A budget hearing was conducted after the Mason County Board of Commissioner’s meeting Tuesday (Nov. 13), in preparation of a November 16 timeline to print the 2013 budget for distribution to the public, prior to a December 3^rd  Public Hearing.  The Public Hearing is to hear and gather the Public’s testimony prior to adopting a final budget on December 4^th. (Providing the Public Hearing on the budget is concluded).
 
Within a few minutes of discussion, it became apparent the County’s forecasted needs (“expenses”), $ 26 M, far exceeded the revenues ($24.1).  The County’s expenses, as currently forecast by department heads and elected officials, are $1,914,944 higher than the forecasted revenues coming into the county.  County revenue or income is derived from property taxes (62%), followed by Intergovernmental revenues (15%) and from services (14%) provided by the County.  The remaining 9% comes from fees, fines, investments, permits and licenses. 
 
With the bulk of the County’s income from property taxes, it is easy to see the income to cover expenses is not there. An outcome of the meeting today sent the department heads and elected officials back to the drawing board to reduce their budgets even further.  The targeted reduction is 8%.  The revised budgets will be reviewed Thursday Nov. 15^th at 10 AM in the County Commission Chambers. 
 
This budget request does not include the “supplemental budget requests” submitted.  It covers the forecasted expenses based on the 6/2012 actual spending and allows for increases that are mandated (pensions, union salaries) and increases approved by the Board of Commissioners since the beginning of this budget session.  There are an additional Supplemental Requests to the tune of $1.4M that will not be considered.  The bulk of the supplemental requests are in support of the Sherriff’s Office. 
 
Complete County Financial reports can be found on at https://wei.sos.wa.gov/county/mason/en/FinancialServices/Pages/FinancialServices.aspx

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