Commissioners approve $50,000 preliminary allocation for Upper Kittitas County Senior Center

Kittitas County commissioners agreed to include a $50,000 preliminary allocation for the Upper Kittitas County Senior Center in the countyfs 2026 budget, a $10,000 increase from the centerfs prior-year request.

Lori Devon, the senior centerfs representative, told the board the additional $10,000 "will be used in the general operating budget." She said the center does not expect an additional contribution from the city of Cle Elum this year; "They contributed 10,000" last year, Devon said. "If we didn't receive it, we would expect to start the 2026 year with a budget gap ... we would dive into our reserves to make up any gap."

Bob McGinnis, board president for the senior center, accompanied Devon to the meeting. Commissioners discussed the request briefly during the citizen-comments portion and then signaled approval to include the increase in the preliminary budget. One commissioner stated, "So I guess the decision is to go ahead and move forward with an approval of their budget." No roll-call vote or formal tally was recorded in the transcript.

The senior center said the requested funds are for general operations rather than a specific capital purchase or program expansion. Devon noted the center has started recent years with a budget gap and has used reserves to bridge shortfalls.

The boardfs action places the $50,000 figure in the countyfs preliminary numbers; commissioners noted that including it in preliminary figures does not by itself resolve the countyfs broader budget deficit. The county staff presentation during the meeting addressed the general fund shortfall and other department requests.

The county did not record a formal motion maker or a vote tally in the transcript for this item. The discussion indicated the boardfs intent to fund the center in the preliminary budget and to finalize funding sources as the budget process continues.

Looking ahead, any final appropriations for the senior center will be set during later budget steps when the board assigns funding sources and adopts a final budget.