County council finds money to hire 4 more deputies

Published 9:00 pm Monday, January 7, 2002

By Warren Cornwall

Herald Writer

The Snohomish County Council is moving quickly to put more deputies on the road.

In the first initiative of the new Republican-controlled council, analysts on Monday unveiled a plan to hire four more sheriff’s deputies than the previous council had budgeted in 2002.

Proponents touted the plan as a first crack at meeting a serious need for more officers.

"It’s a step in the right direction," said John Koster, elected in November along with fellow Republican Jeff Sax partly on a platform that the county had neglected law enforcement needs.

But the push to spend more money hiring deputies at a time when the county faces a tough financial future raised concerns among some.

"This has a significant impact," said Susan Neely, an executive director in County Executive Bob Drewel’s office and a former council analyst who studied sheriff’s staffing.

The plan calls for dipping into $1 million set aside in case the state opted not to give the county money promised earlier. That money was meant to make up for revenues lost when the state car license tab tax was largely abolished in 2000.

That would cover the estimated $480,000 first-year costs for the new deputies, including expenses such as patrol cars, plus some future costs. In later years, the annual cost would be at least $300,000, according to county finance department estimates. The council could vote on the plan as soon as Wednesday.

Sheriff Rick Bart welcomed the prospect of adding deputies to a force he has said is short dozens of officers.

"Wow," Bart said of the speed with which the new council responded.

In his 2002 budget, Bart asked for 47 new deputies, the number recommended by a computer model the county uses to measure sheriff’s staffing needs. The previous council allotted five deputies, and put four of the hires on hold for part of 2002, waiting to see if county tax revenues slumped.

The new initiative comes at a time when the county faces growing financial challenges. The county will likely need to cut 15 positions in 2003 and another 15 in 2004 to cope with a slowing tax revenues, the council heard Monday from Roger Neumaier, a budget analyst for Drewel.

Some cautioned that the availability of the $1 million hinges on the generosity of a state Legislature grappling with a $1.2 billion shortfall of its own.

"We don’t have this million dollars; we hope we have this million dollars," councilman Dave Gossett said.

Neely said the plan didn’t show how the added deputies would be paid for in future years and didn’t consider the added costs and work it could create for courts, prosecutors and the county jail.

"I think it’s very worrisome that there’s not a clear indication where the money is coming from," Neely said.

If the Legislature cancels the funding, there will still likely be enough unspent money available in the county budget to cover the first-year costs, council analyst Sharie Freemantle said. But money would have to be found elsewhere in future years, she said.

Council chairman Gary Nelson said law enforcement is a top priority of the new council, and other departments might have to face deeper reductions to absorb the costs. He said the council would examine the repercussions the added deputies could have on other parts of the criminal justice system.

"We will continue to seek other funding sources and creative ways to enhance the prosecutor, courts, corrections and associated departments," he stated in a news release.

You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.