Aaron Reardon to release budget plan for hard times

Published 9:41 am Thursday, September 30, 2010

EVERETT — Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon is scheduled to release his proposed 2011 county budget on Thursday, with his plan for managing the government through more economic doldrums.

His address, scheduled for 10 a.m., starts a public budget process that should wrap up by early December. From here, the budget goes to the County Council, which has scheduled three meetings in October to gather input from members of the public.

Reardon’s office hasn’t given many clues about what this budget cycle holds in store. It seems almost certain there will be cuts in county jobs and services. Many elected officials have said that this year his office has worked more cooperatively than in the past.

“They have improved the lines of communication,” Auditor Carolyn Weikel said. “It’s been a much more positive process than it has been in previous years.”

That said, Weikel’s office, which handles a variety of functions from document recording to animal control and elections, expects to lose at least seven vacant jobs in next year’s budget, leaving her a staff of 45. Other departments are likely to face cuts as well.

The county’s general fund budget for 2010 was just under $200 million. That’s the budget supported by revenues such as property tax and sales tax. About three-quarters of the general fund goes to funding the sheriff’s office, courts and other aspects of public safety.

The overall budget for 2010 topped $600 million. That includes dedicated revenue streams that pay for road work, solid waste, the airport, the planning department and other functions.

In the recent years, the economic downturn has made the county budget more challenging.

In 2008, the county closed a $20 million gap between revenues and expenditures by using up $17.7 million in cash reserves. It cut expenses and imposed a hiring freeze, which remains in effect. It also cut money for travel and training.

In 2009, the county closed a $5 million gap by eliminating 93 budgeted positions from the operating budget and negotiating up to 11 unpaid furlough days with most county employees. Tax, licensing and planning employees shortened their customer-service hours. District Court officials all but stopped answering their phones, and late in the year, the Clerk’s Office also reduced its public hours.

In 2010, the budget gap was $15 million. To bridge that, some exempt management employees and those not represented by a union or guild had to take five furlough days. Most employees received no cost-of-living increase. Reduced hours to the public remained in effect.

Even with that, county leaders had to return last spring to impose nearly 2.6 percent across-the-board cuts to county departments.

In years past, the budget process has showcased public disagreements between Reardon and the County Council.

This time, both sides generally agree on what next year’s revenues are expected to be, County Council Chairman Dave Gossett said. That hasn’t always been the case.

While Weikel, Gossett and others said they expect no surprises from Reardon’s address, not all of the county’s elected officials feel that way.

“I haven’t heard a word,” Treasurer Kirke Sievers said. “I’m hopeful that what we presented to them is what they will present to the council.”

In recent years, the County Council has significantly altered Reardon’s proposed budgets.

Sievers, who served as a long-time county councilman before being elected treasurer, said part of that owes to timing. The executive’s budget is based on what’s happened during the first nine months of the year. The council often receives fresher financial information after that, including revised revenue figures.

Budget presentation

Thursday’s budget presentation by County Executive Aaron Reardon is scheduled for 10 a.m. on the first-floor public meeting room of the Robert J. Drewel Building on 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett.

Upcoming meetings on the 2011 budget process are scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. on:

•Oct. 11, at the Stillaguamish Senior Center, 18308 Smokey Point Blvd., Arlington.

• Oct. 12, at Willis Tucker Park’s Gary Weikel room, 6705 Puget Park Drive, Snohomish.

• Oct. 18, at the Edmonds City Council Chambers, 250 Fifth Ave. N., Edmonds.

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.