Parks staff reports cash‑to‑card transition, revenue shortfall and plans to seek marketing grants; budget hearing set for Oct. 23

County parks staff reported to the Clallam County Parks Advisory Board on Tuesday that the department has substantially reduced on‑site cash holdings while preparing for a full transition to noncash payments and that camping revenue is trailing the adopted budget for 2025. Why it matters: Park fee collection and capital funds affect maintenance, safety projects and planned river‑trail improvements; the board and public sought clarity about where capital project requests will appear in the county budget. Staff told the board the department has removed “well over $160,000 in cash” from park kiosks over roughly 90 days and that from June 1 through Aug. 31 the parks collected approximately $40,000 in cash receipts. Staff said the county will continue limited cash acceptance through a planned cutoff; staff stated a hard deadline of Dec. 31, 2026, after which parks will not accept cash for reservations. On revenue performance, staff reported that year‑to‑date camping revenue for 2025 is about $668,000 against a budget of $899,000, or roughly 64% of the budgeted total. The parks capital improvement fund has collected approximately $95,000 against a $147,000 target (about 64% of that budget line), staff said. Regarding grants and marketing, staff said the State tourism grant program has reduced funding this year and there are no state tourism grant awards. Staff said they will apply to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) for marketing funds to support parks marketing — brochures, signage and promotion — and will also pursue other grant avenues. Board members and a public commenter asked how citizens can support river‑trail project funding; staff said the department’s first round of budget discussions with county finance and the commissioners will occur at a public meeting on Oct. 23 at 8 a.m. Staff encouraged public attendance and said written comments and testimony to the commissioners are appropriate ways to convey support for specific capital items. Board members also discussed operational issues related to reservations: staff described a policy that reserved sites are released after a noon no‑show on the second day of a multi‑day reservation and said managers can accept cash on site today (while the transition continues) but should follow the department’s directions about occupancy management and first‑come/first‑serve decisions.