County budget hearing starts Monday

Wahkiakum County commissioners will convene at 9:30 a.m. Monday to open their public hearing on the proposed 2011 county budgets.

Under state law, the county starts the budget hearing on the first Monday of December and must conclude it within five days.

Facing a continuing revenue shortfall, county officials have made few changes in their budgets.

The Current Expense Fund, which includes most courthouse services, is set for $4.23 million in 2011, up slightly from $4.09 million in 2010.

Commissioners have diverted $200,000 from the County Road Levy to help cover Current Expense operations.

Officials expect $1.2 million in revenue off state managed trust timber land, up from $1 million budgeted for 2010, but they expect lower or tight revenues from other sources because of the economy and state spending cuts. For example, they've estimated $20,000 in investment earnings for 2011, down sharply from $73,373 actual earnings in 2009.

The County Road Department budget, which is separate from Current Expense, is set at $8.2 million in 2011, down from $11 million budgeted for 2010.

Declines in revenues are apparently keeping the department's annual construction program on a reduced level.

The 2011 program, approved at the commission's November 23 meeting, totals $6 million for the year, but that includes a $4.2 million project to replace the aging county ferry, and that project depends on the county receiving federal funds for the project.

Otherwise planned construction for 2011 includes East Valley Settlement, $813,000; Upper Elochoman Rehabilitation, $584,000; Clear Creek Fish Passage Design $130,000; Elochoman Valley Road realignment at Clear Creek$17,000; Ingalls Road $33,000; countywide safety improvements $70,000; countywide intersection safety improvements $10,000; Loop Road Slope Repair study $10,000; small construction countywide $39,000; major culvert replacement countywide $70,000; Covered Bridge Roof repair, $25,000, and Wilson Creek Bridge repair $30,000.

Regarding diversion from the road fund, "The commissioners expressed great reluctance to do this in our budget meeting," said Public Works Director Pete Ringen.

"While I feel confident in our ability to carry out the planned construction and road maintenance programs at the current service level in 2011 with this amount of diversion, one need look no farther than the Six Year Transportation Improvement Program to see the unfunded road problems and opportunities we need to address in this county."