Preliminary budget gets hearing 

from KONP.com

Sequim, WA 9/25/01 -- A series of meetings explaining Clallam County's preliminary budget process got underway last night in Sequim. 

Officials say they are looking at a reduction this year of about 1-point-6 million dollars in the county's four main General Fund revenue sources: Property Taxes, Sale Taxes, Investment Interest and Timber Sales. 

County Administrator Dan Englebertson says in the last few years, the County hasn't seen huge increases in the expenditures side of the budget, but decreases in the revenue side. 

Englebertson says as officials tackle the budget problems, they are trying to be open to suggestions from the public and be accountable in government. 

Englebertson says during the next several months, the county will be trying to balance the revenues coming in with the expenditures going out. County staff will be meeting with citizens, departments, commissioners and others to get ideas. 

He says if cuts need to be made, they'll be meeting with department heads and elected officials to reach some consensus on how those cuts need to be made. 

Today, Commissioners will be in Forks for a joint meeting with the Forks City Council at 1 PM. Topics on the agenda include stormwater, law enforcement, teleconferencing and road projects. 

At 3 o'clock, Commissioners will conduct another Open Budget Forum at the Olympic Natural Resources Center in Forks. Tomorrow at 7 in the Courthouse, Commissioners will have a third Budget Forum which will be teleconferenced to the Forks District Courtroom.

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