Severity of city cuts emerging

EVERETT — For nearly 10 years, Ralph Mackey ran the Everett Senior Center. Last week, he became perhaps the most visible city employee to lose his job under the $3.5 million in budget cuts that Mayor Ray Stephanson announced.

"It came as a complete surprise," Mackey said from his home Tuesday after applying for unemployment benefits.

Everett’s executive administrator, Deborah Wright, will take over Mackey’s responsibilities.

"The senior center is not going to get the same service out of someone who handles three departments as it got out of me," Mackey predicted, referring to Wright’s other duties, which include overseeing the animal shelter, the libraries and the Office of Neighborhoods.

Although Stephanson announced his budget cuts on March 31, some details are only emerging now.

Among other things, the mayor did not announce last week that one of the fire department’s four arson investigator positions will remain vacant until at least the end of the year.

Fire Chief Murray Gordon said he doesn’t believe the cut will affect the ability of the city to investigate and solve arsons.

The position became open March 21 when an arson investigator left to go back to being a paramedic, Gordon said.

Overall, Stephanson laid off 17 permanent and seven seasonal employees, and he will not fill 10 current and future vacancies. The arson investigator position was not counted among the 10 unfilled vacancies because the mayor is considering restoring the post for the 2005 budget, said Kate Reardon, the city’s public information director.

Stephanson said more layoffs of city employees are possible next year.

The mayor said he’s already looking for ways to close a $3.7 million gap between revenues and expenses in the 2005 budget.

"Layoffs are very difficult and always an avenue of last resort," he said. But he added that he couldn’t rule out more layoffs.

If Tim Eyman’s Initiative 864 — which would require a 25 percent cut in property taxes —makes it to the November ballot and passes, the city would have to cut an additional $7 million to $8 million, he said.

Library director Mark Nesse said he might be forced to propose the closure of the Evergreen branch of the library if I-864 passes.

"The scale of that could be that we could close the branch and still not have enough money" to survive the cuts, he said.

Stephanson said the city hasn’t yet analyzed whether layoffs would be necessary if the initiative passes. However, Monte Turner, the president of Local 113 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents more than 400 city employees, predicted massive layoffs.

"What other options would you have if you’ve cut to the bone already?" he asked. "I don’t know where the money will come from other than employees."

The employees laid off this year are being given 30 days of pay, medical coverage for 60 days and help finding new jobs, Reardon said.

Although the layoffs are final, the program and service cuts may change, Stephanson said.

Among the cuts the mayor did not announce in his March 31budget address:

The park district’s swim team will be eliminated. There are 55 children on the team, parks director Susan Francisco said.

One parks supervisor and two recreation leaders were among five parks employees laid off. Francisco said supervisors will take over their responsibilities. The department also may have to reduce the number of volunteers, because the volunteer coordinator position was abolished, she said. The coordinator was transferred to another post.

The library’s $552,622 book budget will be cut by at least $19,000.

Layoffs of one full-time and three part-time library employees may lead to longer waits to check out books and obtain other services, Nesse said.

Police overtime will be reduced by $50,000, and two police department desk jobs will not be filled.

Wright, who will be taking on the senior center management, will see her salary cut by more than $10,000 because of a change in her title and job responsibilities.

Neighborhoods and compliance director Bud Wessman will replace animal control manager John DeWispelaere, who is retiring. Wessman’s duties will be taken over by the planning department.

The main switchboard operator was laid off. Two public works employees who have answered that department’s calls will now answer main switchboard calls as well.

In addition, travel and training expenses will be cut in several departments, as will expenses for supplies.

Reporter David Olson: 425-339-3452 or dolson@heraldnet.com.