[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",5980029,"mediaKeyId","5774468-db2a85137ebd04ac6c6b18fbcce98782","parentId",5774468,"title","Museum trims operations budget, highlights reader board project and campus security improvements","audioSeconds",602,"startMs",2441000,"endMs",3043000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5774468-db2a85137ebd04ac6c6b18fbcce98782&start=2441&end=3043","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5774468-db2a85137ebd04ac6c6b18fbcce98782/thumbnail_2441000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5980029/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Museum-trims-operations-budget-highlights-reader-board-project-and-campus-security-improvements","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5980029-d2baf8de7f9cb0cdbe284fd53d5c6f88/orig.mp4?Expires=1771182914&Signature=QQNx5HZXFdXSb240krvykVIfCAkQN28j6Nc1lGoTGV5uY3N62ovgcEMtRZ4XkU792qh4afI~lHDXy8eh-UuLo4Eqn4461yhODbv8k0t5wq8qd8dxaDG8KximE-qFcrZ4SMSwAzhcf8YMhRaHEXifrB85qDWlJEuh51kH8ARnl2DugDdM-54B~qD2UbZyEvTA6q8VX57DRHk41k8N1NhdUTop1Ju0kRVaGhIhoXyH2kqGjiW6XraAHmhQbsaHNQSiju6Vn2RVIhDlPY0r45Q0rMeITegFBoTgNcnKTFi42pDBJUbvDOeH5tcS~t2IV0ZGLbfGVeBIl7hGa9GyVqqR0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cowlitz County Commissioners, Washington","date","2025-09-17T23:07:40Z","article","A museum representative presented a reduced operational budget for 2026 and 2027 that trims equipment, travel and printing costs and targets a reader‑board project in the minor equipment line. “The budget reductions here are fairly simple,” the museum representative said, noting a $22,000 line for a reader board and multiple reductions in other categories.

Why it matters: the museum manages facilities and school programming that serve the county’s roughly 110,000 residents and operates from a campus that had recurring problems with transient activity and graffiti in recent years. The presenter told commissioners new lighting, motion detectors and more responsive security have reduced cleanup and incidence of encampments.

Specific reductions the presenter cited include a 50% reduction in meals and lodging and in tuition/registration lines, elimination of photocopying and printing and binding budgets, and an updated utilities estimate that lowers the PUD line from an overstated 2025 amount to a closer‑to‑actual $11,000 for 2026 and 2027. The presenter described the $22,000 minor‑equipment entry as tied to the reader board project and said a $36,050 total reduction resulted from the combined line adjustments.

Museum staff and commissioners discussed physical security and incident history. The presenter said a stolen HVAC unit in a prior year led to an insurance claim and subsequent replacement that reduced energy consumption. They also credited new bright lighting and motion detectors for decreasing graffiti and transient encampment cleanups: “The brightness has helped,” the presenter said, and noted that security staff respond quickly when called.

Commissioners asked about the scale of the budget change; staff explained the 2025 PUD (utilities) line had been over budgeted and the 2026 figure is closer to historical actuals. The presenter also described partnerships with other county departments and community organizations for school programming and disaster‑history projects, saying the museum seeks to leverage historical collections for local emergency‑planning education.

