New sheriff’s deputies, new corrections officers, but no new taxes.
Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon made his pitch for how the county should spend taxes next year in his annual 2006 budget presentation on Friday.
Unlike the harsh budget ax that fell on $13.4 million in spending last year to balance the budget, next year’s spending could grow $13.1 million to $186.8 million, he said.
“Last year’s budget was referred to as ‘tough medicine,’” Reardon said. “Today, we are thriving and well.”
A growing economy marked by the lowest unemployment in the state has put more money into county coffers, especially sales taxes.
“We have the hottest job growth in the state,” Reardon said.
Reardon’s spending plan was presented to the Snohomish County Council, which will hold public hearings later in the fall.
General county property taxes haven’t increased since 2003. The last time the county’s road tax was increased, by 1 percent, was in the 2004 budget.
“We won’t have a property tax increase,” County Council Chairman Gary Nelson said after Reardon’s speech.
However, he said an increase to the county’s road tax might be considered. “Transportation is high on everyone’s list,” Nelson said.
Reardon is bullish on the prospect of using fallow Snohomish County farmland for crops that can be made into biodiesel fuel, with county public works vehicles as the key customer.
“Farmers win, the environment wins, and we reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” Reardon said.
He also touted proposals to restore more than 10 miles of salmon habitat.
He said the county should launch a child advocacy center, as proposed by the prosecuting attorney’s office.
The share of money to be spent on cops and courts next year climbs to nearly 71 percent of the county’s general fund budget, which pays for most general services.
Reardon’s budget could have been worse, Sheriff Rick Bart said.
“I’m not going to complain,” he said. “It is better than laying anybody off.”
Reardon said Bart can count on 10 additional deputies in 2006, but the sheriff said the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Six of the additional positions are connected to a state grant to fight methamphetamine, or police service contracts with local governments.
Two of the proposed new positions also come with strings attached, requiring the sheriff’s department to deploy the deputies on special duty to target high-crime areas. On top of that, money for some of the positions will be delayed, Bart said.
“I’m getting one deputy Jan. 1 from the general fund budget, and in July, if they have the money, I get three more,” he said.
The corrections department could get 15 new workers, including five new corrections counselors in the Offender Change program.
Reardon said 90 percent of the budget increase will go to public safety. But the budget focuses on sheriff’s deputies and corrections officers who arrest and lock up criminals, not deputy prosecutors who make sure they stay behind bars, prosecuting attorney Janice Ellis said.
Ellis said she appreciated Reardon including money in the budget to pay for programs designed to assist crime victims, but said she fears the community’s need for timely justice remains unmet. As expected, Reardon did not include money to restore deputy prosecutor positions lost to budget cuts in previous years.
“I continue to be concerned,” Ellis said.
In budget documents, Ellis’ staff pointed out that in 1999 43 deputy prosecutors handled 4,700 felony cases. Last year, 40 deputy prosecutors shouldered 6,700 felony cases.
Ellis said the growing caseloads have led to unacceptable delays in bringing cases to court.
| Reardons proposed budget and the text of his budget speech can be viewed at: www.co.snohomish.wa.us. |
A recent example involved a woman who left an abusive relationship in late August and moved into a shelter. Her alleged abuser remained free. The woman called prosecutors this week – one month after moving into the shelter – to learn the status of the case. She needed to know, because she no longer could stay at the shelter, Ellis said.
“We hadn’t even opened the case,” she said.
Instead, Ellis said, prosecutors were focusing on other suspects already jailed for rape, robbery or murder, making sure a deadline wasn’t missed that would result in their freedom.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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