Chelan County In “Great Position” Heading Into 2027 Budgeting Process, Says Commissioner Shon Smith

Chelan County will soon begin the process of drafting its budget for the 2027 fiscal year.

For the past several weeks, each of the County's departments has been working to draft its own budget for consideration by the Board of Commissioners.

Budget hearings between the County and its departments will begin next week.

Commissioner Shon Smith says there will be budget hearings for over 30 different County departments over a four-week period.

"It's fast and furious and we get through it as thoroughly as we can," explains Smith. "This is the time when our departments get to explain their budgets and talk about any new needs and share any anticipated changes they expect for next year."

Commissioners will begin assessing the County's projected revenues for the coming year in October, and Smith says they will utilize financial trends observed in the 2025 and 2026 budgets to draft an initial analysis for 2027.

Smith adds that public involvement is always an important part of the budgeting process, and he is encouraging any interested citizens to participate.

"If there's a particular department that someone is interested in and they want to check out what they're doing with your dollars, please join the hearings on Zoom or come in person. The agendas for every hearing are posted on Thursdays at the County's website, that way people can find out which departments will be having their hearings next."

The County is historically known for its brassbound approach to handling its finances, and Smith says that tone won't be changing for 2027's purposes.

"As always, our goal is to pass a very conservative budget which limits the use of our reserves. This philosophy has put us in a very good position financially, especially compared to some of the other counties in the state. We're sitting in a great position and as long as we continue to be very steady and thoughtful in our decision making, the County is going to be just fine."

Smith says the County currently has more than $16 million in reserves and is anticipating expenditures of approximately $61 million for 2027, although a more exacting figure won't be known until sometime in December.

As to any major reductions to its departments or staffing for the coming year, Smith says he doesn't see that as being likely.

"We haven't had any staff reductions for many years, and that's a direct result of the proper management of the dollars we have to spend. And of course, whenever we do need to touch the reserves, it's very thoughtful and very cautious so that we're not frivolously making decisions that are going to have any multi-year consequences."

The Board will submit a preliminary budget to the County's auditor by Nov. 2, followed by a public comment session on Dec. 7, before the budget is finalized and officially enacted on Dec. 15.