The Thurston County Board of Commissioners continued its work this week toward reducing the impact of a general fund shortfall on county services. Their actions — along with cost-saving measures implemented by offices and departments — have already narrowed the general fund gap from an anticipated $36 million to an estimated $11.5 million.
Last month, the county conducted a budget exercise with elected officials and appointed directors to review general-fund reduction scenarios and their potential impacts on county services. The county called this a complex task because the general fund is not the only source of funding for many offices and departments, including the sheriff’s office, which draws a portion of its revenue from the Public Safety Sales Tax.
The exercise, along with community input, informed the board’s work of setting the general fund reduction target for each department and office at Tuesday’s meeting. The county said in a Wednesday news release that the commissioners’ vote during the meeting puts it on track for a balanced budget in 2026.
These reductions reflect the extraordinary budget pressures local governments, including Thurston County, are facing this year due to widespread state and federal funding cuts, rising costs and flattening revenues. About half of the county’s offices and departments will need to contend with reductions ranging from around 10% to 19%.
The sheriff’s office — which has not been asked to reduce its share of the general fund during previous budget cycles — will see one of the lowest reductions at about 4%, according to the county. This comes a week after roughly 100 county residents came to the board’s Sept. 30 meeting to express their support for Sheriff Derek Sanders and his office.
“We spent the last several months researching solutions to keep us from having to make these difficult but necessary reductions, and no choice was made lightly,” Board Chair Tye Menser said in the release. “As the organization begins to outline what this reduced budget will mean, the board is committed to advocating for Thurston County at the state and federal level along with our neighboring districts.
“Although these decisions are key to addressing our budget shortfall, the board recognizes the impacts these reductions will have on our services, programs, residents, and dedicated employees across the county,” he continued. “We could not be prouder of the work that our county employees do each and every day for the residents of Thurston County.”
As for the next steps in the budget process, elected officials and appointed directors will now take on the task of readjusting their 2026 plans to accommodate the reduced budgets. The board will then review, deliberate and hold a public hearing before making any final decisions. The final budget will be adopted by Dec. 16.
Additionally, the board announced that it expects to close on the downtown Olympia property purchase by the end of October. The site, located near Plum Street and 8th Avenue Southeast, will become the county’s new Regional Justice and Public Services Center and address space issues as the county’s population and list of state and federally mandated services grows.
Vice Chair Wayne Fournier addressed the timing of the purchase, noting funds will come from an existing time-sensitive facilities bond that can’t be used to close the general fund gap.
“This purchase puts us on a path toward greater financial stability and better service for our residents,” he said in a news release. “It’s a fiscally responsible decision that strengthens our foundation by reducing reliance on aging infrastructure and avoiding long-term lease costs. We recently invested in a facility for the sheriff and got a great price on a great building. The downtown buildings are an even better deal.”
The purchase is expected to generate revenue from current tenants and allow the county to eventually sell its Courthouse Hill property.
Learn more about the county’s work to balance its budget at https://tinyurl.com/3d2t3a2b. For more information on the Sept. 30 meeting and the proposed cuts to the sheriff’s office, visit previous Chronicle reporting at https://tinyurl.com/mtxc4568.
