency and accountability over procedural efficiency.
“Attempts to shut down public comment are inappropriate,” Casino added, calling on officials to honor the county’s mission of inclusivity.
Budget hearings will continue throughout the week, with discussions focusing on transportation and environmental priorities.
The Thurston Board of County Commissioners is expected to finalize the budget by the end of this week.
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RondaLarsonKramer
On the topic of transparency, the county's public records office seems to be woefully understaffed, resulting in months-long wait times to obtain records. Every week, the backlog gets bigger, resulting in longer wait times. It's over 300 requests deep now. I wish the county could do things as good as the City of Tumwater when it comes to public records response times. Of course, Tumwater has much fewer records requests. I wonder how the two jurisdictions compare in terms of staffing per capita in their public records offices.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Report this
Claire
Thurston County is broke due to misallocation of funds and misuse of funding options. And the BoCC expects a 6% increase in salaries? HA! Voters need to wake up and PAY ATTENTION.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Report this
RedskinPatriot
100% Agree with Claire!
Additionally- being a sanctuary city and then asking property owners to pay for it with tax increases is B$ if you ask me!
Ryan B
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Report this
HenryRearden
Claire is right, funds have been misappropriated. The county has made some awful choices with their budgets in the last 10 years. A recent example is the Board gifting millions of dollars to the private sector owners of the Atrium for building revocations while leaving the county owned courthouse nearly vacant, all with no plan for the future of the courthouse complex. The real reasons for doing this are unclear. What is clear is that this is not in the best interests of the taxpayers. This situation needs to be investigated and any wrongdoing needs to be remediated.
The following day, tax increases were discussed. Despite the opacity of the process, several citizens showed up to ask questions about the legality of the process and the poor choices being made by the Board of County Commissioners without any public input. Our elected officials are not representing your interests, and it is apparent when you look at the choices they’re making. The situation is can get better but it is going to require overwhelming citizen involvement. No matter how difficult the County tries to make it, our voices need to be heard.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Report this
sonshi
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/lynnwood-city-council-voted-4-3-increase-property-taxes-by-52/NWSJTXMNGNBM7IFFKGBTMURGOU/
Coming soon to a city council near you. :(
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Report this
Claire
May I suggest that Thurston County property owners stage an informational picket line/protest in The Atrium? This can be ongoing due to the People's work schedules ( because they have to work to pay their taxes.)
Let the County Commissioners know we are extremely unhappy with the way they're running OUR County.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Report this
BigPictureTruth
Glad a media outlet is looking at this.
The county has spent $7M on a computer system that does not work. This cost, combined with thousands of hours of staff time, is astronomical for a county our size. This is exacerbated by the fact that the county did not run the legacy system in parallel, so the financial management ability of the organization is questionable at best. We will see the impact when the county reports out on annual expenditures this spring.
As mentioned, in the comments and in multiple budget hearings, the atrium move is very difficult to understand with the information we’ve been given. There are things we don’t know that would make this make sense, but I don’t think we’ll ever know the details of that.
I’m not sure citizens really want transparency until more of us participate in the process. But we need to have it. How we get that is more involvement, especially when the people making these decisions are protecting themselves from public scrutiny.
Thursday, December 5, 2024 Report this