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Commissioners approve revised 2026'2027 budget calendar as county confronts multi-million-dollar general fund gap
Summary
The board voted to approve a revised 2026-2027 budget development calendar and delegated limited authority to the county manager, after budget staff reported a structural general fund gap driven by revenue shortfalls and upcoming cost pressures including the public defense projections and ratified labor agreements.
Thurston County budget staff told commissioners on Aug. 13 that the county faces a structural general fund shortfall driven by weaker-than-expected revenue performance and rising expenditure pressures, and the board approved a revised budget development calendar to guide planning for the 2026'2027 biennium.
Budget presentation highlights: Summer Miller, budget and finance manager, said the county's adopted 2025 expenditure budget exceeds anticipated revenues by approximately $22 million as of Amendment 2, creating a structural deficit. The team presented a five-year fund-balance forecast and said conservative revenue assumptions and several known expenditure drivers are worsening the outlook for 2026 and 2027.
Specific drivers cited by staff included lower-than-projected property- and sales-tax receipts, one-time revenues in prior years…
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