The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 22 to extend the county’s hiring freeze until the summer, which was originally set to expire Dec. 31.

The hiring freeze will impact all county departments and offices, and will remain in effect until July 13, 2026, when the county will begin the 2027 budget process. Following the December extension, 19 positions will remain frozen and roughly 25 positions will be eliminated as part of the hiring freeze, county budget manager Kris Carlson said.

“​​For the 2026 budget, the BOC set spending reduction targets for all departments. Some departments were given 2027 targets while others were listed as ‘to be determined’ due to budget uncertainties,” he said.

Carlson said some departments have identified cuts meeting both 2026 and 2027 targets. BOC created an exemption process for departments meeting targets to unfreeze positions if they met the 2027 targets. The 2027 forecast currently estimates a $6 million deficit, with reductions totaling approximately $1.4 million, he said.

The exemption process has been in place since June 9, Carlson said, when the hiring freeze was first adopted. The county estimates the hiring freeze saved $1.66 million in savings and $930,000 in the general fund between June and December, per agency documents. Carlson said any new vacancy that doesn’t meet the exemption criteria will increase the number of frozen positions.

Carlson said county operating costs continue to rise faster than revenues, with property tax growth capped at 1% per year, per state law. The county described the hiring freeze as a” temporary and responsible step to preserve financial stability while allowing for further evaluation of long-term strategies,” documents read.

“The tools that helped us through 2025 and supported development of the approved 2026 budget – reserves, holding positions open/eliminating unfilled positions, and one-time savings – will be harder to rely on in the years ahead. We anticipate that the 2027 budget process will be very challenging,” Carlson said. “The commissioners are committed to working with all county departments and elected officials to explore and evaluate the range of options available to address the 2027 budget gap.”

Carlson said the hiring freeze is one tool the BOC is using in an effort to reduce costs and put the county in a better position going into 2027, adding, “ It’s difficult to predict the potential impacts on the wide range of services provided by the county, since that depends on which positions are vacated and frozen,” he said.