[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-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",[32,75,87,99],{"_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",5980885,"mediaKeyId","5774471-9e8801cbae6d121d2df8690951d1b7f3","parentId",5774471,"title","County IT Proposes No Capital Contribution for 2026–27; Reserve Seen as Sufficient but PeopleSoft Replacement Remains Uncertain","audioSeconds",848,"startMs",3612000,"endMs",4460000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5774471-9e8801cbae6d121d2df8690951d1b7f3&start=3612&end=4460","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5774471-9e8801cbae6d121d2df8690951d1b7f3/thumbnail_3612000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5980885/Cowlitz-County/Washington/County-IT-Proposes-No-Capital-Contribution-for-202627-Reserve-Seen-as-Sufficient-but-PeopleSoft-Replacement-Remains-Uncertain","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5980885-fa34fc76f7299c91439afdf30c9fdf5f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557468&Signature=Aq8dh0dqsVB68fOhghLYD~VoYeqzJr3fN3bgw9FhvJ6mZ~futo-snFhjNffTAnOgDTOkmb4l~yN0TwnGHckZEBTkX8vvvrd0b58xVRJFaJ9UD~H1x0RIjyVhUzGxZ4wlFF8LvqgZLCP6-ANRxgnUVKwayOVohGmKmAFAfbm90sx2dLTM1KSyJDdC7z4B1xbGXWnq9UAhD2Zn8bgspDyuGV8Ge9oe2VjTLsYzywuimAHK5IB5XbwOGH547~KUt45ZoWluTBDzIjL7abAD5vT7R7j0IMSKlGGZ0n8~yS9F-guuRfABDMdmvi1aBa3zisYiRrEfhPsWNS~~nywUy9eZ1g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cowlitz County Commissioners, Washington","date","2025-09-17T10:31:33Z","article","At a county budget workshop, county finance and IT staff presented the methodology and proposed billings for the county’s IT cost allocation, recommended zero contribution to the capital replacement reserve for 2026–27, and flagged uncertainty around a future PeopleSoft replacement.

Kathy Funk Baxter, finance director, said the IT reserve “is sitting at a little bit over… $3,900,000,” while staff estimates the cost to replace most major pieces of equipment at about $3,200,000 in today’s dollars. With expected inflation factored in, staff estimated a $3.7 million need; based on those figures, staff recommended no additional capital contribution for the next biennium.

Allocation method and billings

Baxter and IT staff explained the cost allocation splits IT billings 50% by number of devices and 50% by full‑time equivalents (FTE). The figures cited were roughly 653 devices and 583 FTEs. Staff said for 2026 the IT billings to departments are roughly $5 million; that figure reflects a reduction using carryforward savings from under‑spending in prior years.

PeopleSoft and subscription trends

IT staff said a major unknown is how long the county will keep PeopleSoft and what replacement product it will choose. A replacement could be a capital purchase with upfront costs or a subscription model that would be an operating expense. IT staff described an industry trend toward subscription models, which changes how much capital reserve is needed.

Security, software escalations and new items

Staff noted rising software subscription costs (examples cited included the county’s endpoint protection upgrade to CrowdStrike) and planned replacements for intrusion detection and vulnerability management tools. Treasury/assessor software (Laserfiche) and other licenses were cited as contributors to increased software expense for FY26.

IT also began centralizing procurement and cost recovery for panic‑button installations. Staff said dozens of panic buttons have been installed and that the up‑front installation costs will be amortized over 10 years in the IT cost allocation; the annual amortization impact was described as small.

What was decided and next steps

Staff recommended and commissioners accepted a plan to use existing IT reserve funds rather than add to the capital replacement allocation for 2026–27. IT staff will continue work on PeopleSoft replacement planning and present options and cost estimates when available. Departments will receive their allocations in January, as is the current process.

