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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, November 27, 2008 County Council cuts deeply from most staff except its own By Krista J. Kapralos, Herald Writer EVERETT -- The Snohomish County Council plans to keep workers it added to its staff early this year while almost every other county department will make do with fewer employees. While other county departments struggle to meet basic demands, the council, which on Monday approved the 2009 budget, will have more staff workers going into next year than it had at the beginning of this year. With a projected shortfall of about $21 million, and no end in sight to the national financial crisis, county leaders scrambled to cut about 10 percent from a general fund budget that was about $210 million this year. The county's Planning and Development Services department, which pays for itself through fees, has loaned about 45 engineers, planners and other workers it could no longer afford to the Public Works Department. Still, about 55 people in the planning department were told in October their jobs are gone. Workers in other departments have been waiting for months for the council to approve the 2009 budget. It guarantees that about 80 more people, not including planning workers, will leave county government by Dec. 31. A total of about 160 jobs were cut in the 2009 budget, half of which are currently vacant. More jobs cuts could come in January if the council and department heads can't figure out how to save the last $1.8 million in trims they need to balance the budget. From a purely statistical standpoint, County Executive Aaron Reardon's office is among the hardest hit in the budget approved by county councilmen. He'll lose four people by Dec. 31. That's 22 percent of his staff. The council added four positions for legislative analysts to its staff in April. It was the first time the council added to its staff in about 20 years, Council Chairman Dave Somers said. Councilman John Koster, the council's lone Republican, is the only council member who has publicly questioned the decision to add analysts and other staff. His was the only vote opposing the 2009 budget. "It wasn't hard to see, even in April or May, what was beginning to happen around the country," Koster said. "If they wanted to add staff, that was something they should have discussed when they adopted the 2008 budget." The council operated for a long time without the additional workers, so it shouldn't have been a problem to continue doing so, Koster said. The council needed more legislative analysts because Reardon "walled off" his staff from the council, Somers said. "(Reardon's staff) can't answer our phone calls, and they can't answer our e-mails," Somers said. "So it's necessary for the council to have staff resources to analyze all this paperwork and all these projects." Koster said adding more staff won't solve problems between Reardon and the council. One of the four positions, reserved for a transportation analyst, wasn't filled. The council eliminated that vacant position in its budget on Monday, and also laid off council spokesman Fred Bird. "I don't like laying Fred off, and we desperately need a transportation planner," Somers said. "But we're taking this very seriously. We're taking a 9-plus percent cut just like everybody else." Comparing changes in Reardon's department to changes on the council's staff is "apples to oranges," Somers said. Reardon had a staff of 22, while the five councilmen shared about two dozen workers. Other departments losing significant numbers of people include Human Services, which is losing about 20 positions from a staff of nearly 200. The Corrections Department is losing about 23 positions, or 6 percent of its staff. Fifteen jobs will be lost in Snohomish County Superior Court. County Clerk Sonya Kraski is losing about 11 positions. That's 10 percent of her staff. Reporter Krista Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com. Employee count by department Department 2008 2009 Executive 22 18 Spokesman and other staff cut Council 23.25 27 Spokesman cut, analysts added Human Services 196 175.45 Services cut Planning 225 161 Dozens of workers loaned to Public Works Department, others laid off Hearing Examiner 3.75 3.75 Case backlog will continue Parks and Recreation 78.1 70 Fair specialists and maintenance staff cut Public Works 672.75 703.75 Workers added from Planning Dept. Assessor 74.4 67.85 Specialists, assistants and coordinators cut Auditor 55.5 51 Gambling tax auditor, licensing examiner and ballot collectors cut Finance 38.8 37.5 Office expenses cut Human Resources 20.5 19.1 Programs cut Information Services 111 107 Vacant positions cut Facilities Management 45 46 Expenses cut Airport 49.75 49.65 Cut in hours for one worker Treasurer 30.5 27.5 County will no longer process passport applications District Court 91.5 91.5 Expenses cut Sheriff's Office 361.5 360 Impacts unclear Prosecuting Attorney 194.75 189.5 Certain cases will be referred to city attorneys; assistants and lawyers cut Public Defense 7 8 Attorney transferred from Superior Court Medical Examiner 14 14 Overtime and other expenses cut Superior Court 239.1 223.5 Drug Court trimmed; family court investigators, program coordinators and registered nurse cut County Clerk 88.45 79.6 Assistants, family court facilitator and others cut Corrections 363.1 339.6 Captain, custody officers, assistants, counselors, mental health workers and others cut Emergency Mgmt. 11.6 11.6 Expenses cut READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. 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