Thurston Co. city looks to cut its police department. Sheriff says he’ll step in
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders promised to serve Tenino residents as the future of the city’s police department is in doubt.
“To be very clear: Thurston County Sheriff’s Office will not allow Tenino residents to go without police coverage, even absent a long-term contract in place,” Sanders said in a Thursday Facebook post. “As discussions continue toward figuring out the long-term plan, TCSO will step in and provide police services.”
Tenino Mayor Dave Watterson painted a sobering picture of the city’s finances in his remarks during a March 10 city council meeting. To help address the issue, he proposed budget cuts, including disbanding the city’s police department in favor of contracting with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. He estimated the move may save the city about $347,000 a year; however, that number may change as the city hashes out the details with the county.
“This is not a question of whether Tenino deserves good police protection,” Watterson said. “It’s a question of whether we can afford to be the only city our size in the county, and actually beyond our county, that does it this way. The answer to me is clearly no.”
Watterson said the city’s annual recurring revenue is about $1.6 million. Without action, he said the city will have about $89,000 left in its general fund by September. At that point, he said the city would be one emergency away from being unable to pay employees.
“One emergency could be devastating for our community,” Watterson said. “This is critical, folks. I have no further political aspirations. I’m just trying to honestly analyze where we’re at and what we’ve been doing and present it to the council and the public.”
A resolution to protect the Tenino Police Department from being abolished failed in a 3-2 vote during the March 10 meeting. A second motion to direct Watterson to begin fact-finding discussions with the Sheriff’s Office passed unanimously.
While that’s in the works, the Tenino Police Department may functionally diminish before a contract is signed. Sanders said Tenino residents may not have “city police coverage in a matter of weeks” because officers are departing amid the budget concerns.
“We have offered the Tenino police officer who is projected to be the last one remaining on duty to apply with TCSO, and they have done so,” Sanders said.
Tenino Chief of Police Robert Auderer oversees three officers and a clerk, according to the city’s staff directory. Watterson’s March 10 presentation indicates the city currently spends $683,869 a year on law enforcement.
The Sheriff’s Office already provides law enforcement services to Tenino after hours, Sanders said. Deputies also serve Rainier and Bucoda.
Tenino has a population of about 2,075, according to data from the Washington State Office of Financial Management. Rainier has about 2,590 people while Bucoda has just 630.
During the March 10 meeting, Watterson blamed the city’s budget woes on expenditures outpacing revenue, the lack of an emergency reserve and a “hidden” debt.
The debt refers to $1.6 million that the city illegally took from restricted sewer and water funds to spend on other city expenses, according to city documents. To correct the issue, the city designated the $1.6 million as an inter-fund loan that it must now repay with interest.
The city arrived at that number after reconciling its budgets for fiscal years 2020 to 2024, Watterson shared in a public letter posted to the city’s website.
Watterson took office in 2024. Thurston County Commissioner Wayne Fournier preceded him as Tenino Mayor from 2015 to 2023.
A state audit found the city fell victim to a phishing email scam in 2020. The scam cost it $280,309 in public funds, The Olympian previously reported.
The public will be able to weigh in on the proposed budget cuts, including the law enforcement issue, at a town hall this month.
The city scheduled the meeting from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 28, in the Multipurpose Room of Tenino Elementary School at 301 Old Highway 99 SE.
Sanders said he will join Watterson as well as County Commissioner and former Tenino Mayor Wayne Fournier at the meeting.