Ending

IT staff will provide more detailed cost estimates on PeopleSoft options and return with updated proposals if the county’s long‑term strategy shifts from capital replacement to subscription models.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cowlitz County Commissioner Open Public Meetings","oneSentenceSummary","County finance and IT staff recommended at a budget workshop that the county make no capital replacement contribution for IT in 2026–27 because the IT reserve (about $3.9 million) already covers projected near‑term replacement needs.","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},5980890,"County to Earmark Sunset Mental‑Behavioral Health Tax Residual for Jail Medical Contracts; Departments to Seek General‑Fund Backfill",2862,1279000,4141000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5774471-9e8801cbae6d121d2df8690951d1b7f3&start=1279&end=4141","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5774471-9e8801cbae6d121d2df8690951d1b7f3/thumbnail_1279000.jpg","/articles/5980890/Cowlitz-County/Washington/County-to-Earmark-Sunset-MentalBehavioral-Health-Tax-Residual-for-Jail-Medical-Contracts-Departments-to-Seek-GeneralFund-Backfill","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5980890-9bdcd94d0be6ee10ea05fba2b046def8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557468&Signature=BzWxMqyCPiCPrbiG4V~VdfYOMwETOrDG~~pNME8XBTGhChdyA5XkkSO4rK3tSTc7jCrLHFy9k3ILyyLbhyxoJBtsLQJhM4mQLrX-4XRKUrlozH~vrv922z11kvtaE2MmLrRd5wt54pBKEDo6A4DovyBaUgixbnUgCvhFkPfqMuY8o17oRFzK-uqHzlXY~lbwSsQL13k2IEzHLTk9GwRhO2fSUhEOwJLRuinU2q2qMZ7YJpqgbA~hjPWxjkmYazN9oiBER96UOjZ7QP40xf7jBeLFl8iMGlUAC6~5g4kzu6V9UHqzYMqyo1SgsHCb~B8iwnI~biEbVAnPDLYXbwvepg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kathy Funk Baxter, county finance director, told county commissioners at a budget workshop that the county projects about $2.7 million in residual proceeds from a mental‑behavioral health tax that has since sunset and that staff recommends using those funds to cover portions of the jail’s medical contract for 2026–27.

The residual is “not sufficient to continue a full year of funding for all of the departments” that had been supported by the tax, Baxter said. She said the jail’s medical contract is “well over $2,000,000,” and that applying the residual to the jail’s medical costs would exhaust the funds during 2027.

Why it matters: departments including drug court, mental health court, juvenile services, the clerk’s office, public defender and prosecuting attorney offices, and two behavioral health positions in the sheriff’s office have previously received partial funding from the now‑sunset tax. Commissioners were presented with line‑item estimates and told those departments will need to seek alternative funding or general‑fund support to keep positions whole after the residual is spent.

Discussion and context

Baxter summarized department allocations that had relied on the tax: drug court roughly $470,000; mental health court about $164,000; juvenile services about $148,000; sheriff’s behavioral health positions about $274,000; and portions of positions in the public defender and prosecuting attorney offices. She said some departments had already addressed the shortfall by collapsing vacant positions and shifting funding so individual employees could remain in place.

Sheriff Brad Thurman spoke in favor of keeping the sheriff’s behavioral health unit. “We currently have 2 workers,” Thurman said, and “the cost for going forward is about $254,000 a year for the 2.” He said the unit was originally funded for four staff in 2023, reduced because of attrition and program evaluation, and that the sheriff’s office will present a request in its general budget on the 30th.

Dallas Steeler Grange, program manager for therapeutic courts, explained that drug court handles arrested defendants with drug charges and mental health court serves arrested defendants with a mental health disorder; both tracks require participation by prosecutors and defense counsel and must meet state team composition requirements for those courts.

Next steps and department options

Baxter said the staff recommendation for the workshop was to earmark the remaining tax residual for the jail medical contract for 2026–27. Departments that previously received tax funding will have at least two opportunities to request ongoing support from the general fund: during personnel request hearings and when presenting their departmental budgets. Baxter said those hearings will resume in October (the personnel presentation date was given as Oct. 7), when departments can “speak more to what the person's duties are performing and contributions to the county.”

Commissioners pressed for more granularity on the line items and for comparative data about program outcomes. One commissioner said they have asked for outcome data on drug court previously and had not received it. Dallas Steeler Grange said she would gather program information and that the county’s drug court has been observed by other Washington counties as a model.

