The Washington County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt the county’s 2026 budget at its meeting after a lengthy public hearing and extended debate among supervisors and residents.

The board’s budget officer, who described resolution 304 as the motion to adopt the budget, told citizens that adopted amendments become part of the tentative budget and that, if no budget is adopted by Dec. 20, the tentative budget becomes final under county law. "As you can see right now, resolution 304 is to adopt the budget," he said during the public notice and overview of the process.

The hearing drew a steady stream of speakers who warned that the proposed plan — which supervisors described during debate as a difficult compromise to preserve services — would hurt workers and vulnerable residents if layoffs proceed. Michelle Atwood, reading a prepared statement for Will Lennon, said the county faces a sharp decline in childcare assistance: "This means that 145 families who live in Washington County will have no child care assistance." Shirley Kuneen, a Department of Social Services employee, asked the board to consider the human impact of staff demotions and layoffs: "Losing experienced staff weakens our ability to meet the needs of the community," she said. Public works employee John Waters said cuts would reduce capacity to complete town and county projects and urged reconsideration.

Speakers from labor organizations pressed supervisors to avoid layoffs. Mackenzie Lawrence, a labor relations specialist for CSEA, said the county has run deficits in prior years and urged supervisors not to "pass the buck" by laying off staff. Shauna Davis, CSEA Capital Region president, said cutting county employees would harm vulnerable residents who rely on the county’s services.

Board members debated the trade-offs in public. Supporters of the motion argued that the package — though unpopular — was the most viable path to fiscal stability in the near term. "Despite the fact that we still don't like the rate of increase, I'm gonna have to vote yes because I think it's the best compromise we have right now to all the competing interests that we've heard from," one supervisor said. Those opposed urged more time to seek alternatives to layoffs and more scrutiny of department spending and health insurance costs.

Several supervisors and public speakers raised health insurance, retirement and personnel growth as drivers of long-term cost increases. Mark Harwood presented a decade‑long review of department salary and benefit lines, arguing the county had added staffing beyond what population trends justify. Residents also pressed the board on potential lost sales tax in an industrial park, the impact of solar leases on farmland, and county code enforcement performance.

The board proceeded to roll-call votes on a slate of budget amendments and finally on resolution 304 to adopt the 2026 budget. The chair announced, "Resolution is adopted," and the board recessed until Dec. 19. The transcript records the roll-call vote and associated discussion; the publicly available meeting video and minutes will record the final tallies and the formal list of adopted amendments.

What happens next: The board’s action moves the county toward implementing the approved appropriations, and supervisors said they plan continued oversight and follow-up work over the coming year to reduce the likelihood of future large increases. The board recessed to Dec. 19 for any further business and follow-up.