Thurston Sheriff Sanders rallies supporters as commission considers budget cuts
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Thurston County works to close 2026 budget deficit
Thurston County commissioners are deciding how to close an estimated $36 million budget gap in the general fund, the county’s primary operating fund, for 2026.
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Sheriff Derek Sanders rallied his supporters to a Thurston County commissioner meeting Tuesday to push back against proposed budget cuts to his office.
The supporters packed into a meeting room at The Atrium, the county’s administrative headquarters in Olympia. The crowd was large enough that some were forced to stand and others overflowed into the lobby.
About 30 people, one by one, walked up to a podium to defend the Sheriff’s Office in front of the Board of County Commissioners. The show of support came after Sanders warned his followers of a proposed $4.5 million cut and invited them to voice their concerns in a Sunday Facebook post. A multi-million dollar cut to his office would lead to layoffs, increased response times and jail booking restrictions, Sanders has said.
“On Jan. 1 of 2026 TCSO deputies and support staff will still have all of 2025’s problems. They will have all of 2026’s population growth, and they will have less money to handle it,” Sanders said. “We’ll get the job done because we’ve always done more with less, and first and foremost, we care about each of our citizens.”
At the meeting, Sanders acknowledged the “dire economic situation” the county faces but said his office is one of the most understaffed in the state and country. He called on the commissioners to lobby for more funding from the state.
“I’m hoping that we can all come together to share that same goal and priority to help us not just restore the cuts that we face, but maybe even continue to grow with our growing population,” Sanders said.
The commissioners heard the public comments as they’re confronting a $36 million deficit in their general fund for 2026. The county has attributed the deficit to rising costs outpacing flattening revenue from property and sales taxes, The Olympian has reported.
As the county’s primary operating fund, the general fund is used to pay for many services related to courts, public safety, emergency management, public health, parks and much more.
The board has recently made some preliminary budget decisions in order to build out a biennial budget. However, the final budget will be approved in December.
What did the county have to say about the turnout?
At the meeting, Commissioner Tye Menser said the board is committed to public safety and has taken steps to minimize the impacts of budget cuts to the community.
“Given that the sheriff’s office is by far the largest portion of the county’s general fund, it is not possible to eliminate any reduction entirely and still balance our budget,” Menser said.
Menser, who’s also chairman of the board, said the board is looking at reducing the sheriff’s office budget cut to about $2.5 million, or less than 5%.
“That is a number Sheriff Sanders has indicated to me that he could work with to minimize public safety impacts,” Menser said.
He said nearly all offices and departments in the county will see budget cuts for 2026, some of which may even be as high as 18%.
Susan Melnyk, Thurston County’s chief communication manager, shared a prepared statement with The Olympian after the Tuesday meeting concluded.
“Public safety and corrections make up the largest share of the county’s general fund and will continue to be a priority,” the statement reads. “At the same time, every part of the county organization is involved in the conversation and the process of finding ways to live within our means – because it’s a responsibility we all share.”
What did the public say at the meeting?
Most speakers said they felt the sheriff’s office has improved under Sanders’ leadership and they feared budget cuts would adversely affect public safety in the county. Only a few in attendance shared more critical comments of the sheriff’s office.
Bucoda Mayor Callie Carpenter was among those who spoke in support of the sheriff’s office. She said Bucoda cannot afford its own police department, so it relies on county deputies.
“If the sheriff’s budget is cut, I understand that it’s going to have a huge impact on Bucoda, and our residents that live there,” Carpenter said. “Please keep the budget for Sanders.”
J.W. Foster, the former mayor of Yelm, called the county’s deputies “the best.” He said Yelm police have often relied on backup from Thurston County deputies and vice versa.
“We had several situations where either the deputy or the Yelm police officer was in life-critical engagements with bad guys, and it was only because of that robust backup that we have with each other that those lives were saved, including the bad guy’s life,” Foster said.
“So, we have to take every opportunity that we have, to support our law enforcement in Thurston County, especially the Sheriff.”
When reached for comment, Sanders said he believes the turnout was “indicative of how the public feels” about the Sheriff’s Office.
He said he got the idea to invite the public to the meeting after seeing how public comments led commissioners to walk back a proposed cut to the local animal services agency last week.
“Most of my motivation comes from two places,” Sanders said. “We have a great community that needs to be taken care of and we have really great staff that needs to be taken care of. It’s our duty.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 12:02 PM.
