Thurston County road fund faces multi‑year shortfall; officials outline cuts, unfunded positions and options to slow decline

Thurston County public works and budget staff told commissioners Wednesday that the county’s road fund faces a multi‑year structural shortfall, driven by rising construction and materials costs, flat or declining fuel‑tax revenue and legislative shifts that have moved road levy dollars into the general fund.

Public Works Director Sharon Luis and Summer Miller, budget and finance manager in the commissioners’ office, presented a 10‑year outlook showing the road fund’s revenue falling short of projected expenses if current levy‑shift levels continue. “We are shifting and diverting 24% of the available road levy,” Luis said, summarizing the combined levy shift and a $1.5 million diversion earmarked for traffic enforcement. She noted the county is among the top four of Washington’s 39 counties in the share of its road levy shifted or diverted to other purposes.

Staff reported inflation‑driven cost increases across maintenance work: a 51% rise…