What was decided

Staff proposed and commissioners accepted the plan to earmark the residual for jail medical services for 2026–27 and to require affected departments to request continued funding through the normal personnel and budget processes. No formal vote was recorded at the workshop; the proposal was described as the budget direction for the next biennium absent other changes.

Ending

Departments dependent on the sunset tax were instructed to prepare personnel and budget justifications in October if they wish the county to cover those positions with general‑fund dollars after the residual is exhausted. Finance staff will return with more detailed, department‑level breakdowns when requested.","At a county budget workshop, finance staff proposed earmarking the approximately $2.7 million remaining from a sunset mental‑behavioral health sales tax to cover a portion of the jail’s medical contract for 2026–27. Departments that previously used the tax-funded positions were told to present personnel requests for possible general‑fund support.",{"_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},5980874,"County Creates Sheriff Equipment and Technology Fund; Initial Transfer About $932,000, Annual Allocation of ~$330,000 Expected",388,6948000,7336000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5774471-9e8801cbae6d121d2df8690951d1b7f3&start=6948&end=7336","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5774471-9e8801cbae6d121d2df8690951d1b7f3/thumbnail_6948000.jpg","/articles/5980874/Cowlitz-County/Washington/County-Creates-Sheriff-Equipment-and-Technology-Fund-Initial-Transfer-About-932000-Annual-Allocation-of-330000-Expected","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5980874-430e4cf37006b8f3367a605c1f945dc5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557468&Signature=ToIbuzZIv6AisXaj8WA1ppxsinxZ~H-D6EfGjfZbteJlYsfeJAZz8FUr6M26xvZDHmwZHN97j6qz0vrGlfbQD08CpD5T5Bh4BVcpgzR1-YOCeIxdkisrw73WM12MfJ2TdFoYsglSq8Z8XGLylny1X2CJKbWyjDpP35Zs~rAhx~cGpq8QjFUUsvoF0kYSGymNIA5vtghEVtFf7woGySX4zrH~kUapD8CjxOiJ8lksxVLsHKx4QF4TYcKQLBZdhMLwt1~jlDhsPTYLg8sg1GadTHbUB1ytQXtiSUYckDwI9000FCiA29XeJbcFj1IvV92fA7FgyC6txN3PSc58md0AEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County finance staff and sheriff’s office leaders presented a plan at a budget workshop to establish a dedicated sheriff equipment and technology fund that will begin with approximately $932,000 in transferred reserves and carry an annual allocation to support deferred replacement costs.

Initial funding and annual allocation

Kathy Funk Baxter said the fund would start with about $932,000 transferred from IT and motor pool balances. Staff projected an annual cost allocation of roughly $330,000 to cover replacement cycles for radios, mobile data terminals, digital forensics equipment, tasers and other sheriff equipment.

Sheriff office priorities and costs

Troy (sheriff’s staff presenter) explained the fund is intended to smooth replacement of vehicle radios, portable radios and other mission‑critical technology so departments do not need to seek one‑time budget increases when equipment ages. He noted mobile radios and portables were significant line items in the multi‑year projection, and he revised the digital forensics software cost to about $25,000 per year (previously estimated at $5,000). The sheriff’s office said the forensic tools are important for Internet‑crimes investigations and are sometimes shared with neighboring agencies.

Procurement model considerations

Presenters discussed subscription versus upfront purchase models. Staff said buying equipment up front can yield lower total cost if a multi‑year contract is negotiated, but subscription models spread costs into operating budgets; the fund will allow the sheriff’s office to evaluate both approaches and maintain predictable replacement funding.

Next steps

Finance staff said the transfer will be included as a budget amendment in October and the sheriff’s equipment and technology fund will be included in future cost allocation presentations so the department and the commission can review utilization and balances annually.

