Clallam County projects $1.9 million general‑fund shortfall; board weighs one‑time fixes, hiring review and modest levy

Commissioner Mike French, chair of the Board of Clallam County Commissioners, opened a budget town hall saying the meeting would cover the county’s six‑year transportation improvement program and the proposed 2026 general fund budget.

County Administrator Milkey said the discussion would focus on the general fund — the account that pays day‑to‑day county operations — and described the county’s revenue constraints, noting more than half of Clallam County land is federal or state owned and therefore not on the property‑tax rolls. “When your number‑one tax source is very limited compared to other counties,” Milkey said, “that means you rely more on sales tax and timber revenues.”

Chief Financial Officer Mark Lane presented the numbers the administration used to build the recommended budget. Lane said departments initially reported a $3,258,000 funding gap; finance and departments identified $2,362,000 in net reductions (about $796,000 in revenue gains and $1,566,000 in expenditure reductions), bringing the deficit to roughly $1.9 million. Lane said the 2026 general‑fund revenue is budgeted at about $55.7 million and expenditures at about $58.2 million.

Officials identified the principal pressures on the budget: personnel (about 71% of…