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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, December 15, 2003
| Contact: |
Don Krupp, Chief Administrative Officer, 360-786-5440 |
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John Bartz, Budget Director, 360-754-2959 |
Thurston
County Commissioners Adopt 2004 Budget
OLYMPIA – Thurston County Commissioners today
(12/15) adopted a budget for the coming year that is down slightly from 2003
levels. The spending plan also
calls for continued elimination of employee positions.
The general fund portion of the budget is up
slightly at $61,450,677. That’s
about two percent higher than the 2003 budget of $60,515,705.
However, the overall budget for 2004 is $314,039,358 - down about $2.3
Million from 2003.
The 2004 budget continues to reflect reductions
necessitated by citizen-adopted revenue cutting initiatives.
The spending plan includes elimination of 20 employee positions.
That means the number of full time equivalent positions for the county
in 2004 will be 1,122, compared to 1,142 at the end of 2003.
County Administrator Don Krupp says the 2004
budget was formulated with a lot of hard work by county employees.
“ The Board of County
Commissioners, other elected officials and department directors and managers
worked very hard to come up with cost savings and expenditure reductions to
make the 2004 budget work. Rank
and file county employees continue to do more with less to deliver vital
services to Thurston County residents.”
Krupp says more reductions are on the horizon.
“We have a budget situation where property tax revenue is limited to
1% a year. Inflation, the expense of insurance, union contracts and
other costs will go up at a much higher rate.
That means we will have to make cuts every year for the foreseeable
future. The challenge for us is
to make those cuts as painless as possible for both county employees and
county residents.
Those who wish to find out more about the 2004
Thurston County budget can visit the county’s web site at http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/budget/Index.htm
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