EVERETT – The Snohomish County Council didn’t have the votes Wednesday to override a veto by the county executive on a spending measure, and will table the legislation until it gets a legal interpretation.
County Executive Aaron Reardon vetoed the legislation late last week, saying it would eliminate long-standing checks and balances on government spending by removing his office from overseeing transfers from a county reserve account. The result could be “backdoor raids on the county treasury,” he said when he made the veto decision.
Reardon said three of his top-ranking staff members relayed their concerns about missing language in the legislation as it was being drafted.
That didn’t stop three council members – John Koster, Jeff Sax and Gary Nelson – from criticizing the way Reardon delivered the veto.
“A veto is a very serious thing, and this council takes that very seriously,” Koster said. “There was no indication from the executive that this was even potentially subject to a veto.”
Sax said, “This is about working together in government, and this seems to be a wedge more than an opportunity to work together, particularly when we have a budget deficit coming.”
That was not the intention, and the Snohomish County Code still empowers the county executive to make those spending decisions, said Koster, County Council chairman.
“The veto pen should be used sparingly, never as a launching pad for rhetorical attacks, and these attacks are directly a contradiction of the executive’s profession for nonpartisan cooperation, which we desire,” Koster said.
It was Reardon’s second veto since taking office eight months ago. His predecessor, Bob Drewel, had three vetoes during his 12 years in office.
“I don’t take their comments personally,” Reardon said. “People say things they don’t mean when they are angry.”
Reardon said he believes the omitted language in the proposed ordinance was an oversight rather than deliberate.
“There is no reason to belabor this,” he said. “Let’s fix it and move on.”
The council finance committee on Sept. 7 will discuss what to do about the legislation.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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