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Mason County commissioners review 2026 budget draft, propose supplemental appropriations and property-tax options
Summary
Budget staff presented a 2026 draft with a $24 million beginning fund balance, proposed supplemental appropriations including $260,000 for mobile hospital pods, opioid-fund adjustments, and a proposed property-tax resolution option to return $2.16 million to diversion funding; commissioners discussed a five-year plan to avoid layoffs.
County finance staff briefed commissioners on the 2026 budget draft and several supplemental appropriations during the briefing.
Staff reported a $24,000,000 beginning fund balance for the general fund and walked through revenue and expenditure estimates for the coming year, noting conservative sales-tax assumptions and several proposed supplementary items in the packet. Specific supplemental items noted in the briefing included a $260,000 allocation for mobile hospital pods, adjustments to lodging-tax (LTAC) awards, $25,000 added back to the sheriff's opioid allocation (to bring one line to $150,000 total), an additional $175,000 professional-services allocation for North Mason Regional Fire, and a proposed $51,284 increase to public-defense contracts split between misdemeanor and felony contracts.
Staff also described high-level special-fund totals and ending balances included in the packet and said the property-tax-levy hearing was scheduled for the next day. Commissioners asked staff to prepare property-tax-resolutions that would restore $2,160,000 in diversion funding for 2026 so the board could consider that option at the hearing. One commissioner emphasized that returning diversion funds would avoid layoffs and maintain core services; another noted the county should use a five-year planning approach and the option to shift specific projects into alternate funding sources.
Commissioners discussed additional budget prudence measures and asked staff to stage a follow-up on recommendations for roughly $3 million in adjustments to improve multi-year financial sustainability. Staff said they could prepare several property-tax options and bring revised resolutions to the next day’s hearing and to December 1 adoption if the board chooses.
No final adoption occurred at the briefing; staff will prepare revised resolutions and the packet updates requested by commissioners.
