2027 Preliminary Budget to be Presented to Council at August 25th meeting
SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA – August 21, 2026. The San Juan County Auditor will present a preliminary balanced budget for fiscal year 2027 to the County Council on August 25. This is the next critical step in what is a challenging budget building process for the County. If the 2027 budget were adopted with the same staffing and service levels as 2026, current projections indicate there would be an approximate $4 million deficit in the County’s current expense fund, also known as the general fund.
This projected deficit reflects a continuing trend in which inflation driven costs have outpaced basic sustainable revenues. Rising costs, capped levy rates, unfunded state mandates, and declining financial support from the state and federal governments all play a part. Similar fiscal pressures are being felt across Washington State, with many jurisdictions navigating comparable budget constraints. Despite those constraints, local governments in Washington are required to adopt a balanced budget.
To address the deficit, Council held a series of meetings in June to provide direction to department leaders and elected officials on potential cuts to staffing and service levels. At their meeting on June 30, Council provided initial direction to all departments and elected officials on the budget reduction scenarios brought forth. After robust deliberation, Council provided initial direction of $3.7 million dollars in potential reductions.
Notable potential reductions Council approved include:
- Changes to the Senior Services program, including decreased frequency of Meals on Wheels services and reduced public clinic services, including vaccinations
- Eliminating key management positions in the Facilities and Environmental Stewardship Departments while maintaining all existing programs and services of those departments
- Eliminating or holding critical positions vacant in almost every department across the County to generate cost savings in 2026 and 2027, including many in the law and justice departments
- Reducing maintenance at County Parks
- The potential closure of the County’s Eastsound Village Green Park on Orcas Island
- Reduction in funding for the Guardian ad Litem program for High-Risk Family Law
- Reduction in funding to the Islands Oil Spill Association
- Reduction in funding to the WSU Extension Forestry program
In July, Council continued its budget discussions by reviewing three new revenue options authorized by recent state legislation. These included a one‑tenth of 1% sales and use tax dedicated to public safety programs, a five‑cent per $1,000 of assessed value property tax levy to support public health clinics, and the separation of an existing veterans’ assistance levy and an existing mental health and developmental disabilities levy from the current expense property tax levy into standalone levies.
Currently, Council has only requested additional information on separating the mental health and developmental disabilities levy. A 2026 state legislative change removes previous exemptions that had allowed the County to collect less than the 2.5 cents per $1,000 of assessed value required by the State for this levy; the County now has an obligation to collect the full amount as a result. This could add an additional $320,000 in costs to the general fund. If Council were to establish a standalone levy for either veterans’ assistance or mental health and developmental disabilities, the action would eliminate their draw on the current expense fund.
Following the presentation of a preliminary balanced budget on August 25th, the County will discuss segments of the budget in September meetings, culminating in a public hearing on October 6th prior to adoption of the final 2027 budget. Community members are invited to attend the August 25 Council meeting and all future meetings in the Legislative Hearing Room, located at 55 Second Street in Friday Harbor, or to watch and participate virtually through streaming online.
For more information on San Juan County’s budget process, past reports, and quarterly updates, visit: https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/2030/San-Juan-County-Budget.
Questions? Contact: TilleryW@sanjuancountywa.gov
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