County 2025 budget takes shape

Commissioners continued to make progress on the 2025 county budget, with an estimated Jan. 1 beginning fund balance of $26.5 million, revenues at $43.9 million for a total beginning balance of $70.4 million for maintenance level, according to an Oct. 22 workshop.

Department heads put in requests for funds and now it’s up to commissioners to decide what the county can afford.

All three commissioners gave thumbs-down to creating new staff positions and nixed advanced requests for overtime.

When commissioners see hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime requests, “That speaks to some management discussions,” Commissioner Kevin Shutty said.

Commissioners Randy Neatherlin and Sharon Trask agreed.

Overtime will not be added as a line item for departments in the 2025 budget right now, they said.

“If they have overtime requests, they can bring it to us during the year as it becomes necessary,” Neatherlin said.

The Mason County Sheriff’s Office had the largest request for overtime, according to the draft budget.

A $173,000 patrol overtime request was based on a three-year average and includes mandatory Criminal Justice Training Commission training for patrol tactics by 1/3 of deputies every year, according to budget documents.

Requested patrol holiday overtime at $70,000 was also based on a three-year average.

Commissioners again asked Budget and Finance Manager Jennifer Beierle to remove those overtime requests from the budget, but clarified it wasn’t a blanket denial.

MCSO can come back and ask for overtime money when they need it, commissioners said.

One overtime request from District Court was unavoidable.

The court asked for $20,000 in overtime to implement a new case management system in 2025.

Mason County Administrator Mark Neary said the training couldn’t happen on a normal workday and employees would need to be trained on the weekends.

Neatherlin said he wanted to make sure it was a “one time expenditure. Not a line item that stays in there.”

Commissioners approved a one-time expenditure of $10,000 in overtime for the training and said the court could request more money in a supplemental budget, if needed.

Trask wanted to postpone any new full-time position decisions until the commissioners reviewed all other requests.

All three commissioners agreed to remove budget requests for additional employees and revisit the “asks” later in the budgeting process.

Many departments told the county they needed additional help.

Parks and Trails got $13,245 for additional summer help, but was denied an $80,000 Maintenance II position for now.

The Auditor’s Office wanted to add a chief deputy auditor and remove the elections administrator position.

The chief deputy would cost $128,903 and $127,910 would be removed from administrator cost.

“It’s a one for one instead of creating a new position,” Mark Neary said.

Shutty said he was not supportive.

“I think there are higher priorities,” he said.

Commissioners supported two part-time position requests from Juvenile Court Services with no benefits at $46,576 each with the removal of $53,000 budgeted for extra help, for a net of $40,152.

“Of all the requests for positions, I think that this one is more important. Just because it’s the kids that are in our facilities that need this help along with those that are working there,” Trask said.

MCSO requested four new full-time employees.

The highest priority is a deputy in the civil division for $121,275.

“If we get that position, that new FTE, that allows us to take the current person we have in there and put them back on patrol, Chief Deputy of Operations Jason Dracobly told commissioners at a previous budget workshop.

A ProAct sergeant, who would target criminals instead of responding to 911 calls, at $155,100, an administrative lieutenant at $129,360 and a jail transport sergeant at $115,889 were also requested.

Trask said she knows the MCSO is down on staff from where they were a few years ago.

“I want to make sure that any new positions throughout the county are the ones that are most needed and would most benefit Mason County the best,” Trask said.

Shutty said he was “comfortable” with a new civil deputy position, but not the other requested new staff.

Commissioners held off on approving any new MCSO staff.

The Office of Public Defense budget requests were complicated, due to the uncertainty about possible Washington State Bar indigent defense standards that could drastically change attorney caseloads. The new rules say attorneys can only handle a certain number of cases a year, based on a “case credit” system.

The state Supreme Court is accepting comments on updated standards through October.

“There’s this great unknown out there,” Shutty said.

The OPD is requesting $670,000 for next year.

“I’m worried about next year and the usage right now doesn’t even include the new case load requirements,” Beierle said.

Neatherlin said commissioners have already given Chief Public Defender Peter Jones the green light to pursue attorney contracts.

Neary said he didn’t believe new attorneys had been hired.

“We need to separate out what’s a wish list for next year compared to what we’ve already told him to do.” Neatherlin said.

Commissioners decided to postpone the OPD requests until they spoke with Jones.

The preliminary budget deadline is Nov. 23 and a public hearing is set for Dec. 2.