Pam Rushton, Clallam County assessor, told commissioners her office cannot absorb further reductions without degrading mandated services and risking revenue collection.

Rushton said the assessor's office is nearly fully funded by the general fund and cannot generate fees to replace staff. She corrected one staffing figure in the packet (17.25 FTEs, not 17.75) and said another 7% reduction would eliminate two FTEs in her office. Rushton said several functions have “single points of destruction” — employees with unique technical skills such as mapping and levy calculations — and that losing those people would create errors that reduce the money collected by taxing districts.

Why it matters: The assessor’s office sets valuations and levies that determine tax collections across all local taxing districts. Rushton warned that if required statutory deadlines or processes are missed, the county and its taxing districts could lose revenue that is not recoverable.

Details Rushton provided:
- Technology and staffing: Rushton said recent technology purchases — EagleView, CycloMedia and other tools — have allowed the office to do more work in the office and delay hiring. She said cutting those services would increase field time, travel costs and the need for additional staff.
- Single‑point risks: Rushton highlighted roles held by long‑tenured staff (mapping and levy work) and warned that the county would be vulnerable if those staff left; she described loss of levy expertise as particularly disruptive because levies determine funding for other districts.
- Mandates and audits: Rushton said many required audits (forest, agriculture, open space) are not up to date because of limited capacity; further cuts would eliminate those functions completely.

Rushton urged commissioners to consider asking the public for additional funding and said that her office’s work is largely mandated by state law and not easily shifted to fee‑based revenue.