9/11/08

Reardon previews trimmed-down county budget, plans for layoffs

by Beckye Randall

County executive Aaron Reardon unveiled his 2009-2010 county budget to a packed house on September 4. The standing-room-only crowd, comprised mostly of county employees, heard mixed news: a reduction in overall staffing at the county coupled with increased funding for strategic priorities.

The biennial budget will now go before the County Council for review, and the council is encouraging citizen input in a series of public forums. Recommendations for budget changes are due back to the executive’s office by November 24.

This marks the first time a two-year budget has been prepared, following voter approval of the biennial planning method.

In his address to the crowd, Reardon thanked the hundreds of county employees who had submitted budget details “line by line” to his office prior to the document’s preparation. The statement appeared to be a response to charges that Reardon had not allowed department heads and elected officials to have input prior to the budget’s creation.

“Fiscal solvency is our number one objective,” Reardon said. “We have to justify every action and live within our means.”

Overall, revenues are expected to fall $9.3 million below current budget levels. Total expenditures for 2009 are projected at $215 million, with an increase to $222 million in 2010.

To present a balanced budget, Reardon is calling for a reduction in county personnel of just over 4.5 percent. The staff cuts will reduce the size of county government to that of two years ago, he explained.

“This isn’t about turf wars,” he assured the gathering. “In fact, 45 percent of the staff cuts will come from departments that report to the executive office.”

To mitigate the impact on employees, Reardon has instructed the county’s Human Resources Department to begin finding alternative employment within county government and to assist with job search and resumé services.

Public safety remains a priority in the new spending plan, with law enforcement costs now making up more than 73 percent of the general budget. The budget allows for the creation of a new Snohomish County Auto Theft Task Force, which Sheriff John Lovick had requested, and puts the “maximum number” of officers on the street, according to Reardon.

The plan also calls for increased funding for early childhood education and for the county’s thirteen senior centers. Reardon also plans to increase the county’s portion of funding for the Snohomish County Health District, which is undergoing its own budget crisis, pledging to do “what we can afford.”

On the revenue side, residents can expect to see a slight increase in solid waste collection fees, but Reardon is standing firm against raising property tax rates.

“We can’t tax our way out of this challenge,” he asserted. “Property tax increases are capped at 1 percent per year, and that 1 percent increase would only deliver $700,000 annually to the county.”

Rather, the executive is counting on job growth and business development to fund increased government costs. Snohomish County is creating jobs at three times the state average, Reardon said, and “the private sector is the engine that drives our economy.”

To read a complete copy of the county executive’s address and review the budget summary, visit www.snoco.org and search for “budget.”

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