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

Wahkiakum County commissioners adopted their 2013 budgets and acted on other business at their Tuesday meeting.

Commissioners held a public hearing on the budgets on Monday; new Treasurer Tammy Peterson was the only person to comment.

Peterson asked that the board increase a part-time position from 88 to 89.5 hours per month, the standard for county part time positions. She also asked that a staff position paid partially out of the Current Expense Fund and partially out of the Treasurer's O&M Fund be paid completely by Current Expense.

The O&M Fund, Peterson said, is funded by fees and is being depleted. The funding goes for the wage of the staff member handling foreclosures. Peterson said she would like to build up the fund.

Commissioners agreed that the part-time position should be at 89.5 hours. However, they said they wanted to wait at least three months into 2013 to consider changing the funding of the foreclosures deputy's position.

Overall, all the county's budgets total $22.79 million.

The Current Expense Fund, which covers most courthouse departments and operations such as jail, courts, sheriff's office, auditor, clerk and treasurer and so on, totals approximately $4.37 million. The County Road Department's budget totals $9.37 million.

Fearing a revenue shortfall in the 2013 Current Expense Fund, commissioners have authorized the diversion of $200,000 of the County Road Levy to Current Expense.

Commissioners and representatives of the county employees' union have negotiated a new labor contract, with employees receiving 3 percent raises, their first raises in at least three years.

Commissioners debated on what figure they should budget for income from state managed trust timberlands.

Commissioner Dan Cothren said the legislature will be asked to appropriate $10 million for Skamania, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties to use to purchase new timberlands. The county's share could be $300,000, Cothren said, but that money could also be channeled into a unitary trust, benefiting the three counties, and Wahkiakum could receive a smaller share that would be dedicated to purchasing new timberland.

In the end, commissioners decided to set that figure at $750,000.

In other business:

--Commissioners scheduled a public hearing on December 26 to amend the 2012 budget, by adding a supplemental appropriation of $717,000 in unanticipated state revenue. It will be split, with $700,000 going to Current Expense, $12,000 to County Fair, and $5,000 to Developmental Disabilities.

--The board passed resolutions adopting the Annual Road Construction Program, the Six Year Road Program, and the 14 Year Ferry Capital Improvement Plan.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen reported he is working with consultants to create a final design for a new ferry. The plans will go to bid early next year, and the vessel should be ready for service in 2014.

Ringen also said state officials intend to raise the cap on the state subsidy for the ferry from $500,000 to $550,000.