Budget and Finance

Budget 2026

Resolution R20250112 - Setting Statutory Dates for FY2026 Budget Schedule
Resolution R20250154 – Establishing the Objectives for the 2026 County Budget

2026 Budget Work Sessions with Departments and Elected Officials Schedule

*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 2026 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@co.skagit.wa.us

Dates to remember:

How to Join Commissioner Meetings and Public Hearings

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.skagitcounty.net/commissioners

How to Comment

Written comments can be submitted at any time to the Commissioners’ Office at commissioners@co.skagit.wa.us or via mail to 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, Attn: 2026 Budget. The written public comment period will end at the conclusion of the public hearing on December 1st, 2025. Zoom recordings of Commissioner work sessions are available by request by emailing commissioners@co.skagit.wa.us or calling 360-416-1300.

2026 Budget Priorities

On July 21, 2025, the County Commissioners adopted a resolution to establish the 2026 county budget objectives. 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 each year.

The County Commissioners are facing a difficult budget year for 2026. If 2025 levels of service and county programs are maintained for 2026, Skagit County will face a $19M deficit in the General Fund. This deficit is the result of increasing operating and salary costs, flat revenues, increased mandated services, and reduced state and federal grant support. In order to pass a balanced budget, the County Commissioners adopted several priorities to help evaluate 2026 budget requests.

1. General Fund budget must be balanced within available revenue sources and maintain a minimum reserve balance of 16.67% of expenses.
2. Grant sources must be sustainable, particularly when used to pay staff salaries.
3. Departments providing services to other agencies must ensure reimbursement rates for these services cover all appropriate costs.
4. Fee schedules must be annually reviewed and analyzed to ensure direct and indirect expenses recover all appropriate costs.
5. Departments should collaborate, when possible, with other agencies to provide services that increase efficiency, decrease expenses, and avoid duplication of services.
6. Preliminary budgets must be prepared without backfilling lost or expired grant, state, or federal funding.
7. Requests for new staff or programs and increased level of services shall only be considered for extraordinary circumstances and must be aligned with the Skagit County strategic plan.

To review the full list of priorities and objectives for the 2026 county budget, please read Resolution #20250154.

Questions or comments regarding the 2026 budget process can be directed to the Commissioners’ office at commissioners@co.skagit.wa.us or 360-416-1300.