The museum representative said the department will continue to monitor campus security needs and that the reader‑board project and other reduced line items are part of the draft budget that will be reviewed in the county’s ongoing budget process.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Wednesday Meeting: Budget Workshop - 09.17.2025","oneSentenceSummary","The museum presentation cuts several line items for 2026–27, proposes a reader board, reports lower utility and printing costs, and credits new lighting and security for fewer transient encampments and graffiti incidents.","taxTitle","Cowlitz County, Washington","taxId",5122,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5980031,"Treasurer outlines personnel reallocation, foreclosure collections and new investment pool charges",1114,831000,1945000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5774468-db2a85137ebd04ac6c6b18fbcce98782&start=831&end=1945","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5774468-db2a85137ebd04ac6c6b18fbcce98782/thumbnail_831000.jpg","/articles/5980031/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Treasurer-outlines-personnel-reallocation-foreclosure-collections-and-new-investment-pool-charges","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5980031-48cb98b30b0078ea9437a1c556e19616/orig.mp4?Expires=1771182914&Signature=dGtHQgrr0ZZyzkawUWBHhoDOJPV5VxuYiwnn~kqNwhhDvkpG0HQz6hdMfuSdUS-48I8Tsf73asbpms2Tw2zNjKRnOS~5Pk6Ii1qlVRIC3vtaHETWFw~vm7AFqJCq4btlEA5S83TiPaTHBUbjpkfQqwx2fcC4~fqsdj0EKARxdgvKFyJ0dYBWv0QQcm~IoQAMLkRWITxhLYYYUukVbKzXp2ZBvurfo1mY9QUUGIsEMx3fDqQ6iBBQQVW6lvzKhNCCnoNuE3Pn4bXzwWmKDTQ7tgQwqYQq9zwwE8FCMwZO~Q~LoLR0aaVPUOqqZZ9x6HEQWpWhSwHbKJdMSt0nJKYWiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Deborah Gardner, Caltech County treasurer, presented proposed budget adjustments that would shift portions of payroll and IT allocations across three funds the treasurer manages and described steps the office has taken to reduce delinquent personal property collections. “If this gets approved in the personnel process in October… we’re looking at saving the general fund around $43,000,” Gardner said, adding that if the personnel request is approved the savings could increase to “more like $89,000”.

The treasurer’s office manages three funds in Gardner’s description: the general fund (treasurer’s general fund), the treasurer’s O&M (operations and maintenance) fund that covers direct costs arising from foreclosure and restraint on property, and a treasurer investment fund that pays for the county’s investment pool. Gardner said the O&M fund is intended to cover costs arising from foreclosure and restraint on real and personal property for delinquent taxes and cited RCW 84.56.020 as the statute under which that restricted fund operates.

Gardner described steps to reduce costs and reallocate expenses: she proposed shifting a percentage of her salary and a chief deputy’s salary to other funds, changing combo codes for positions that serve multiple funds, and reworking one deputy’s job description so foreclosure and collections duties are shared. “We put a small percent… changing our cost combo codes for those… and that saved a little bit,” she said. If the personnel change is approved, Gardner said the change would allow 50% of a position’s cost to be paid from the treasurer O&M fund and 50% from the general fund.

On collections, Gardner said the office has been more proactive on personal property delinquency. She said her office inherited a backlog of delinquent personal property accounts when the current foreclosure deputy took over and that the backlog has been substantially reduced: “When she took over… there were around 300 properties that were delinquent in personal property… As of today… we’re just looking at 25 delinquencies.” She described closer coordination with the assessor’s office to update records and identify closed businesses to improve collection outcomes.

Gardner also described the treasurer investment fund and the investment pool the county established in 2023. The pool uses SymPro software for portfolio accounting and an adviser paid out of the investment fund. Gardner said the county charges participating entities a fee based on the pool’s expenditures and the fund balance to cover SymPro and adviser costs and that starting January 1, 2026 the payroll for the investment banking officer will be split 50/50 between the general fund and the investment fund rather than being fully charged to the general fund.

Gardner said she does not control general fund revenue streams (property taxes, leasehold tax, timber tax, penalties and interest) but that she and the finance director estimated conservative interest earnings for the budget given changing Federal Reserve policy. She told commissioners she will bring the personnel changes back through the personnel process and to the board if required.

