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Thurston County assessor says office is understaffed, asks board to reflect mailing funding in adopted budget
Summary
Assessor Stephen Drew told the board his office lacks the full FTE authority shown in the packet, asked the county to correct a budget artifact and to include a prior-approved $53,000 annual mailing amount the office needs to meet statutory duties.
Assessor Stephen Drew told commissioners the version of the budget before the board lists 32 full-time equivalent positions for his office but that his office has authority for, and currently employs, 31 FTEs. He called an approximately $100,000 artifact in the packet a mistake that should be corrected and asked that a previously approved annual mailing funding amount of roughly $53,000 be reflected in the adopted budget.
"The budget before you reflects 32 FTEs, but we don't in fact have 32 FTEs," Drew said, adding that his office does not have authority to fill an additional FTE shown in the packet. He said many of the assessor's duties are statutorily required and that recent expansions of programs such as the senior exemption will increase workload.
Drew said the office is pursuing software and automation consistent with anticipated legislation that will allow some processes to be automated, but he emphasized that software will not entirely substitute for staff in the near term. "They aren't" (referring to having enough staff), he said.
Drew urged the board to ensure that the final adopted budget reflects prior budget amendments and staffing priorities, particularly for positions removed in prior budget cycles.
