The Clallam Marine Resources Committee heard that state and regional funding that flows through the Northwest Straits Commission and the Puget Sound Partnership is uncertain, and committee leaders asked members to rank projects so staff can prioritize work if allocations are reduced.

Vice Chair Alan Clark and Northwest Straits staff told members that some EPA-funded flows through the Puget Sound Partnership are continuing, but other parts of the commission’s budget remain in limbo. Staff said the commission is exploring reallocation of unused MRC funds from across regions to cover critical work if some MRCs cannot use their full awards.

Clallam MRC staff explained that personnel costs constitute a large share of the local budget and that a full-time equivalent (FTE) position with benefits is roughly $100,000. The manager said she has moved into the manager role and the county is processing recruitment for a Bio 2 classification for the project coordinator; she noted county budget work is due quickly. MRC staff asked members to indicate top projects (suggested top three) via a polling or ranking mechanism so staff know which projects to prioritize if funding is reduced.

Northwest Straits staff, Sasha Horst, told members prioritization deadlines are flexible, and that staff will continue to collect responses and help MRCs plan for potential cuts. The meeting noted a project deadline for revised budgets reported in the meeting as "the 28th"; staff said there is some flexibility on final project prioritization but that county budget submissions are imminent.

Members discussed specific projects that might be deprioritized or removed from an MRC funding list if external grants are awarded or if commission funding is reduced, including debris removal, Santa Claus/Elwha beach work (application submitted to the Strait ERN), kelp and forage-fish monitoring, and outreach/education tasks tied to recent fuel spills. The committee agreed to circulate a ranking poll to members and to average rankings to determine priority order.

No formal motions or votes were recorded; staff described next steps as staff-led budget rework and member-submitted project rankings. The manager and staff will revise the budget for county submission and report back to members.