The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Wahkiakum County officials wrapped up work on their preliminary budgets for 2013 on Tuesday.

Copies of the proposed 2013 budgets should be ready for public distribution next Monday, with a public hearing on the budgets set for December 3.

However, officials said there are still big questions to answer: Will the state be able to pay another $100,000 in Criminal Justice Funding? What will be the result of contract negotiations between the county and the county employees' union? What will be the total cost of replacing courthouse computers?

The Current Expense Fund budget, which covers most courthouse departments, could have a deficit as high as $286,000, said Auditor Diane Tischer.

"We clearly don't have enough information to clinch it," said Commissioner Lisa Marsyla.

She suggested the board submit a proposed budget that includes requested expenditures with a notation that they may have to be reviewed and trimmed when the board starts final budget deliberations on December 3.

She noted that the deficit, at this point, would be covered by a shift of part of the County Road Levy to Current Expense.

Commissioners have used this shift to cover Current Expense shortfalls the last two years. Last year, Marsyla said, there was enough unexpected revenue that Current Expense didn't need the revenue. This year, the board expected to need $200,000, but the total used is going to be close to only $100,000.

The board agreed to hold another budget workshop on November 27. They may have word on the union contract, and Tischer said she would try to learn what will be done with Criminal Justice funding.

It is possible the county will receive some state funding to compensate for trust timberland that can't be logged because it is endangered species habitat. That won't be known, Commissioner Dan Cothren said, until the state legislature meets, and those funds could likely be pooled with funds from other counties to purchase other timberland to increase their trusts.

Marsyla said she had made a list of increases requested by each department, and if the revenue forecast doesn't improve, the board would go over the requests with department heads and consider whether or not to fund them.