County 2013 budget: $52M

Published 3:17 pm Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The county council adopted a $52,185,285 budget at its Dec. 4 meeting on Lopez Island. The budget ordinance, which by law must be, and is, balanced, passed unanimously.

This year’s budget totaled $51.66 million, about $500,000 or 1 percent less than the 2013 budget.

The budget is divided in two parts, a “General Fund,” which is roughly equivalent to the state operating budget, and the “Special Revenue and Proprietary Funds.”

Major expenditures of the general fund are $2.6 million for the Sheriff, $1.8 million for health and community services, $1.4 million for community development and planning, and $1.16 million for general administration. General Fund expenditures total just under $18 million.

Special revenue and proprietary funds expenditures total just under $34.1 million. These expenditures include $11.6 million for county road construction and maintenance, $4.4 million for equipment, $3 million for bond redemption, $1.8 million for county parks, and $1.6 million for capital improvements, which includes maintenance and improvement of county buildings. This fund also includes $1.9 million for the Conservation Area Fund, which is primarily funds generated by a 1 percent Real Estate Excise Tax for the Land Bank.

— Steve Werhly