EVERETT — More than 300 guards and other county jail workers could soon answer to the sheriff instead of the county executive in a proposed change that could save millions of dollars and at least a handful of jobs.
Councilman Mike Cooper said Tuesday that he plans to propose a change to the county charter that would place the county’s entire corrections department under Sheriff John Lovick. The department is currently directed by Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon.
“The sheriff is better prepared to run the corrections division than the executive,” Cooper said. “It’s not personal; it’s just a budget issue.”
The county government is facing a $9.3 million shortfall. Cooper and the rest of the council are in the throes of creating a two-year budget that must be adopted by the end of November.
Reardon has always supported such a change, and even discussed the idea with former Sheriff Rick Bart, who held the office until late last year, said Christopher Schwarzen, Reardon’s spokesman. The idea stalled in the past because the council’s five members haven’t been in agreement, he said.
Lovick said Cooper asked him about the proposal three weeks ago. The sheriff, who has been on the job since January, said he is confident that he and his staff will be able to efficiently and effectively oversee jail operations.
“I think they’re doing a great job over there. We’d just hope to build on what they do,” he said. “We’ve done that at the sheriff’s office. I think it’s the right time as the county faces a budget crisis.”
About 360 employees currently answer to Lovick, and the change would double that number. It could also mean enough savings in administrative costs to keep some of the 13 jobs that would be cut under Reardon’s proposed 2009-10 budget, Cooper said.
The council has all but tossed out Reardon’s budget plan because of complaints that it was created behind closed doors.
Cooper hopes his plan for the Corrections Department will go through before the new budget is approved in November.
Snohomish County is one of just four counties in the state that doesn’t manage its corrections department through the sheriff’s office. It makes practical sense to have all uniformed county employees answer to Lovick, Cooper said.
The department would also save money with Lovick at the helm, Cooper said. The sheriff has trimmed his own budget by changing the way business is done, not by cutting jobs.
The Corrections Department has been plagued for years by skyrocketing overtime costs and other budget overruns, Cooper said. Reardon and county executives before him weren’t able to get it under control, he said.
Schwarzen said that though Reardon wants to transfer the department to Lovick, he has kept it underbudget since 2004.
Lovick said he believes he can save money by reducing management costs, addressing ongoing overtime issues and make scheduling changes. He also said he believes he could improve morale at the jail.
It’s not clear whether corrections chief Steve Thompson would keep his job, Cooper said.
“Whether he keeps Steve Thompson is up to him,” Cooper said. “I’m proposing that we put the sheriff in charge and let him make those decisions.”
Lovick has advised his staff to begin analyzing the jail’s budget.
The change won’t detract from the mission of the sheriff’s office, he said.
“I think it would just continue our overall commitment to public safety,” he said.
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