This letter responds to Paul Blowers letter to the editor of July 13 (“Liberal spending, taxing is the problem”) in which he criticized the Snohomish County Executive’s management of the county’s budget. Mr. Blowers, in his zeal to support his own obvious political agenda, has once again misrepresented the facts. Because his letter specifically referenced me, I feel compelled to set the record straight.
Blowers states that a 2.53 percent increase in the 2003 county budget was due to the shift in county council leadership from liberal Democrat to conservative Republican. Wrong. Executive Drewel recommended the 2.53 percent increase. The council increased the executive’s budget by over a half-a-million dollars resulting in a 2.86 percent increase in the general fund budget – still a moderate increase but clearly not as tight-fisted as the executive’s original recommendation. The executive signed this budget out of respect for the policy decisions made by the county council.
Blowers also overlooked that the amount of the increase in the 2002 budget was 3.8 percent and the increase in the 2001 budget was only 2.3 percent!
Blowers stated that the county collected $99.6 million of property taxes in 2001. He fails to mention that in addition to general fund revenues, this revenue includes the property taxes collected for county roads, the Denny Juvenile Justice Center, conservation futures, and revenue for several other funds.
Blowers also stated that the county increases its annual collection by 12 percent annually. Wrong again. Tax revenues actually increased by 9 percent compounded annually, the correct way to calculate the increase. This 9 percent increase includes the full amount of the levy lid that pays for the juvenile justice center (authorized by county voters) and goes away after this year. It also includes the roads program tax increases that are greater than the general fund increases because of the county’s need to respond to traffic.
As a result of good financial stewardship during Executive Drewel’s tenure, Snohomish County faces a more manageable financial challenge than many other counties across the state. The “liberal vs. conservative” demagoguery that Mr. Blowers uses is off-base and serves only to further his partisan goals. Snohomish County stands out as a local government that has managed its finances well.
Snohomish County Executive’s Office
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