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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:     Monday, November 19, 2007

Contact:       Don Krupp, Chief Administrative Officer, 360-786-5440

2008 Preliminary Budget Deliberations Begin

OLYMPIA -- Thurston County Commissioners today were being presented with the preliminary 2008 budget.  The draft budget for next year is set at $269.3 million in total.  The General Fund budget for 2008 is $79 million.  That compares with a 2007 overall budget of  $252.8 million and a general fund budget of $75 million.

Thurston County Chief Administrative Officer Don Krupp says the 2008 budget will be designed under Governor Christine Gregoire’s request that jurisdictions limit tax growth to one-percent under limits imposed by (the now unconstitutional) Initiative 747.  “Even though a one-percent increase does not keep up with the cost of providing services to the public, we will create the 2008 budget under that limit.  However, we need some type of relief if we are to continue to supply the full array of programs that Thurston County citizens have come to expect.”  Under

 I-747 the county’s tax rate has steadily declined at the same time the population and demand for services have increased.  The tax rate per $1,000 of assessed valuation was $1.21 for 2007 and is expected to decline to $1.04 for 2008.

 Among the challenges for Thurston County Commissioners as they deliberate the 2008 budget will be deciding what to do about the gap between revenue income and the cost of providing status-quo programs and services.

A public hearing on the 2008 preliminary budget will be held at 6:00 PM the evening of December 3^rd  in room 280 of Building One of the Thurston County Courthouse, 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW , Olympia .   County Commissioners will deliberate on the budget December 4th through the 7^th and adoption is scheduled for Monday morning, December 17^th.