Ending

Commissioners asked technical questions about interoperability with neighboring jurisdictions and how replacements will be timed with vehicle builds; staff said the fund will centralize planning and smooth those costs over time.","Finance staff described a new sheriff equipment and technology fund that will receive roughly $932,000 transferred from IT and motor pool reserves and will support recurring technology and equipment costs for the sheriff’s office. Staff and the sheriff’s office outlined projected uses and multi‑year replacement cycles.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5980880,"County Sees Large Increases Projected in Insurance Assessments; Risk and Workers’ Comp Costs Rise in Draft Budget",493,5411000,5904000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5774471-9e8801cbae6d121d2df8690951d1b7f3&start=5411&end=5904","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5774471-9e8801cbae6d121d2df8690951d1b7f3/thumbnail_5411000.jpg","/articles/5980880/Cowlitz-County/Washington/County-Sees-Large-Increases-Projected-in-Insurance-Assessments-Risk-and-Workers-Comp-Costs-Rise-in-Draft-Budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5980880-08d25d789e3e2238a2869b856a9255a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557469&Signature=XCTQWqPbmDXl-3Q9dUE-6MqmafN8onfRLjSEVRgcl1hWLT7cL25HywO1Hu5LV0LCnVYM0q7Y3IQqHWEIYHi461quxtBHZktrFRCanW46wQMs2Y0mD2bTEwMHE4wnwBfB7wdlzEHlMQKXZHSVr1naxuJUq2fvhYrZsYewf8CNPcH8p2WkWifFA7NMZM7ZOjjVwwiXsKWbTKFtktiN4oL7E8LjuA3lMQMLUCZfOpNgM5R-eM27m~YedvmO65vKgV5f5cEFMbKsOKQFKB~0HBxHcFCBCTpKjSuldzm4bLYRM-~V9AZrivAwHkZ9Jgic4hMkDH~D3BXeNOFJm5913LoYUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County risk management staff and finance presented draft cost allocations at a budget workshop that assume substantially higher insurance assessments and rising workers’ compensation costs over the next biennium.

Risk assessments and insurance premiums

Staff said the county’s risk pool indicated premium pressure and staff built the draft budget assuming a 25% increase in general liability assessments for 2026 and a 20% increase for 2027. Staff said property and cyber insurance increases were modeled at 10% though final numbers are expected with the risk‑pool quote cycle in October.

Staff told commissioners that liability assessments are changing materially: a historical figure for the county’s MLC/general‑liability assessments rose from about $1.3 million in prior years to a projected $3.1 million for 2027 in the draft. The county also budgets a deductible reserve: staff proposed setting aside about $300,000 to cover the county’s share of deductibles and legal defense costs tied to tort claims; staff cautioned that if the risk pool increases deductibles, that reserve amount would need to grow.

Workers’ compensation (industrial accident)

For workers’ compensation, staff said the allocation is calculated using labor hours by person and risk class, aligning with state Labor and Industries (L&I) classifications. The draft budget includes third‑party administration fees and an excess policy that covers catastrophic payouts once the county’s self‑insured retention is exceeded. Staff cited a supplemental excess layer tied to a $750,000 per‑occurrence threshold (the annual premium for that layer was cited at about $141,000) and said the county has not historically paid to that layer but has active claims that could move toward that level in the future.

Staff also showed workers’ compensation administration and claims trending upward; they said higher medical costs and a few large open claims are driving per‑claim increases.

Next steps and commissioner questions

Commissioners asked for more details from the risk pool and for a workshop with the risk‑pool broker to examine the drivers. Staff said final premium quotes are expected in October and that, once received, the county will have limited options because the current contract cycle requires advance notice to change coverage.

Ending

Risk management staff advised commissioners to expect significant insurance and workers’ compensation budget pressure in the coming biennium and requested further policy discussion when risk pool quotes are received.","Risk management staff told commissioners they built next‑year projections on an assumed 25% rise in general liability assessments and smaller increases in property and cyber premiums; workers’ compensation administration and claims are also projected to rise, and staff flagged uncertainty about deductibles and open claims.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County IT Proposes No Capital Contribution for 2026–27; Reserve Seen as Sufficient but PeopleSoft Replacement Remains Uncertain

County to Earmark Sunset Mental‑Behavioral Health Tax Residual for Jail Medical Contracts; Departments to Seek General‑Fund Backfill

County Creates Sheriff Equipment and Technology Fund; Initial Transfer About $932,000, Annual Allocation of ~$330,000 Expected

County Sees Large Increases Projected in Insurance Assessments; Risk and Workers’ Comp Costs Rise in Draft Budget