Commissioners ready constrained 2012 budgets

Wahkiakum County commissioners have completed their preliminary budget, and copies were made available last week in advance of the December 5, 9:30 a.m. budget hearing.

The total Current Expense Fund budget, which covers most courthouse departments, rang in at $4.57 million, up from $4.46 million budgeted for 2011 and the $4.41 million budgeted for 2011.

The county's other budgets, covering the County Road Department, Public Health, various reserves, and other issues, total $19.3 million for 2012, up from $18.1 million budgeted for 2011.

Going into the budget process, commissioners warned department heads that another revenue shortfall like that experienced several years ago was possible, and they asked department heads to "go back to 2010" levels.

Assessor Bill Coons found his budget cut 15 percent from 2011 and also lower than the 2010 figure.

Commissioners have proposed a budget of $178,474 for the department. They budgeted $210,030 for 2011; actual spending in 2010 was $188,628.

Part of the reduction was the removal of $15,903 in professional fees. Commissioners had budgeted the money a year ago, believing that it might be needed as the assessor's office implemented a new computer program.

However, Coons, who took office January 1, wanted to use the funds for extra help. He has repeatedly asked the board for funding for extra help, but commissioners have refused permanent funding. They budgeted no money for extra help in 2012, as they did in 2010.

Coons has proposed the board create a temporary position paid by the Real Estate Excise Tax account. The employee would input data about parcels and sales. The board agreed to discuss it with him on December 6.

Other departments experienced reductions. The auditor's department was reduced from $313,347 to $291,446, District Court from $228,668 to $224,236, and Sheriff's Office from $792,225 to $781,055.

Some saw increases: The Jail budget increases from $551,275 for 2011 to $590.724 for 2012, Prosecuting Attorney from $398,568 to $401,247, and Superior Court from $106,279 to $112,519.

No employees or elected officials will receive raises this year.

In other budgets, the County Road Department shows an increase from $8.2 million in 2011 to $9.4 million in 2012, with much of that coming on construction projects

The county hopes to go to bid on a new ferry next year, with the bulk of the estimated $3.9 million cost paid by state and federal grants.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen said Friday he had double checked the estimate after seeing a state Department of Transportation announcement that a Rainier, Ore., contractor will build a similar size ferry to replace the Keller Ferry on Lake Roosevelt at a cost of almost $10 million. Ringen said the new Keller Ferry will be aluminum, not steel, and it will be built in sections, hauled to northern Washington, and assembled there.

Public Health pooling shows an increase from $431,239 to $538,913, but health department officials recently warned commissioners that those figures could be cut when the legislature meets to act on the state's revenue shortfall.

The Current Expense Fund stands to get a boost from the state Department of Natural Resources next year.

The department and legislature two years ago passed legislation to set up a forest acquisition Funding process for Wahkiakum, Pacific and Skamania counties. All have DNR managed trust timber land that has been tied up as habitat for marbled murrelets, an endangered species. This year, the fund is supposed to send Wahkiakum $400,000, and commissioners have divided that, with $224,886 marked for timberland acquisition and the rest going to help the shortfall.

Commissioners have also proposed diverting $200,000 from the County Road Levy to the Current Expense Fund to cover their expected revenue shortfall.

Last week, Commissioner Dan Cothren, who helped spearhead the forest acquisition bill, said a new proposal would call for the three counties to go together to purchase timberland. They would have greater buying power, and that should lead to better revenues, Cothren said.