Council launches new budget website

The Pierce County Council is excited to announce the launch of a new website dedicated to the 2024-2025 Biennial Budget. This platform is designed to enhance fiscal transparency and accessibility, providing residents with comprehensive insights into the county’s biennial budget and priorities.

One of the primary duties of the Pierce County Council is to levy taxes, appropriate revenue, and adopt budgets for the county. The budget is the single most important document the Pierce County Council uses to oversee the delivery of services, programs, and resources to Pierce County residents.

The site breaks the biennial budget down by Council priority areas, making information easier to find and understand. In addition, it includes links to Council resolutions that allocate funding to programs, initiatives or activities that were provided funds in the 2024-2025 Biennial Budget. The Council’s budget priorities are public safety, housing affordability and homelessness services housing, behavioral health systems and substance use disorders, youth and young adults, economy and workforce, infrastructure needs, sustainability and livability, and community needs.

The site was designed with community members in mind, providing a tool to help people understand how their tax dollars are invested. The website will be regularly updated with the latest budget news, reports, and upcoming meeting schedules to keep you informed and engaged.

“Our community has needed something like this for a long time. This new budget website will give community members easy and regular access to important financial information about their County,” said Council Chair Ryan Mello (District 4). “By organizing the budget information by council priority area, we’re making it easier for residents to see what the Council is doing to address the issues that matter to the community.”

The council began developing the 2024-2025 Biennial Budget process on March 8, 2023, and continued throughout the year, with the council establishing its preliminary 2024-2025 biennial budget priorities with the adoption of Resolution R2023-106. On Sept. 19, 2023, Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier presented his proposed 2024-2025 Biennial Budget to the council, as required by the County Charter. The council reviewed and amended the proposed budget, with the adoption of the county’s final 2024-2025 Biennial Budget on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.

Since this is a biennial budget, all budget appropriations are for a two-year period through Dec. 31, 2025. You can access the new budget website at piercecountywa.gov/8176/2024-2025-biennial-budget.