The Hood River County Commission approved the County’s budget for the 2025-26 Fiscal Year.  It’s a budget that deals with the ending of American Rescue Plan Act and other COVID-19 grants and increasing costs including an 8% to 9% jump in Public Employee Retirement System costs.  The budget committee that worked on the fiscal document went with making cuts this year, including the loss of a position in Parole and Probation, in an attempt to avoid major layoffs next year.  Commissioner Ed Weathers said they faced tough choices.  Commissioner Arthur Babitz acknowledged questions about adding a pair of positions while reducing the Parole and Probation position.  He said an information technology position is being added to deal with threats to the County’s Internet security,  while adding a job in the Assessment Department is to end a backlog of property assessments that should increase revenue.