Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Advocacy Committee News

Summer Business Tour

We Still Want to Hear From You!

As a reminder, the GKC Advocacy Committee is spending this summer connecting directly with Chamber members about the issues affecting your business, from local and state regulations to the challenges you're facing day to day. If you haven’t heard from us yet, please feel free to reach out to Alysa Grimes at alysa@silverdalelawyers.com to schedule a meeting. Or, you can keep an eye out for a call or visit this summer. The more businesses we hear from, the stronger our advocacy at every level of government.

RECAP: Kitsap County Law Enforcement

Budget Meeting

June 22, 2026, Kitsap County Board of Commissioners Chambers, Port Orchard

Kitsap County held the third in a series of three community meetings to walk residents through the county's finances and gather feedback on how to close a projected budget gap for 2027. County officials emphasized this is not a ballot measure. It's an informational session to bring the community into the conversation before decisions are made.



Notably, this session came just two weeks after Sheriff John Gese announced his early retirement, along with four members of his command staff, effective June 26. County officials have said budget pressures were a factor in the timing of those departures, so this was likely one of Gese's final public appearances as sheriff.

Budget Overview

The County Budget Manager opened with an overview of the county's finances, noting that all budget documents are public record and available on the county website. Key points:

• The current (2026) general fund budget is balanced. The county, unlike the federal government, is required by law to balance its budget and cannot deficit spend.
• Looking ahead, the county projects a 2027 budget gap of roughly $9 to $9.8 million, driven by costs expected to rise about 7% while revenue does not keep pace.
• 76% of the general fund goes to public safety and judicial services.
• Property tax collections are capped at a 1% increase per year, regardless of how much property values rise, a cap officials say hasn't kept pace with inflation.
• Labor costs (over 70% of county costs) and insurance/medical costs have risen sharply, while the county has held cost increases flat for the past 8 years.
• General fund staffing has not kept pace with population growth.
• The county's reserves currently sit at just under $40 million and could be exhausted by 2031 without a change in course.

Two options were presented to address the shortfall:

1. Raise sales tax by 0.1%. This could be implemented by the county legislative body without a public vote, and would be restricted to criminal justice purposes. County estimates put the cost to an average resident at $20 to $40 per year.
2. Cut employees. Presentations across the meeting series have described this option as up to 25 positions from the sheriff's office alone, with cuts to the prosecutor's office and other departments bringing the total as high as 60. 

Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Gese

Sheriff Gese described a statewide problem, not unique to Kitsap: inflation, staffing shortages, and rising costs across the board. Notable points:

• The jail feeds roughly 300 people and fuels about 150 vehicles; jail medical costs are especially difficult to contain since most of the incarcerated population arrives with addiction, mental health, or medical needs, and there's little competition among jail medical providers to help control costs.
• Overtime costs have risen due to low staffing, not from officer preference.
• Police reform efforts have coincided with historic staffing losses, leaving a young, inexperienced force competing with other employers for talent.
• Body cameras, long resisted due to cost, have become standard and expected, adding new technology expenses.
• Recent budget cuts have already cost the department 3 deputy positions. Kitsap currently has 0.64 deputies per capita, compared to the state average of 1.5, despite significant population growth.
• Regarding HB 2015 (a Governor Ferguson initiative): adopting certain reform policies unlocks grant funding, but those policies include provisions officers say put them at legal risk. Grant funding also only covers new officer positions for two years, after which the county would need to fund them independently, funding the county doesn't have.

Prosecutor's Office, Chad Enright

Prosecutor Enright noted that supplies account for only 1.2% of the office's budget and services (legal research, body cam storage) are similarly small; cutting either wouldn't meaningfully close the gap, since the budget is overwhelmingly people-based.

• The Family Support/child support division is state-funded.
• The Civil Division is intentionally larger than in comparably sized counties, which the office says saves money versus hiring outside attorneys.
• Criminal prosecution has absorbed the deepest cuts over the past 20 years: eliminated positions, a shrunken records division, and work spread across fewer attorneys. The office no longer has dedicated administrative attorneys, a domestic violence firearm seizure attorney, or as many forensic child interviewers, and cut a civil/criminal attorney position last year.
• Enright described a "funnel" effect: a deteriorating courthouse, unfunded mandates (including public defense caseload requirements), and prosecutors leaving the profession statewide, even as the state pushes prosecutors to charge fewer cases.
• The office has responded by pursuing grant-funded positions, contracting with cities for revenue, charging other counties for appellate work, cutting training and materials budgets, and prioritizing violent felony cases.
• Additional unfunded mandates include resentencing requirements and gun rights restoration processes.

Looking Ahead

The county's three-meeting listening tour underscored a shared challenge across departments: rising costs for labor, medical care, and services are outpacing available revenue, with few easy options left after years of incremental cuts. Whether Kitsap addresses the 2027 gap through the proposed sales tax increase, staff reductions, or some combination of the two, the decision will shape service levels in public safety, prosecution, and the courts for years to come. GKC members with a stake in these outcomes may want to review the county's budget materials directly and stay engaged as commissioners move toward a decision later this year.

GKC Primary Mixer

Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 5:30pm

As Washington's Primary Election approaches, the Greater Kitsap Chamber warmly invites our members to our inaugural GKC Primary Mixer. This is a casual networking event designed to connect local candidates with the Kitsap business community just ahead of the Primary.

Local Government Updates

The following are scheduled meetings for local government bodies across Kitsap County in July 2026. Attending these meetings is one of the most direct ways to engage with local decision-makers and advocate on behalf of Kitsap businesses.

Kitsap County

Kitsap County Board of Commissioners

County Administration Building

619 Division Street

Port Orchard, WA 98366

Zoom Link via Meeting

Agenda: https://agendasuite.org/iip/kitsap

Regular Business Meetings (Commissioner Chambers)

July 13, 2026 @ 5:30 p.m.

July 27, 2026 @ 10:00 a.m.

AM Work Session (Port Blakely Conference Room)

July 1, 2026 @ 9:00 a.m.

July 6, 2026 @ 9:00 a.m.

July 8, 2026 @ 9:00 a.m.

July 13, 2026 @ 9:00 a.m.

July 15, 2026 @ 9:00 a.m.

July 20, 2026 @ 9:00 a.m.

July 22, 2026 @ 9:00 a.m.

July 29, 2026 @ 9:00 a.m.

PM Work Session (Port Blakely Conference Room)

July 6, 2026 @ 2:00 p.m.

July 13, 2026 @ 2:00 p.m.

July 20, 2026 @ 2:00 p.m.

July 22, 2026 @ 2:00 p.m.

July 27, 2026 @ 2:00 p.m.

More information about Kitsap County Board of Commissioners:

https://www.kitsap.gov/BOC_p/Pages/default.aspx

Office (360) 479-3579 | 705 Pacific Avenue in Downtown Bremerton

Silverdale Office (360) 692-6800 | Kitsap Mall

PO Box 1218 Silverdale WA 98383

If you need assistance, please contact us directly.