PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County commissioners Monday approved quarterly budget changes to make room for unexpected revenue and expenses. County Administrator Philip Morley described the changes as “fairly minor.”
Three amendments were made in the county’s general fund to the District Court, Sheriff’s Office and nondepartmental budgets.
Jefferson County, which provides municipal court services for the city of Port Townsend, made a $24,865 budget reduction to reflect a loss in District Court revenue.
The Sheriff’s Office budget was adjusted to acknowledge the addition of a $10,856 grant.
For nondepartmental, a $462,220 contract for public defender’s services was $57,027 more than the anticipated. The expense was covered by the general fund.
Several internal budget modifications were made to reflect labor negotiations.
“We had put in sort of a place holder in a couple of the general fund budget departments that still had pending labor negotiations last fall for some of the budget reductions that we were needing to do,” Morley said.
“Ultimately, the sheriff’s Teamsters [members] and public works Teamsters did not offer any mid-contract wage concessions, and consequently, those same departments are now making equal-in-dollar reductions elsewhere in the budget to still meet our budget goals.”
The changes were intended to improve the efficiency of the requesting departments.
Prior to Monday’s public hearing, commissioners John Austin, Phil Johnson and David Sullivan voted unanimously to award two contracts for work on Upper Hoh Road in West Jefferson County.
They approved a $523,671 staff-recommended contract to Seton Construction for emergency repair of the Willoughby Creek bridge.
Anderson Environmental Contracting LLC was awarded a $258,327 contract for a culvert replacement on Dismal Creek.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
