EVERETT — A new proposal shrinks Snohomish County’s 2010 budget to fit using far fewer furlough days than an earlier plan from County Executive Aaron Reardon.
County Council Chairman Mike Cooper released his version of the budget on Monday. The full County Council is expected to vote on it next week.
“There still need to be some furloughs negotiated with the unions, but it’s five (days) instead of 15,” Cooper said.
Most county workers have had to take 11 unpaid days off this year, equivalent to about a 4 percent cut in salary.
Cooper’s plan equals a 1.9 percent pay cut for most of the county’s 2,800 workers, compared to a 5.7 percent cut under Reardon’s plan.
Both budget proposals try to avoid layoffs, though they might still happen if unions don’t agree to the furloughs.
Cooper’s budget includes a general fund of $202.7 million, similar to Reardon’s proposal.
Cooper said he was able to fill a $15 million budget shortfall with fewer furlough days because he found new revenue sources, identified more efficient ways to run the government and changed some priorities.
For example, Cooper would save about $700,000 by postponing technology upgrades at the county’s Department of Information Services.
“These are tough times,” he said. “We don’t need to buy new stuff.”
Washington State University Extension programs also were cut down to about $600,000 from $900,000. The county’s parks department is shaved as well by about $250,000 from a total $9 million budget.
Reardon released his version of the budget in September. His office had just received Cooper’s proposal on Monday and was in the early stages of looking it over.
“We’re still reviewing the numbers,” spokesman Christopher Schwarzen said. “Once we have all the information, we look forward to working with the County Council in the final days before the 2010 county budget is passed.”
The full County Council is scheduled to vote Monday morning on Cooper’s budget. After the council sends its budget back to Reardon, he can accept it or veto it.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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