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Cowlitz County treasurer outlines three funds, flags interest gains and staffing changes
Summary
County finance staff reviewed the treasurer’s general, operations & maintenance, and investment funds, citing unbooked year-end interest and a fair-market-value adjustment likely to boost revenues and a planned personnel move into the investment fund in 2026.
Sean, finance director, briefed the board on the treasurer’s office budget and three funds: the general fund, the treasurer operations & maintenance fund, and the investment pool. He told commissioners the office had “brought about 2.1 of 2.3” (tax collections) and expects roughly $140,000 more in accruals that will align revenues with expectations.
Treasury staff explained that year-end interest earnings and a fair-market-value adjustment are material to the general fund. Staff said a previously unbooked final interest earning will add about $150,000, and that the fair-market-value adjustment was about $404,000 in 2024 and is expected to be similar for 2025, which together should push revenues above budget.
On expenditures, Sean said the general fund had limited remaining flexibility: supplies were about $16,000 of a $20,500 budget (roughly $11,300 for property tax mailings), and services were roughly $26,609 of a $140,000 allocation, including $82,000 in internal service charges and $28,000 for postage. Staff said they will present a more granular breakout of large “miscellaneous” lines (investment earnings and delinquent-tax interest) going forward.
For the treasurer O&M fund, staff reported variable revenues tied to foreclosure-related fees. The office described steps to reduce foreclosure activity by contacting delinquent taxpayers, offering payment plans and referring state deferral programs; staff said that outreach has reduced the number of properties reaching foreclosure.
Treasury staff estimated about 90–100 tax-title properties are currently held in trust by the county. They said staff are reviewing older parcels to verify tax-title status and to determine whether parcels are right-of-way, tiny remnant lots, or otherwise unsuited for immediate sale.
On the investment pool (fund 14501), staff said revenues taken from participant fees fund pool activities and that the fund’s cash balance was about $31,000 at the time of reporting. Staff noted they will stop transferring personnel costs into other funds in 2026 and instead charge personnel directly to the investment fund. The pool’s total assets were described as about $415,000,000, with interest earnings reported at 4.17% compared with the state Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) at 3.87%.
The presentation closed with staff offering to return with more granular revenue reporting and commissioners thanking staff. No formal vote or action was recorded in the public transcript.
