Clallam County commissioners on Sept. 16 approved notices for budget revisions and supplemental appropriations and voted unanimously to call a public hearing for Sept. 30 to consider five debatable emergencies affecting multiple county departments.

The board approved a notice that a budget revision for the Department of Health and Human Services (Environmental Health) will be considered Sept. 30. That revision reallocates $20,510 from personnel and benefits into on‑site septic incentives and operating supplies.

The board also approved notices for five supplemental appropriations to be considered at the Sept. 30 meeting: juvenile services ($35,000), health and human services (homelessness funding, $475,541), Superior Court ($39,000), auditor (unbudgeted election costs, $59,956) and Community Development/Environmental Quality (North Olympic Lead Entity support, $9,000). The homelessness item includes recording‑fee replacement funds and a consolidated homelessness pass‑through to Serenity House, the county’s shelter provider.

Most consequential, the board adopted a resolution calling a Sept. 30 hearing to consider five debatable emergencies and associated transfers: a human‑resources need of $135,000 for higher legal and disability‑retirement costs; a parks and facilities real‑estate‑excise‑tax (REET) request of $625,000 to purchase property adjacent to the joint public‑safety facility to secure right‑of‑way access and future county use; a transfer from general‑fund reserves of $82,531 to cover higher costs in the Clallam Bay sewer operation; a matching $82,531 supplemental appropriation to the Clallam Bay CQ sewer fund itself; and $112,000 to cover courthouse security personnel costs through the remainder of the year.

Why it matters: The REET request is directly tied to the joint public‑safety facility discussed separately at the meeting; county staff said the parcel will secure a driveway connection and address addressing/access issues for the new facility. The sheriff/jail emergency funding reflects a transition: as hiring fills vacant sheriff‑corrections positions, prior payroll underspends that temporarily covered outside security personnel no longer fully pay the contractor. County staff said the transfer will fund outside security while deputies complete training and the county plans longer‑term staffing changes.

Votes and next steps: Commissioners moved and seconded the notices and the resolution calling for the hearing; all motions passed by voice vote. The hearing on the debatable emergencies and the list of supplemental appropriations is set for Sept. 30 at 10:38 a.m., when the board will consider adopting the reported changes.

Public comment: Multiple public commenters raised concerns during the meeting about county responsiveness on other issues (road relocation and marine‑resources advice, Dungeness River representation, courthouse security contracts and the public‑safety site property). County staff responded to questions about the REET purchase procedure and said the board previously conducted a special meeting that authorized making an offer on the parcel and holding the documents if the offer was accepted.

Ending: Notices and a hearing were set to allow public input and formal adoption of the supplemental appropriations and emergency transfers at the Sept. 30 meeting.