Thurston County anticipates needing to make $5.5 million in spending cuts for 2027, the county announced Friday.
The cuts are in addition to the $9.84 million in budget cuts the county made to the 2026-27 budget last year as it navigates a hefty structural deficit.
The deficit for 2027 to 2029 is estimated at $23.3 million, according to the county. The amount is slightly lower than the $23.8 million deficit the county reported in 2025.
The reductions are part of a three-year budget plan intended to close the deficit by dividing about $15 million in reduced spending over three years.
The cuts are spread out in an attempt to lessen impacts on community services, according to the county.
The budget plan factors in about $8.3 million in anticipated reversions, or the return of any unspent budget dollars back to the General Fund, and relies on “hopeful revenue projections,” the county stated.
The Thurston County Board of Commissioners will begin deliberating on budget allocations for each office and department in the coming weeks. For information on upcoming public meetings and access to budget-related resources, visit https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/balancing-budget
Friday’s announcement came at the end of two days of strategy sessions related to the upcoming budget cuts, where county officials worked to outline possible service impacts from the second year of budget reductions, and explored ways to minimize those impacts as much as possible.
During those sessions, representatives from various county departments warned of the service impacts that significant budget reductions to their departments would cause.
Cuts to the county’s Code Compliance Division, for example, “could leave all but the most egregious large-scale unpermitted construction and environmental code violation complaints unaddressed,” according to Community Planning & Economic Development Director Ashley Arai.
Budget cuts to the road fund could defer road maintenance; cuts to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office could impact staffing; and cuts to public defense directly clash with constitutional mandates and Washington state Supreme Court standards, county officials advised.
In past years the Thurston County Board of Commissioners consistently allocated a large share of the county’s general fund to law and justice services such as the sheriff’s office, courts, public defense, prosecuting attorney, clerk’s office and auditor, rising to about 70% for 2026-2027.
That large share reflects the constitutional and legal mandates for these services, according to the county.
Each independently elected official and appointed department director determines how they will deploy the resources allocated to them.
County leaders say they are also pursuing alternative revenue approaches to maximize taxpayer dollars and minimize budget cuts.
Key measures include reviewing agreements and contracts to ensure full cost recovery, leveraging interest earned by county accounts, and utilizing local revenue-generating options in state-level legislation like House Bill 2015.
That bill, which went into effect in July 2025, allows counties to adopt a 0.1% sales and use tax directed to criminal justice and public safety purposes, and opens additional grant opportunities for local law enforcement agencies.
How we got here
Thurston County attributes its structural deficit in part to rising gas, service and utility costs, as well as strict limitations imposed on revenue options by Washington state.
“While an individual property tax bill may rise by 3% or more, that extra revenue doesn’t go into the county’s General Fund,” the county said in a news release, noting that state law caps annual growth on regular property tax levies for counties and municipalities at just 1%.
Any increase beyond that on a tax statement comes from separate taxing entities such as a local school or fire district.
County officials say underfunded work mandated by the state Legislature also contributes to the budget crisis.
“Unlike cities, county governments function as an administrative extension of Washington state, carrying a unique legislative requirement to deliver foundational services on a large scale,” the county stated. “From running state and federal elections and assessing regional taxes to managing state courts, public defense and regional public health, Thurston County provides essential infrastructure for 310,000 people across more than 770 square miles.”
Thurston County insists it isn’t alone in its budget struggles, citing data from a 2026 Washington Association of Counties (WSAC) report showing that a majority of counties across the state are struggling due to inflation, rising insurance and legal costs, revenue growth caps, and underfunded state or federal mandates.
Thurston County also cited a 2025 report from the National Association of Counties (NACo) showing that shifts in federal funding have created a “systemic fiscal crisis” for counties around the country “that no amount of belt-tightening or departmental restructuring can fix.”
The Thurston County Board of Commissioners narrowly passed its 2026-27 budget in a contentious 3-2 vote.
Commissioners Carolina Mejia, Wayne Fournier and Tye Menser voted to approve the budget, and Commissioners Rachel Grant and Emily Clouse voted “no.”
Clouse and Grant cited concerns over a lack of transparency throughout the process and a lack of clarity in the budget documents as reasons for their “no” votes. Clouse added that she was concerned about some of the allocations within the budget, pointing specifically to what she said was a disproportionate impact to the Thurston County Clerk’s Office.
That office saw a $777,478 budget reduction in Thurston County’s 2026-27 budget, which led to Thurston County Clerk Linda Myhre Enlow making the decision to shut down all in-person services on Jan. 20.
The funding reduction, while not the largest of the department cuts made, made it impossible for the clerk’s office to maintain in-person services when combined with the impacts of previous budget cuts, according to Enlow.
The county earlier this year adjusted the budget to re-allocate enough funding to the Clerk’s Office to cover frontline public counter services on a part-time basis.
Those part-time in-person services resume Sept. 21.
