Walla Walla County commissioners briefed on sweeping state budget moves, courthouse funds and proposals affecting dispatch and roads

Commissioner Gunnar Fulmer delivered a 40-minute legislative update Monday that highlighted several bills and budget moves at the state level the county is tracking as the 2025 session moves toward adjournment.

Fulmer said Walla Walla County remains listed in the Senate capital budget for the 2025–2027 biennium as a recipient for courthouse funding and quoted the draft allocation as $1.996 million. He cautioned that the allocation is not final while the House and Senate reconcile their budgets: "We're not completely out of the budgetary roll yet though...there's always a chance that it could get cut," he said.

The update covered bills and funding proposals commissioners said could affect county roads and services. Fulmer noted a substantial salmon and steelhead restoration package (Senate Bill 5804) that would redirect some public-works assistance revenues and warned that counties and cities are opposing moves that would sweep money out of the Public Works Assistance account. He said the Senate proposal would sweep about $165 million from the fund in fiscal 2026 and the House alternative would sweep about $288 million, numbers he described as a potential “drastic” reduction in funds used on roads.

The board also heard that Senate Bill 5558, which extends Growth Management Act comprehensive-plan deadlines for several counties, passed both chambers; the new deadline in the bill would move Walla Walla County’s comprehensive-plan deadline to Dec. 31, 2026.

Public-safety funding and training were recurring themes. Fulmer said proposals to fund law enforcement grants have shrunk from an initial $100 million request to about $25 million in some proposals and flagged reductions to the Criminal Justice Training Commission budget, including fewer Basic Law Enforcement Academy classes and a restored 25% local cost share. "They want to raise the number of officers but they're cutting the programs that train them," he said.

Fulmer and commissioners discussed House Bill 1811, which supports co-responder and community paramedic programs. He noted Walla Walla’s community paramedic program is one of the more established in the state and that the county will push to allow nurses in some co-responder roles under a medical program director. "Nurses bring a certain set of skills that paramedics don't have," he said, adding the county will work with the University of Washington School of Social Work and the bill sponsors on amendments.

The update included a development that could affect the county’s dispatch revenue: amended House Bill 1258 would provide funding for municipalities participating in regional 9-1-1 systems but also would require counties that transfer calls to another jurisdiction to share some of their dispatch revenue. Fulmer warned this provision could require Walla Walla County to transfer a portion of its dispatch funding to Franklin County for areas that dispatch there, which, he said, "would be a pretty decent hit on the budget for our dispatch center."

Commissioners asked clarifying questions and emphasized the county’s role was primarily to monitor bills and evaluate local impacts rather than take formal stances; Fulmer said the Washington Association of Counties and other associations set many formal positions. Commissioner Todd L. Kimball and Commissioner Bertha J. Clayton both added brief observations: Kimball noted how proposals to cap rent increases and other housing measures have trade-offs for development, and Clayton underscored local impacts on property-tax payers.

Why it matters: Several of the proposals Fulmer summarized would change how state funds flow to counties and cities, with direct implications for road maintenance, 9-1-1 operations and public-safety staffing. The county will continue monitoring bills and potential budget shifts while Fulmer and staff remain engaged with the legislative process.

Background: Fulmer described the county’s active presence in Olympia this session and reminded the board that final budget and policy outcomes will not be certain until both chambers conclude their work.