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Tenino council confronts $1 million shortfall, debates sheriff’s contract; adopts resolution to protect police funding
Summary
At a Oct. 22 budget workshop, Tenino leaders reviewed a draft 2025 budget showing roughly $800,000 in unresolved shortfalls, heard Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders present two contract options (about $260,000–$300,000/year), and adopted a resolution barring cuts to police funding below 2024 levels amid strong public opposition to reducing local policing.
Tenino’s City Council spent its Oct. 22 meeting wrestling with a deep budget hole and whether to pursue a county contract for police services.
Mayor Watterson opened a budget workshop showing an early 2025 draft that, before some items are added, projects roughly $1.8 million in revenues but still leaves about $800,000 in unresolved deficits when one‑time grants and loan paybacks are included. The mayor told the council the city had borrowed roughly $1.3 million in recent years to cover cash‑flow and capital timing and that the city had just begun to receive some state reimbursements that would help chip away at that borrowing.
The council then heard a presentation from Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, who said he was “neutral” about Tenino’s choice and offered two rough contract options his office had modeled from Rainier’s deal. Sanders said the basic option — a deputy split between Tenino and neighboring Bukoda with daytime coverage — would cost about $260,000 a year, while a package that includes a full‑time school resource officer would start near $300,000 with a 2% annual escalator. “This is literally a math problem,” Sanders said, describing how his office extrapolated Rainier’s contract costs to Tenino’s population.
Police Chief Robert Autor told the council contracting would change the character and level of local service. “The net result is going to be a decrease in police services in the city of Tenino,” he said, warning the council that the sheriff’s proposal would deliver a different product than Tenino’s current department and stressing long‑term concerns about cost control and continuity.
Residents who spoke during public comment urged the council to keep Tenino’s locally based department. Divina Sanchez told the council the presence of a local resource officer mattered to parents: “Fewer officers mean a slower response time,” she said. Gavin Strong said of the current force, “I feel safe knowing that my kid’s not gonna get taken.”
Councilmembers debated immediate options to close the budget gap, including further cuts, additional revenue measures and grant‑seeking. The police chief and others urged the council to pursue grants and a professional grant writer; the chief said the department had cut roughly $70,000 from its proposed 2025 spending and expected additional revenues from a school resource officer contract and an anticipated public‑safety sales tax allocation.
After discussion, the council passed a resolution stating it will not accept a mayoral budget that reduces funding for the Tenino Police Department below 2024 levels. The resolution passed by voice vote with at least one recorded nay. Council members said the action was intended to protect current police staffing while the city pursues a longer‑term plan to balance the budget.
Next steps: the mayor said staff will circulate appraisals, continue work on the audit and present a budget workshop for the public early next month; he also proposed hiring a budget and fiscal analyst (funded from his mayoral stipend) to help craft multi‑year solutions.
