Adjustments for 2015: Budget 'tidy-up' totals $449,000

The 2015 county operating budget received its third and final amendment at the Board of County Commissioners meeting Monday, adjusting the budget by about $449,000 in what county administrator Gary Petrovich called “tidying things up.”

Petrovich said the changes involved in this amendment mostly amounted to “technical corrections that didn't require the use of any additional funds.”

The first change came in the homeless housing plan fund, which was originally slated at $75,000. Petrovich said the balance of this fund was not originally correct.

“We did not have the appropriate beginning fund balance,” he said.

The appropriate fund included an additional $344,000, which was noted in the amendment. With the money already technically in the fund, the amendment did not require movement of any funds from any other line item.

“I made the correction to reflect reality,” said Petrovich. “The entry was made to recognize the fund balance. Without recognizing the funds that were already in there, we couldn't write the check for $196,000.”

The $196,000 Petrovich referred to was used by the Community Action Center in Pullman to purchase land to build affordable housing.

Dale Miller, housing development manager with the Community Action Center, said the land is located south of the hospital in Pullman and east of the cemetery that is behind Wal-Mart.

“It is past the new business center, and it feels disconnected right now, but it won't be in the future,” said Miller, referring to future development in Pullman.

Miller said the center had been looking to find land for affordable housing “for a couple of years,” and the next step is to get into the planning phase.

“We are probably not starting construction for a couple of years,” he said.

Miller noted that the plans will probably include building low-rise, multi-level apartments which will have a minimum of 50 units. They will not be building single-family homes. He also noted that they will be looking into making the building or buildings energy efficient.

Another budget change was in the current expense line item, which was with Whitcom funds. That amendment totaled $300,000.

“That was another technical correction,” said Petrovich.

Whitcom requested the additional funding, and it was reimbursed by the Washington Military Department, county clerk Maribeth Becker said.

“It is just for their continued operations,” said Becker.

Becker did not have specifics as to exactly what the additional funds were used for, but noted that the expenditures were part of a pass through contract, meaning no county funds were actually used.

“The money has to pass through the county,” she said. “They tell us how much they spent, the state reviews it and wires the county funds. We then cut a check to Whitcom to pay them.”

The final change was a $5,000 addition to the current expense fund for the auditor's office.

“It is a movement from 2016 into 2015, so it really has a net zero effect for two years,” said Petrovich.

He said that the addition was needed because of changes to the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) at the state level, which mandated a two percent increase on employers into benefit funds.

“What had happened was she was really tight on her 2015 budget,” said Petrovich. “I don't think she had adequately budgeted for PERS retirement contributions.”

Petrovich did say that there may have been other things that could have contributed to the budget deficiency in the auditor's office as well.

In October, the auditor's office had to mail out approximately 4,300 additional ballots after a race was inadvertently left off the ballot. This error, which included costs for mailing and paying postage on all of the additional ballots, cost the office more than $2,800 to correct.

“That was over $2,000 that should not have had to be spent,” said Eunice Coker, county auditor. “That was part of my worry.”

Coker told the Gazette that she was worried about going over her budget toward the end of the year, and to avoid that, she requested the amendment.

“I was getting tighter and tighter, and I didn't want to go over,” she said. “I was just getting antsy.”

Coker, however, said Tuesday that she did not end up needing the amendment once all her claims were in Monday evening, after the amendment was already approved. She said she ended up with $800 left over, and that money as well as the $5,000 taken from next year will not carry over to 2016.

“I have been told no,” said Coker. “Budget is not supposed to carry over.”

Coker also noted that with the presidential election coming up, she really needed that $5,000 in the 2016 budget.

“We have 300,000 ballots to order,” she said. “We have got a primary race that we have to pay for. It is against the law to not run an election.”

Also at the meeting, the 2016 county budget was approved. The budget totals $58,887,591.

“It is fairly similar to last year's,” said Petrovich.

Petrovich noted that the 2016 budget includes funds for capital improvements.

“It gave the county more to use for capital improvements with $1.3 million for the Public Service Building, which the county will pay $300,000 for,” he said.

Also in the budget is an increased line item for the coroner's office. That office last month requested a $24,730 increase after seeing an heightened case load. That budget totals $154,593 for 2016, compared to the original $137,838 slated for 2015.

Many other line items in the current expense budget also saw increases, including the commissioners, district court, auditor, prosecuting attorney, sheriff, parks and recreation and fair departments. The current expense budget this year totals $15,054,983, compared to $14,369,493 last year.