Washington State University Extension representatives told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners at a budget workshop that the department’s professional-services memorandum of understanding (MOU) would remain at $55,000 for 2026 and that the overall proposed budget shows a modest net decrease.

The extension’s presentation outlined line-item changes the department proposes for 2026: professional services reduced from $59,007 to $55,000 (a $4,007 decrease), a $25 request for administrative mileage, a roughly $20 increase in leased equipment costs, and a $700 increase in Cougar Cottage water expenses (from $3,800 to $4,500). The presenter said those and other adjustments produce a projected net decrease of $3,262 for the listed line items.

Why it matters: Cowlitz County pays part of the extension’s MOU to support locally based WSU faculty and programs such as the Master Gardener and 4-H activities. Changes to the MOU and small operating lines affect local programming and how much county general fund or assessments support the office.

Extension representative Jennifer Leach said the professional-services reduction followed a review of historical spending and trend analysis: “We did a comparison of what the existing budget is for these line items, and where there’s reductions or where there’s increases. And so overall, we have a decrease in the budget for this particular department.”

Leach and others described personnel and program changes. Gary Frederick, a recently retired faculty member, was noted as not returning to the county position; the extension hopes to fill the role as a half-time master gardener program coordinator under the MOU. Jim Croft, identified as a director of county administration at WSU who joined the meeting remotely, said he supports the proposed budget as presented.

Presenters described an internal WSU effort to “regionalize” some administrative responsibilities so faculty can focus on programming, while the county-supported MOU would continue to fund faculty time. Maintenance staff and county operations were cited as handling day-to-day facility and utility changes at the Cougar Cottage demonstration garden; the presenters said the Cougar Cottage is already metered by the city and that staff estimate conservatively to allow for possible utility rate increases.

The extension also described program activity: roughly 115 Master Gardeners currently volunteer in Cowlitz County and log hours in an online system; volunteers have national background checks and L&I coverage when serving on behalf of WSU in the county.

No formal vote was taken during the presentation. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the MOU, staffing plans and utility responsibility for the demo garden; WSU staff said the MOU request adheres to guidance from WSU administration and that they would continue to coordinate with county maintenance on utility and facility matters.

The county staff and extension agreed to carry the extension’s proposed line items forward in the workshop process for further consideration during final budget adoption.