State auditor praises Parks for accountability; financial update shows capital on track and revenues near projections

The State Auditor's Office presented a recognition to Washington State Parks on July 9, commending agency leadership and staff for cooperative engagement on an audit and for taking steps to implement prior recommendations. Auditor Pat McCarthy singled out deputy director Natasha James for collaborative responses that aided the audit process and noted the agency demonstrated a culture of accountability.

Following the auditor's remarks, business support services director Laura Holmes delivered a financial update through May. Holmes said the capital budget (Fund 057) of $176.3 million shows ~46% of the period spent or obligated (about $31.1M spent, $21.9M obligated) and that about 53M of work is on the ground. She said roughly 41% of operating expenditures have been spent against the operating budget and that overall revenue to date is about $63.6M (approximately 1.5% above projection), driven by Discover Pass and camping receipts. Holmes noted some timing variability tied to seasonality and grant awards and said June/early July reports show stronger-than-expected Discover Pass sales tied to large events.

Holmes highlighted the capital pipeline and regional projects in design or construction and noted the agency is preparing for fiscal year-end close and for 1Washington/Workday transition planning, including consultant support funded from state resources. McCarthy and Holmes both described continued work on process improvements; McCarthy praised the commission's willingness to seek improvements and the staff's responsiveness.

Next steps: staff will continue capital project delivery and fiscal close; the auditor's office recommended continued process improvements that the agency is already implementing.