PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County is exploring options for keeping its Port Townsend Recreation Center open.
With a $5.2 million deficit cut to $1.15 million, staff recapped the budget process and outlined details, including cuts, for county commissioners leading into next Monday’s budget hearing.
The rec center, located downstairs in the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St., was discussed as an issue to be solved more fully in the beginning of 2026.
Donation line
This year, the county has struggled to complete a balanced budget that would fund mandated services. The budget planned to go before the board next week includes a $150,000 donation line.
“That’s with the expectation that donations will be received from the community and from the city, however, to fund that $150,000 gap,” county Financial Director Judy Shepherd said.
Parks and Recreation requested nearly $1 million and will see $750,000. Closing the rec center would cover a majority of that gap.
The county met last week with the city of Port Townsend to discuss possible collaborative efforts to keep the county’s recreation center open, Administrator Josh Peters said.
The city already has adopted its 2026 budget, limiting immediate options, Peters said, but discussions of potential city support should resume in early 2026.
Peters said he hinted to City Manager John Mauro that the city might chip in for the rec center as it has in the past.
“As far as our understanding of that meeting, (Mauro) did agree to bring the issue to the city council in the first quarter of 2026,” Peters said. “We’ll see where that lies beyond the first quarter.”
County commissioner Greg Brotherton expressed discomfort with setting a precedent of relying on public fundraising to support government services.
“I find it kind of disturbing that we’re going to raise money to provide our services,” he said. “I think it’s a pretty bad precedent that we started, I guess with the Hoh Road.”
Brotherton was referring to a public match required to make use of dollars given by the office of Gov. Bob Ferguson to repair the Upper Hoh Road earlier this year.
Brotherton also acknowledged that he is appreciative that the community service will remain open, in spite of questioning the solution.
“I do hope that the city owns up to the significant resource (the center is),” Brotherton said.
Commissioner Heather Dudley Nollette said the funding solutions used historically to fund the unmandated service have not been sustainable.
“I feel like we’re going to have to have that (pubic fundraising) option on the table until we can find a better way for government to have revenue that matches what the community wants us to do,” Dudley Nollette said.
The larger budget gap was closed by increasing the expected revenue bottom line by more than $1.11 million and decreasing expenditures by more than $3.4 million.
Increased revenue comes from a projected 2.75 percent increase in sales tax revenue from newly taxable services, opioid abatement settlement funds and revised general fund department revenue projections, based on recent trends, along with other sources.
County Treasurer Stacie Prada said the 2.75 percent increase is a conservative estimate based on a fiscal notice from the state, which indicated newly taxable services.
“Unfortunately, the state fiscal notice did it at the macro-level,” Prada said. “So I don’t really know which businesses in our county will need to pay that for the different services, but I know we’re going to be paying it. It seemed like I could go a range of 3 to 6 percent statewide, and that’s why I did it 2.75 percent.”
More than $1.7 million of the reductions in expenditures came from internal service reductions, salary and benefit reductions — including vacant and eliminated positions — and cuts to travel, training and additional departmental requests.
General fund transfers to other funds were reduced by more than $2 million.
Community Development requested more than $1.05 million and will only see $637,500. Public Health requested $559,000 and will only see $100,000.
“And then $100,000 towards Public Health to help with insurance costs because our insurance liability went up 35 percent this year,” Shepherd said.
Public Health’s reliance on grant funding limits its ability to absorb that increase internally, Shepherd said.
The Water Quality fund requested $28,000 from the general fund and will not see funding. The fund covers testing water quality in county lakes.
“They have enough fund balance to cover that,” Shepherd said.
Cuts to the Department of Community Development will reduce its staff by 3.5 full-time-equivalent positions. The fire marshal and building official position, recently vacated by Phil Cecere, will not be restored in this budget cycle. Hours for the deputy fire marshal will be reduced.
Also recently vacated was the position of code compliance coordinator. Filling the position also has been cut. The code compliance coordinator’s job description included enforcing the county’s new short-term rental regulations.
“Those vacant positions that are on hold are going to be real impact to the community,” County commissioner Heidi Eisenhour said.
________
Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com.
