# Monday Budget Workshop - 10/12/2026

The Cowlitz County Commissioners’ budget workshop on October 12, 2026, reviewed department budget reductions and IT capital needs. IT presented a server replacement request of about $494,000, expected to be funded from its equipment reserves, and proposed adding off-site immutable backups to improve ransomware recovery: approximately $100,000 in the first year and an estimated $75,000 annually thereafter. The workshop recap described the IT budget as increasing by about $100,000 for the backup system; no formal vote was recorded. IT also said that, without funding for a PeopleSoft transition, the county would need to renew its Inspire contract and extend its Oracle license through 2028. Staff are arranging vendor demonstrations to compare alternatives, but no system or vendor selection was made. The county also discussed a $32,000 allowance for possible remaining workers’ compensation TPA contract costs and increasing the transfer to the liability claims fund from $300,000 to $500,000.

Building and Planning requested a 2.9% fee increase, citing reduced staffing, rising costs, and declining permit revenue; the transcript does not clearly establish that commissioners approved the increase. Commissioners supported negotiating higher rates with municipalities for county-provided plan review and inspection services, which the department said are currently subsidized, but no specific new rate or contract action was recorded. The Commissioners’ Office also presented a reduced 2027 budget request of $909,550. No formal motions or votes on procurement were captured in the transcript.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Digital Infrastructure
**Published:** October 12, 2026

### Sources
- [Monday Budget Workshop - 10/12/2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x_2NlMTJgc) - Cowlitz County Commissioners