Clatsop County commissioners on Wednesday adopted the county’s approved 2025-2026 budget — with some recent adjustments due to unforeseen expenses. 

The county’s total budget this year excluding service districts is $116,408,720, representing an 18% increase from the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The general fund, including the general fund stabilization fund, makes up $42,658,510 of that — a 0.95% increase from the 2024-2025 fiscal year. 

At Wednesday’s budget hearing, Assistant County Manager Monica Steele proposed an increase of $15,000 from the general fund to help cover homeowners association dues for two properties at Fishhawk Lake that had been deeded to the county through tax foreclosure. The county had reserved $5,000 for those dues — but the actual amount ended up being closer to $20,000. Steele added that those costs could continue to rise in future years as the county takes ownership of other similar properties. 

County staff had been hopeful that House Bill 3545, whose chief sponsors included Rep. Cyrus Javadi, would establish parameters around when charges made by homeowners associations and condominium associations could begin to accrue on property deeded to the county in a tax foreclosure. That bill, however, recently died in the state Legislature. 

In addition to the $15,000 adjustment — plus 10% contingency — staff also proposed an increase of $45,000 to assist with the construction of a shelter at Westport Ferry Park. Bids for the project, Steele said, came in higher than expected.

Despite the adjustments, the county is still ending with reserves of 27% of expenditures, excluding contingency — above its minimum goal of 20%. Those reserves are necessary as the county navigates a number of challenges, including continued uncertainty over timber revenue due to the state’s habitat conservation plan, new uncertainties regarding federal funding and continued impacts of inflation. 

To help maintain a consistent general fund amid those challenges, the county is strategically reducing 7.06 full time equivalents this coming fiscal year, 6.06 of which were under the general fund. The reductions are primarily through vacancies, reorganization and adjustments related to one-time funding like American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The adopted budget also reduces expenses of materials and supplies and realigns certain departments; Juvenile Services and Public Health, for example, will be consolidated into a Department of Health and Human Services. 

As the county enters the new fiscal year, it will continue to focus on new construction and job growth. It will also be paying close attention to impacts of tourism on local services — an issue it has been looking to address through changes to transient lodging taxes. The hope is to achieve a legislative fix that would provide increased flexibility for use of local transient lodging taxes, but the county is also prepared to implement a two-cent increase to its countywide lodging tax rate if that legislation doesn’t pass.