2027 Budget Information
Budget and Finance Department
To view Skagit County financial information and the County Commissioners’ 2027 budget priorities, visit Skagit OpenBook here: skagitcounty.openbook.questica.com
Resolution #R20260106 - Setting Statutory Dates
for FY2027 Budget Schedule
Resolution #R20260132 - Establishing Objectives
for the 2027 County Budget
Annual Budget Process & Archives
2027 Budget Work Sessions Schedule
As part of the annual budget adoption process, the Commissioners meet with each department and elected office to discuss budget proposals. These work sessions are open to the public in-person or via Zoom. The schedule of work sessions is available here.
*While these meetings are open to the public, there will be no public comment taken during work sessions. These meetings are for the Commissioners to meet with staff to discuss budget requests and any other information requested by the Board to help make decisions as to items for inclusion in the 2027 budget.
* Please be advised, the schedule for budget work sessions is subject to change at any time, and the order for each presentation within a work session might be different than how the schedule is presented online. If you have any questions about the work session schedule, please reach out the Skagit County Commissioners Office at commissioners@skagitcountywa.gov
| Dates to Remember | |
|---|---|
| July 13, 2026 | County Auditor's written budget notification. |
| August 13, 2026 | Budget estimates to be filed. |
| August 14, 2026 | Preliminary budget submitted to the County Commissioners. |
| November 23, 2026 | County Commissioners release preliminary 2027 budget. |
| December 7, 2026 | Public Hearing at 11:00 a.m. to take feedback on preliminary 2027 budget. |
| December 14, 2026 | County Commissioners to consider adoption of the 2027 budget. |
How to Join Commissioner Meetings
All County Commissioner work sessions and public hearings are open to the public either in-person in the Commissioner’s Hearing Room at 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon, or via Zoom at the link on the Commissioners’ website below.
www.skagitcountywa.gov/commissioners
How to Comment
Written comments can be submitted at any time to the Commissioners’ Office at commissioners@skagitcountywa.gov or via mail to 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, Attn: 2027 Budget. The written public comment period will end at the conclusion of the public hearing on December 7, 2026. Zoom recordings of Commissioner work sessions are available by request by emailing commissioners@skagitcountywa.gov or calling 360-416-1300.
2027 Budget Priorities
In preparation for the annual budget process, the Skagit County Commissioners have adopted a resolution with objectives for the development of the 2027 budget. This annual resolution helps provide departments and elected offices with guidance and constraints as to how they should prepare budget requests for the following year. Local governments in Washington state are required to adopt a balanced budget.
Skagit County continues to face a significant structural budget imbalance. If the 2027 budget were adopted with the same service level as 2026, grown with inflation, current projections indicate there would be an approximate $10 million deficit in the General Fund for 2027. This deficit is not the result of a single decision, department, or economic event, rather it reflects a continuing trend in which expenditure growth is outpacing sustainable revenue growth.
The County will be evaluating long-term sustainable changes to services and programs to ensure financial stability. In 2025 and 2026, Skagit County eliminated 94 staff positions, implemented voluntary furloughs and a permanent hiring freeze, offered an incentive for voluntary separation that directly resulted in a budget savings, and eliminated or reduced discretionary programs; however, these reductions are not sufficient to overcome the limited revenue available to county governments for operations.
Local governments are largely funded through property taxes, which are limited to a 1% overall increase per year, plus new construction, due to Initiative 747. The cost of goods and services increases each year between 3 – 5%, significantly outpacing yearly revenue increases. The Commissioners recognize that available ongoing revenues may not be sufficient to sustain remaining programs and service levels. County staff will be evaluating which programs and services are legally mandated, operationally necessary, strategic priorities, benefit the community, along with the availability of sustainable funding sources.
In order to ensure long-term financial sustainability of County government and preserve the County’s ability to provide essential services in the future, departments and elected officials have been assigned a required general fund reduction target. Each general fund department is expected to submit a budget reduction plan in their preliminary 2027 budget request. These proposed reductions will include organizational, operational and service level changes based on leadership expertise, which will have an impact on the availability of county services to the public. The County Commissioners additionally adopted several objectives to help evaluate 2027 requests:
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The General Fund budget shall be balanced within available revenue sources, with a targeted minimum reserve balance of 20% of expenditures.
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The 2027 budget shall be developed with the objective of achieving long-term structural balance between ongoing revenues and expenditures.
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Departments shall evaluate all programs, services, staffing, and operational activities for service prioritizations and maintaining core functions of government.
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All department budget submittals, programs, services, grants, and fee-supported activities shall include the application of the County’s approved indirect cost allocation methodology for 2027 budget development.
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Departments shall review all fees, charges for service, intergovernmental reimbursements, permits, licenses, and other revenue sources to ensure recovery of the full cost of providing services whenever legally permissible.
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Requests for new or expanded programs, services, staffing, and/or ongoing expenditures shall only be considered when fully funded and sustainable, consistent with the county strategic plan, and demonstrated not to increase future General Fund obligations.
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Departments shall identify all grant match requirements, ongoing obligations, staffing impacts, indirect cost implications, and long-term sustainability concerns associated with grant-funded programs.
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Departments shall evaluate opportunities to collaborate, consolidate, share services, or partner with other governmental entities and organizations when such efforts improve efficiency, reduce costs, or avoid duplication of services.
Skagit County understands that reductions approved through the 2027 budget process will have a substantial impact on the availability of programs and services offered through county offices. For example, the public should anticipate less funding available for service counter hours, road maintenance and repairs, and discretionary services. Identifying programs as discretionary does not mean the program is not beneficial, but they are services that are not mandated to be provided by county governments. Unfortunately, the County will need to reduce or eliminate valuable discretionary services in order to ensure we can adopt balanced budgets with sufficient reserves in our General Fund.
To review the full list of priorities and objectives for the 2027 county budget, please read Resolution #R20260132.
