GH County budget approved

Commissioners approve general fund budget for 2018

Following several months of discussions, the Grays Harbor County commissioners approved the 2018 general fund budget on Dec. 4.

The general fund will have an operating deficit of about $700,000.

According to a staff report by county budget director Brenda Sherman, the year will begin with $4.5 million in beginning cash. The county will receive $29.6 million in revenue and will dole out $30.3 million in appropriations. The county will end the year with $3.8 million in ending cash.

While the county is set to begin the year with a budget that operates in the red, the commissioners also struck an optimistic tone.

Commissioner Wes Cormier had said in past meetings that he wanted to pass a balanced budget. On Dec. 4, he said he is comfortable with the approved budget.

“A budget is a compromise, so I’m happy with how it turned out,” Cormier said. “It was close (to balanced). If you look at what we didn’t cut out of the budget, it will probably be made up anyway. I looked at the past several years of what we actually spent, and in those past years, we’ve spent at most 97 percent of our estimated expenditures.”

Commissioner Vickie Raines thanked Sherman for her work on the budget and she also thought the budget was strong where it counted.

“While it may take some out of reserves, it will be very, very little,” Raines said. “We’re moving in the right direction. We’re hopeful on a couple of different business fronts to see some additional jobs come into play.”

Raines noted that the approved budget would allow for the construction of a third superior courtroom at the Grays Harbor County courthouse in Montesano.

While Raines and Cormier were optimistic, significant cuts had to be made to trim the budget back. Initially, the county departments had asked the commissioners for a budget that would have resulted in an operating deficit of about $3.7 million. The county has warned that the cuts made in the budget could lead to layoffs and furloughs.

Commissioner Randy Ross was less optimistic than Raines and Cormier, but still reasonable in his opinion of the approved budget.

“It was not an easy process. It’s certainly not a perfect budget,” Ross said. “I’m proud of the fact that we went to all the departments and electeds and asked them for their input… It’s not perfect, but it’s a good effort.”

Also during the meeting, the commissioners decided to not take a property tax increase this year.

Initially, commissioner Raines made a motion to adopt a 1 percent increase in property tax for the road fund and received a second from Ross. Commissioner Cormier asked for a zero percent increase. Both Raines and Ross rescinded their motions and all three commissioners unanimously approved a zero percent increase.

After the meeting, Cormier said he would have preferred to reduce the property tax levy in order to help the junior taxing districts (fire districts, libraries and other similar entities). As Cormier explained it, the county is the first to approve a property tax levy, and the junior taxing districts can only ask for what isn’t taken by the county.

While taking no increase likely won’t have an impact on any of the junior taxing districts this year, the commissioners agreed, Cormier said he also didn’t want to collected unnecessary taxes.

“I don’t like collecting unless we absolutely need it because it affects other districts,” Cormier said.