EVERETT — Some members of the Snohomish County Council are annoyed about being kept out of high-level meetings about the county’s finances.
Executive Aaron Reardon called for the meetings, which are taking place today and Wednesday. They are to involve all elected department heads – but no councilmen. The amount of tax money coming into the county was one topic to be discussed. Another was how the county could cope with less money.
“He knows that that information was available and it’s beginning to look a little like playing politics with people’s jobs,” Council Chairman Mike Cooper said this afternoon. “I’m very concerned. Our county is in crisis and we have to deal with it.”
Cooper is hearing that county revenues this year could be $5-to-6 million less than what was expected. Such a shortfall would take about 2 or 3 percent from the county’s $206 million general-fund budget for 2009.
A cut of that size certainly means more layoffs and fewer services for the community, Cooper said.
Reardon has promised to meet with the council members individually on Friday, ahead of an official financial presentation next week before the council.
The executive has said he wants to discuss the situation with the elected department heads such as the sheriff, the prosecuting attorney and the auditor before talking to the council.
On Monday, Reardon acknowledged that the county’s economic situation is worse than anticipated. He blamed inaccurate statewide economic forecasts for the county’s overly optimistic revenue estimates.
Today’s meeting lasted for two hours and included the elected sheriff, auditor, treasurer and others. A follow-up meeting was scheduled for noon on Wednesday.
Initial signs show county tax money coming in at a trickle compared with last year. The taxes collected on home sales, for example, were down $5 million in February compared with the same time last year. Last month’s numbers for real estate excise tax shrank by threefold compared with last year — to $2.4 million from $7.6 million.
Sales tax revenue is falling, too. The county collected about $600,000 less last month compared with February 2008. The drop to $3.1 million from $3.7 million means a decrease of 16.5 percent.
Cities in the region are seeing similar declines.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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