Skamania County adopts supplemental budget, postpones jail and E911 funding

The Skamania County Board of Commissioners on April 29, 2025, adopted Resolution 2025-07, Supplemental Budget No. 2 for the 2025 budget, approving several fund adjustments but removing three requests — $67,501.40 for the jail, $3,421.67 for the jail work crew and $19,488.20 for the E911 fund — for later consideration.

Heidi, finance staff, told commissioners the package included multiple departments' requests and highlighted three current-expense items that lacked offsetting revenue. “The top number on the yellow box at the top is our running year to date total for all requests from current expense that do not have the offsetting revenues,” Heidi said while presenting the staff report.

The board’s discussion centered on uncertainty in several departments’ payroll and contract obligations. Angie, representing the coroner’s office, told the board that the office exceeded its Clark County Medical Examiner contract in 2024 and is carrying an outstanding bill of about $29,000. “So, Adam, unfortunately, experienced a large number of odd requested autopsies, in 2024. So went over the contracted amount. So I have a $29,000 bill I have to pay,” Angie said, adding that the county’s contracted payment for 2025 is due in July and is about $28,000.

Commissioners also discussed the sheriff’s office, which staff said is experiencing higher overtime tied to medical leave and wage increases from recently concluded contract negotiations. Heidi told the board that those negotiated increases were not known at the time the 2025 budget was prepared and that some departments may need supplemental requests later in the year. The board debated whether to approve the jail and E911 supplementals now or wait for firmer year-to-date figures; several commissioners favored waiting to see how revenues and expenditures develop.

Commissioner (unnamed) moved to adopt Resolution 2025-07, Supplemental Budget No. 2, with the jail ($67,501.40), jail work crew ($3,421.67) and E911 ($19,488.20) requests removed from the resolution. Commissioner (unnamed 2) seconded the motion. The motion passed on a voice vote and was recorded as adopted. The board said there was no written or oral public testimony submitted for the hearing.

The board’s action approves the supplemental budget items included in the resolution while explicitly excluding the three requests; staff and the affected departments will continue to monitor expenditures and may return with additional supplemental requests later in the year if needed. The county’s coroner’s office and sheriff’s office will continue to track contract and overtime impacts so the commissioners can consider accurate figures before authorizing additional expenditure authority.

No further public testimony was offered and the board adjourned the meeting.