County probation budget held steady as judges increasingly waive fees, officials say

District court probation staff told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners that revenue from probation-related fees is being squeezed by a growing number of fee-waiver requests, even as the department continues to provide supervision.

"The attorneys are now asking to also have probation fees waived, and the judges are having to grant that on occasions," Molly, district court probation staff, said, describing a shift that began with felony LFOs, expanded to misdemeanor LFOs and is now affecting other court costs. She said the work of monitoring people on probation continues despite the revenue loss.

Molly noted the county does not bill cities for probation services and that payments received largely come from defendants. She warned that supreme court rules and legislative decisions drive many waiver determinations, so local officials have limited control: "Those are supreme court rules, legislative decisions that you have to do that if a person is deemed indigent on most court costs," she said. That makes budgeting revenue from fees uncertain, she added.

On line items, staff said goods and services currently show under budget for 2025 but that year-end accruals could raise spending; personnel and supplies are expected to settle close to projections. "We do have to wait until all our filings come in for the year, so I can't bill the cities until this week," Molly said, explaining timing-driven accruals.

Commissioners and staff discussed options to address the gap, including whether municipalities could be billed for services. Finance staff and commissioners asked for follow-up data and recommended the county track these revenue shifts as part of its broader budgeting work.

Next steps: staff will provide additional financial detail and work with the board on options for revenue forecasting and potential billing approaches; no formal vote was recorded on specific changes during the workshop.