Weed board considering budget tonight

June 14, 2007

Members of the Wahkiakum County Weed Control Board will hold a special meeting today (Thursday) to consider ways to adjust their programs and reduce their budget.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in the River Street Building meeting room.

The county board of commissioners several weeks ago had voted to cut $38,000 from the weed board’s 2007 budget, but after the move was questioned last week by citizens and weed board members, the county commissioners voted to reconsider that motion and allow the weed board time to consider how they could generate revenue and cut spending.

County commissioners hope to have that report in time for their meeting next week, which will start at 8:30 a.m. instead of the usual 9:30 a.m.

County Commissioner Tom Doumit said Tuesday there apparently was confusion of his motion last week to reconsider the board’s motion to cut weed board funding.

“My motion temporarily restored funding to the weed board, but only for some time, till they can come back with some suggestions,” he said. At that point, he continued, the county board can affirm its motion to cut the budget, modify it, or rescind it completely.

Commissioner Dan Cothren added that his intent in voting for the motion was to allow the weed board time to consider their finances, not to put the weed supervisor back to work.

The weed board budget cut was part of a move by the county commissioners to address a revenue shortfall in their finances and a predicted $250,000 shortfall in revenue for the Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic.

Sheriff Dan Bardsley commented Tuesday to the county commissioners that there seems to be little plan of how to address the situation.

“Something’s got to go,” he said. “I’m concerned there’s not a very good plan that we’re going to go with.”

“Your point is very well taken,” Doumit replied. “We’ve been talking about having a budget workshop. We need to do the process a little better than we have.”

Cothren and commission Chair George Trott agreed. Part of their meeting next Tuesday will be devoted to developing a plan, they said.

“Obviously the process is very difficult,” Doumit said. “We will be cutting programs that, historically, commissioners and department heads have valued and funded.

“We still value those programs; we can’t afford them.”

“We’re coming into our budget time with a half million dollar deficit and our reserves are way down,” Trott said. “We may have to borrow to finance our road construction projects—we have to spend the money to do the work; then we’re reimbursed.”