EVERETT — Snohomish County Council chairman Dave Somers unveiled a 2015 budget plan Monday that rolls back some management-level pay hikes and sets aside some taxes for a future courthouse.
Somers’ $226 million operating budget reworks spending recommendations that Executive John Lovick made on Sept. 30.
“I think this budget is more sustainable and truly balanced,” Somers said. “I think the executive’s approach would have caused us real problems in 2016 and beyond.”
The council chairman recommended across-the-board cuts that weren’t in the executive’s proposal. Most departments would take a 1.5 percent hit under Somers’ plan. Budget reductions for the Sheriff’s Office and the jail, however, would be about half that amount. The combined loss for those public safety functions would total about $800,000.
Lovick’s budget included no cuts to public safety.
The full council is scheduled to vote on the amended budget next week.
Lovick’s staff planned to comb over new budget details before offering an opinion.
“We want to be able to do a full review and an analysis and comment after we have specifics,” executive director Lenda Crawford said.
Somers, along with council colleagues Terry Ryan and Ken Klein, have previously signalled their displeasure over 10 percent raises Lovick’s administration granted some top-level managers. In late September, they sent Lovick a letter questioning whether the raises were allowed under county code.
The raises went to 11 managers and totaled about $150,000.
The revised budget would eliminate the raises for eight of the employees, including Deputy Executive Mark Ericks and several department directors. The increases would stand for three employees who accepted jobs with the county this year, believing they were being hired at the increased pay scale.
Not all council members agree with that approach to the manager raises.
“I would prefer to freeze the wages for three or four years until CPI (the Consumer Price Index) caught up to them,” Councilman Brian Sullivan said. “Then, we wouldn’t be harming innocent people. Then, we don’t demoralize part of our workforce. If you roll back some of their wages, individuals might feel punished.”
Somers’ budget would change how the county uses $4.2 million in new property taxes approved specifically to pay for bonds on a new courthouse. Construction on the $162 million project is scheduled to begin in mid-2015.
Somers wants to sock that away for the sole purpose of paying off courthouse bonds over the next 30 years.
“We’re reserving courthouse taxes for courthouse construction,” he said.
The first bond payments aren’t likely to come due until 2016, however. That’s why Lovick’s staff reasoned they could put the new money toward various reserve funds, freeing up other cash for day-to-day expenses.
The difference accounts for Somers’ budget coming in several million dollars lower than Lovick’s $230 million operating budget. Total revenues are estimated $743 million.
Lovick’s budgeted for 2,789 employees next year, 14 more than the current budget. There’s no employee total attached to Somers’ amendment.
Having enough cash on hand to pay legal settlements could be another point of contention. Settlements have skyrocketed to about $3.9 million in 2014, triple last year’s total.
A 1 percent property tax increase remains the same in both versions of the budget.
Like Lovick, Somers proposes to set aside $2 million to cover the county’s share of costs from the Oso mudslide, which killed 43 people in March.
The council is scheduled to vote on the chairman’s budget at 10:30 a.m. next Monday. After the council sends Lovick an approved budget, he’ll have 10 days to sign or veto it. The executive also can let it take effect without a signature.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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