Clallam County Parks staff presented high-level staffing and operations and maintenance (O&M) budget trends dating from 2015 through 2025 and said county leadership wants to shift budgeting from an annual focus to a three- to four-year strategic outlook.

Staff said full-time-equivalent (FTE) staffing for parks and facilities increased from about 16.42 FTE in 2015 to roughly 20.54 FTE in recent years; seasonal staff were not included in that count. Operations and maintenance budgets for parks-and-facilities rose over the same period. Staff noted that budgets for parks are aggregated with facilities, making it difficult for external audiences to parse exactly how much is spent solely on parks versus facilities.

Board members asked for clearer, more accessible breakdowns and asked staff to provide links to public budget documents. Staff said they can report labor hours, wage and benefit allocations, and project-level spending by park; they also noted some expense lines are budget-flexible and money can be moved within categories. Staff said a forthcoming consultant for the parks master plan will analyze what residents are getting for their dollars and that staff-prepared reports will support that work.

Members debated whether the county had added or shifted personnel responsibilities over time, with staff clarifying organizational changes (creation of deputy director, reassignment of duties) and noting that aggregate FTE counts do not reflect whether work is dedicated primarily to parks or facilities. No formal policy or budget adjustment was decided at the meeting; staff will provide follow-up data visualizations and links for board review.