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Prosecuting attorney’s office outlines 2026 budget changes; proposes temporary transfers to cover shortfalls
Summary
At a county budget workshop prosecutors presented line-item adjustments, cited trial-driven cost pressures and proposed limited use of drug-fund reserves to offset near-term needs; commissioners asked for revenue/expense totals and constrained increases.
Ryan (Prosecuting Attorney presenter) took the Board of Commissioners through proposed line-item adjustments to the prosecutor's 2026 budget at Monday’s workshop, highlighting both reductions and increases linked to court activity and professional services.
Ryan said cell-phone charges and some gas costs were reduced after equipment and usage estimates were adjusted, while dues and subscriptions rose because of Westlaw and other legal research subscriptions. He flagged a $10,000 increase in professional and contract services largely driven by court-related costs such as process servers, transcribing and expert witness fees for trials.
The office proposed using a portion of the office’s drug-fund balance—$25,000 a year for a limited period—to help offset gaps tied to mental-health sales-tax funding that previously supported related services. Ryan said the fund balance was projected to be about $220,000 in 2026 after a planned transfer. The prosecutor’s general-fund request for 2026 showed a reduction of $74,000 compared with the prior approved amount ("For our prosecuting attorney general fund, 25 approved was 3.483, and 26 request shows 3.409. So a reduction of 74,000," Ryan said).
Commissioners asked for more detail on some large-percentage changes in individual line items (dues/subscriptions, professional and contract services, meals and lodging). Ryan explained the office’s spending fluctuates with trial volume—citing a recent run of homicide trials that increased subpoena, expert witness and transcription costs—and that some increases reflect a return to pre-pandemic levels of court activity.
The prosecutor’s office also discussed training obligations: attorneys must report continuing legal education credits, and some travel, hotel and meal costs are tied to WAPA (Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys) conferences that satisfy required hours.
Ryan and commissioners discussed long-term funding options for positions previously supported by the behavioral-health sales tax; commissioners suggested staff continue to explore opioid-settlement or general-fund support in future budgets. The board requested more complete revenue-versus-expense totals for the next meeting and more documentation on the drug-fund transfer plan.
Ending: The board accepted the presentation for workshop review and directed staff to return with clarified revenue totals and supporting documentation for proposed transfers; no formal budget amendments were adopted at the workshop.
