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Walla Walla County commissioners direct departments to model 5%–7.5% cuts, signal intent to take full levy capacity
Summary
Facing a roughly $5.4 million shortfall in the 2026 current‑expense budget, commissioners asked departments to return estimates for 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% reductions and requested a furlough-savings analysis; several commissioners said they intend to take the county's available 1% levy and bank capacity to avoid long-term revenue loss.
Walla Walla County commissioners on Monday directed county offices to prepare specific reduction plans after staff said the county faces about a $5.4 million shortfall in its 2026 current‑expense budget.
County finance staff told the board the gap could be reduced by roughly $1.4 million through transfers and savings from frozen positions, leaving roughly $4.0 million to resolve. Commissioners asked departments and offices to return estimates showing what cuts of 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% would look like, and asked Human Resources and finance to provide an analysis of furlough savings and the distributional impact of any personnel reductions.
The board's discussion covered a range of options: additional hiring freezes, targeted reductions in larger staffs, furloughs and incremental levy decisions. Commissioners repeatedly noted the county has limited revenue options and that not taking available levy capacity compounds losses year over year. Treasurer and assessor staff explained how three local tax-increment financing (TIF) areas reduce the county's banked levy capacity by holding some assessed‑value growth inside the TIF districts; county staff said the bank capacity available this year is roughly $80,000.
"If you don't take it this year, you don't take it back," the county treasurer told the board while explaining the long-term compounding effect of skipping annual levy capacity. Several commissioners said they planned to take the full 1% levy plus available bank capacity at the upcoming public hearing to avoid permanently losing that authority.
The board also heard a separate request by Public Works seeking a 2.5% roads levy increase to shore up the department's revenue amid declining state fuel tax receipts and rising material and equipment costs; commissioners indicated support to present 2.5% as the department's recommendation at next week's public hearing.
The board did not adopt final budget measures Monday. Staff will circulate guidance to departments and prepare levy worksheets for the hearing the commissioners set to meet the statutory timeline. Commissioners said they expect to weigh department proposals, union contract outcomes and the public hearing record before taking final votes on the 2026 budget.
What's next: departments must return the three modeled reduction scenarios and a furlough analysis on a schedule set by county finance ahead of the public budget hearing.
