PORT TOWNSEND — County commissioners adopted Jefferson County’s 2007 budget — in which spending exceeds revenues — Monday by a unanimous vote.
“It’s almost anticlimactic, we’ve been working on this so long,” said Commissioner Pat Rodgers, R-Brinnon, who is vacating the District 3 seat at the end of the year.
The budget totals $41.35 million in revenues and $43.35 million in expenditures.
The $2 million deficit is being covered by $14.48 million of working capital, with about $4 million of that required for operation costs.
Revenues for this budget are up by 0.6 percent from the 2006 budget.
Expenditures are down by 1.09 percent from the current fiscal document.
“The biggest challenge for this budget was that we had just enough money to maintain what we were doing and not enough to increase the services,” said Allen Sartin, director of central services.
General fund balanced
The budget includes a balanced general fund, with $13.6 million in revenues and expenditures.
The general fund covers county operations and includes employees’ salaries.
Not included in the budget were the two additional deputy positions requested by Sheriff Mike Brasfield.
“We do not have the financial ability to do that this year,” said County Administrator John Fischbach.
He said current plans to establish the Tri-Area as an urban growth area in the future would increase tax revenues that could go toward funding additional deputies.