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Finance director outlines May 27 budget amendments including sheriff, courts, coroner and Hall of Justice cafe support
Summary
Finance Director Kathy Funk Baxter told commissioners she will present a package of budget amendments on May 27 that, taken together, decrease the general fund by $298,847 and reallocate funds for court security, coroner cameras, museum sign repairs and the Hall of Justice cafe.
Finance Director Kathy Funk Baxter outlined a package of budget amendments county staff plan to place on the May 27 agenda, including department-specific increases, revenue adjustments and fund transfers.
Funk Baxter said the aggregate effect on the general fund after adjustments would be a decrease of $298,847. Major items include a request from Superior Court for additional security at the jail-courthouse interface (about $42,000) and an alarm system for evidence rooms (about $13,000). The court also needs $72,005.79 for IT equipment replacement that was not included in the original budget. "At the time we did the budget, we weren't sure if they were gonna maintain their own equipment replacement account, so we didn't include it in the original budget," Funk Baxter said.
The coroner requested approximately $46,000 for interior and exterior camera equipment, which finance staff said will integrate with the county’s existing video-software system. The county museum requested about $22,000 to repair its Allen Street sign, which has been inoperable for more than six months.
Funk Baxter said the Hall of Justice cafe required supplemental support because start-up operations produced unanticipated costs; staff have reduced hours to control expenses and will present a financial update after two months of operation. She also described a transfer of ARPA funds to cover a Parks striping and related project that was originally budgeted but required an additional $29,000 to complete.
Other adjustments include small PO and copier-lease corrections, a decision not to transfer $38,099 in administrative costs to the veterans fund (to be covered by fund earnings), and a proposed dissolution of an outdated purchasing fund that previously held a petty-cash account. Funk Baxter said the sheriff’s department will also draw $491,510 from an equipment-replacement fund to purchase rugged laptops previously unaccounted for in IT planning.
Funk Baxter said health and human-services grant funds will be reallocated within special-revenue funds to match incoming Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) grants, and that the Office of Public Defense has a new contract item (legal interns) that increases both expenses and offsetting revenue. The full set of amendments and supporting documents will be included in the May 27 agenda packet for the commissioners’ formal consideration.
