County Council OKs budget consultant

Work to reinvent Snohomish County’s approach to crafting its annual budget will continue after all.

The Snohomish County Council approved an amendment to a consultant contract that gives County Executive Aaron Reardon the authority to spend up to $105,000 on outside expertise for priority-based budgeting.

Council members expressed concern over the contract, originally signed by Reardon for $50,000, when they discovered the agreement was the first of two, with potentially more in the offing.

Some on the council felt the contract should not have been split into two pieces and — since the total cost topped $50,000 —should have came to the council for approval.

The amendment that combined the two $50,000 contracts, and included another $5,000 for the consultant’s travel expenses, was approved Wednesday without fireworks or fanfare.

"We’re very pleased," Reardon said after the vote.

Reardon has been promoting priorities-based budgeting as a way to fend off a potential $16.6 million budget deficit next year. He wants to build the 2005 spending plan from scratch and have county departments compete for funding.

Reardon hired Public Strategies Group Inc. of St. Paul, Minn., as a consultant to help the county launch its new budgeting effort.

However, the council hasn’t wrapped up its review of contracts for Public Strategies.

The firm has outlined future phases of work, and Reardon has asked for a budget transfer of $100,000 to pay for the extra help. That means another amendment to the contract will come up again next month.

The council delayed a vote on the budget transfer until May 5.

Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.

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