County Council cuts deeply from most staff except its own

Published 10:16 pm Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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

Department20082009

Executive2218

Spokesman and other staff cut

Council23.2527

Spokesman cut, analysts added

Human Services196175.45

Services cut

Planning225161

Dozens of workers loaned to Public Works Department, others laid off

Hearing Examiner3.753.75

Case backlog will continue

Parks and Recreation78.170

Fair specialists and maintenance staff cut

Public Works672.75703.75

Workers added from Planning Dept.

Assessor74.467.85

Specialists, assistants and coordinators cut

Auditor55.551

Gambling tax auditor, licensing examiner and ballot collectors cut

Finance38.837.5

Office expenses cut

Human Resources20.519.1

Programs cut

Information Services111107

Vacant positions cut

Facilities Management4546

Expenses cut

Airport49.7549.65

Cut in hours for one worker

Treasurer30.527.5

County will no longer process passport applications

District Court91.591.5

Expenses cut

Sheriff’s Office361.5360

Impacts unclear

Prosecuting Attorney194.75189.5

Certain cases will be referred to city attorneys; assistants and lawyers cut

Public Defense78

Attorney transferred from Superior Court

Medical Examiner1414

Overtime and other expenses cut

Superior Court239.1223.5

Drug Court trimmed; family court investigators, program coordinators and registered nurse cut

County Clerk88.4579.6

Assistants, family court facilitator and others cut

Corrections363.1339.6

Captain, custody officers, assistants, counselors, mental health workers and others cut

Emergency Mgmt.11.611.6

Expenses cut