The latest budget decision by the Clark County Council is perplexing.
By a 3-2 vote, councilors last week approved an $871.74 million budget for 2025. Sue Marshall, Glen Yung and Karen Bowerman voted in favor; Gary Medvigy and Michelle Belkot voted against.
Revenue for 2025 is expected to be $713.27 million, leaving a significant gap between collections and spending. Emily Zwetzig, budget director for the county, said the difference will be made up by tapping existing fund balances.
Meanwhile, councilors opted not to increase the county’s property tax levy. Under state law, municipalities are allowed to take up to a 1 percent annual levy increase. The increase may be banked for use in future years, up to a maximum of 5 percent.
That is the perplexing part.
“It’s very clear from the conversation that we are going to be facing some cuts next year, some considerable cuts,” Yung told The Columbian. “There’s a lot of uncertainty, and I’m very disappointed that we have added to the problem by not electing to take the 1 percent increase.”
An increase to the levy would have added approximately $1.8 million to the county’s coffers next year. With a budget that exceeds revenue by some $158 million, that would do little to close the gap, but councilors have taken an irresponsible approach that will only exacerbate problems in the future.
Indeed, Washington law sets up cities and counties for long-term failure. A levy increase of 1 percent does not keep up with increased expenses — even in times of low inflation rates — and creates a structural deficit that grows over time. In recent decades, Clark County typically has declined the permissible 1 percent increase, and the impact is being felt.
Despite a growing population, the county cannot afford staffing increases. County Manager Kathleen Otto told The Columbian in an email: “There were more than 100 (full-time employee) requests. The only recommendations were some two-year project positions or positions that had a dedicated revenue source, e.g. mental health sales tax, road fund, etc.”
Staffing shortages are most evident in the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. The department is significantly understaffed compared with counties throughout Washington and other states, and councilors have engaged in much discussion but little action for rectifying the situation.
Council members this year considered placing a measure on the February ballot to increase staffing for the sheriff’s office, but then rejected the proposal. Last month, Medvigy said: “You do not support law enforcement if we don’t move forward with a positive plan today. It’s a form of defunding the police to allow our population to increase by 150,000 without increasing law enforcement. We are too far behind.”
Medvigy said he voted against the adopted budget because it did not include funding for additional deputies.
Because of relatively high inflation in recent years, a growing population and the expiration of federal COVID funds, cities and counties throughout Washington are facing budget shortfalls. The same is true for school districts in the state. Such shortages call for deft management to meet the needs of constituents.
The city of Vancouver, for example, has adopted several tax increases and implemented a 1 percent levy increase for next year. So has the Camas City Council. Clark County councilors, in contrast, have opted to complain about a budget shortfall without fully addressing it.
