Video: Thurston County taxpayers fired up over $9,000 grill

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – At a time with Thurston County is laying off workers, people here are fired up that the county has used $9,000 in taxpayer money for a barbecue grill.

"I think that's a little excessive when you can go to Wal-Mart or Ace Hardware and pick up a grill for 200 bucks," said one person.

The "Trail Boss 2" is one of the biggest portable propane barbecue grills sold by Big John's Grills and Rotisseries.

It comes with two fire extinguishers.

The price and the timing are troubling to some. The county bought the grill in April. Then, earlier this month, county department heads were told to reduce their next budgets by five percent. That could mean 22 jobs lost by the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, including deputies in the field.

"People's jobs are more important and our safety is more important that a barbecue," said another taxpayer.

The county says renting one doesn't make financial sense.

"If you're looking over a 20-year period, it's about $500 a year," said Lester Olson, director of Thurston County Road and Transportation.

He says other cities and fire departments are paying the county to use it to recognize the hundreds of volunteers who work for the county.

"If you added up all the hours the volunteers give to the community this is very inexpensive," said Olson.

Thurston County says the barbecue can easily feed 100 people. The emergency management department plans on using it at any disaster scenes where large groups of people are displaced.