","Treasurer Deborah Gardner described proposed combo‑code and personnel changes that would shift portions of payroll into specialized funds, outlined recent improvements in delinquent personal property collections, and described the county’s investment pool and its SymPro software and adviser costs.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5980037,"Building and planning office keeps staffing steady, trims travel and training in draft 2026 budget",619,178000,797000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5774468-db2a85137ebd04ac6c6b18fbcce98782&start=178&end=797","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5774468-db2a85137ebd04ac6c6b18fbcce98782/thumbnail_178000.jpg","/articles/5980037/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Building-and-planning-office-keeps-staffing-steady-trims-travel-and-training-in-draft-2026-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5980037-b8c0f7eae135128a1cca746191f27e79/orig.mp4?Expires=1771182914&Signature=V3doG~T-l0v2Bfi2NijE8Tj28X6gjMj60TrsmFCPXUTSaQPUr3btvldYzvzombe4-iQSZUkmNVqwxOo2APKSi4r4ZrGlIrxeWf-btxHWqp1MSrfMc6Dpjw0KvJ1kLgC6tc4LQLxBbr72lN6MciogVzf8yK7lR3lx2~dxzjATsNf2WKaqhqUVPettkcJ1wOoflT3vEyog1eDkwLYXwhGPtX-XV9p1kJzk8wTVeko55ayHAtW7M8zQO-uI4JWRzKHvx3LDWnf~pLtNT9LwG6XwPST3oYT8qrUu5ze3NFB6e6xHjNsINAPKnGv6hmE4yDSEJkIuNvEUMily66Hy0z2RSw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tracy Jackson, building and planning, told county commissioners the department’s preliminary budget request for 2026 and 2027 is largely status quo and emphasizes cuts to discretionary spending while keeping current staffing levels. “We have a very vanilla, budget request. We're really status quo for the next 2 years,” Jackson said during the department presentation.

The budget matter matters because building and planning administers permitting and land‑use reviews that fund a permitting enterprise fund and support inspections and plan review. Jackson said the department manages four funds (community long‑range planning, the boundary review board, GIS, and the permitting—permitting being the enterprise fund) and proposed line‑by‑line suggestions based on historical spending.

Most of the reductions are in travel and training. Jackson said she cut “about 75 to 80% out of my travel and training, and all of the funds.” The finance office’s earlier retreat recommendation to cut travel by 50% was noted; Susie Moon, finance manager, told the group that “one of the recommendations… was cutting travel‑related expenses by 50%,” and that Jackson had cut even more for her department. Jackson said she is not requesting any new personnel and plans to remove an unfilled co‑tech position from the budget “for right now.” She added that if a qualified applicant appears she would return to the board to request filling the position.

Jackson said the department is maintaining professional services lines for plan review and permitting applications and relies on external plan‑review contractors during peak workloads. She described Accela (the permit platform) as a major vendor for permit processing and listed other firms used for plan review when workload requires contracting.

On contingency planning, Jackson said the permitting fund has a cash balance that could be used to cover operations if permit revenue declines: “I have enough cash balance, about $1,700,000 … if we get into desperate times and we don't get any permits in the door, I would use that cash balance to fund my staff.” Jackson said she has not proposed fee changes and does not plan new personnel requests in the draft. She also said the department will explore combining certain permit fees (for example, private‑road related permits) to reduce duplicate charges and to streamline internal processing.

Commissioners asked about succession planning and IT needs. When asked, Jackson said, “We do. We have backup for pretty much every position … except for Mike Wilson and I at this point.” She also requested a Wi‑Fi booster for the downstairs permitting area so applicants can complete and submit online permit applications without leaving the building. Jackson said contractors and customers sometimes must step outside to send materials and that a booster would improve customer service.

The department reported it presented the proposal to the Building‑Planning Advisory Committee (BPAC), which Jackson said generally did not object and suggested the county could consider fee increases in some areas compared with neighboring counties.

The county finance office will include Jackson’s department in the next steps of budget deliberations; Jackson said she will return with any personnel requests if a hiring need arises or if a qualified applicant becomes available.

","Tracy Jackson, building and planning, proposed a largely status-quo budget for 2026–27 that cuts travel and training, removes an unfilled co‑tech position, relies on about $1.7 million in cash balance if permit revenue falls, and requests a Wi‑Fi booster for downstairs permitting operations.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Museum trims operations budget, highlights reader board project and campus security improvements

Treasurer outlines personnel reallocation, foreclosure collections and new investment pool charges

Building and planning office keeps staffing steady, trims travel and training in draft 2026 budget