Last minute approval comes amid financial challenges
Pierce County Commissioners unanimously approved a $16.449 million spending plan for fiscal year 2026.
The action came during a called meeting Monday night. The new budget is up about $1 million over last year.
Approval of the budget was postponed until nine days left in the year, as commissioners have struggled to rein in spending and balance the budget after voting to increase the millage rate by one full mill in November.
At that time, County Manager Raphel Maddox recommended the spending plan along with the millage rate increase. Even with the cuts and the millage increase, the proposal relied on using $1.6 million in reserve funds to balance the budget.
County officials had continued to make cuts in the meantime, paring down expenditures. As approved, the spending plan only uses about $300,000 in reserve funds.
County Chairman Neal Bennett emphasized the “blessing” of having the reserve funds to pull from. Third District Commissioner Randy Dixon had previously pointed out the county needed to keep at least a third of the reserve for unexpected expenditures as required by state law. Commissioners also noted the county couldn’t keep pulling from reserves to balance the budget.
Second District Commissioner Graham Raley had previously suggested freezing spending levels at 2025 levels and adopting it as the 2026 budget, holding the line on spending and only adjusting as needed to cover cost increases on items like insurance and personnel costs. The budget does not include any new capital outlay items.
Raley was absent from Monday’s called meeting and commissioners opted not to approve his suggestion.
