Some Snohomish County residents could be paying more in taxes next year if the County Council approves the proposed 2004 budget, which includes a 1 percent increase in property taxes.
Also, the two-time failure of the jail sales tax will mean fewer employees working for Snohomish County next year and no new programs, County Executive Bob Drewel said Friday, Sept. 26 as he unveiled his 2004 budget.
Although the county will spend more in 2004 than in 2003 – the general fund budget has grown 4.2 percent, to $172 million – Drewel said 13 full-time positions would be cut in seven departments. Employees will be let go in the executive’s office, human resources, human services, juvenile services, the sheriff’s office, corrections and finance departments.
In addition to a proposed 1 percent increases in property taxes, the 2004 budget also calls for a rise in surface water fees for some residents and a 1 percent increase in the county’s road property tax.
In terms of building the new jail, Drewel stressed that building the new jail, the cause of the county’s budget crunch, was something that couldn’t be avoided.
“Snohomish County had no choice but to build the expanded jail,” Drewel said as he presented his 2004 spending plan to a crowd of county employees and elected officials gathered at the new Everett Events Center.
“Tougher criminal laws, longer mandatory sentences and a 30 percent growth in population have filled our jail beyond its capacity,” he said, adding that the courts would have forced the county to expand the jail if the county hadn’t moved first.
The jail was designed for 447 inmates but has housed more than 600 people in recent years, and has suffered from chronic overcrowding.
“The handwriting was clearly on the wall,” Drewel said.
The costs of criminal justice again consume most of the general fund budget – the pot of money that pays for general government services, including police, permitting and parks.
Law enforcement and justice costs in 2004 $118.9 million, roughly 69 percent of the budget.
The proposed 2004 general fund budget for the sheriff’s office is $37.4 million, an increase of $1.4 million, and more than double the $16.1 million budget for the sheriff when Drewel took over as county executive in 1992.
With other funds, the sheriff’s total budget in 2004 will top $40 million.
While the number of deputies won’t be cut, the sheriff’s office is scheduled to lose seven positions, including a crime prevention officer, an animal control officer and the entire squad of judicial services officers.
The budget also doesn’t include new deputies who could be devoted to a methamphetamine strike team to fight the spread of the illegal drug.
Next year’s spending plan does include, however, an extra $100,000 for adult drug courts.
Drewel, giving his last budget address during his 12 years as executive, said the principles that guided him in 1992 were the same ones that helped shape the 2004 spending plan.
“We have never shaped our policies based on who screams the loudest,” Drewel said.
While the 2004 plan does include targeted cuts, Drewel drew the line at chopping spending for human services.
“We are not all things to all people, but we are unwilling to sacrifice those in need,” he said.
“So often, those who wish to make government less costly begin their efforts by abandoning those in need,” Drewel said. “We have simple, well-managed programs, and we stand by them.”
Potential cuts in office hours for county departments were avoided. Drewel said an analysis showed that reducing service hours wouldn’t save much money because employee workloads wouldn’t be reduced, just shifted.
Drewel also said the county will save money as the new county campus is completed and offices are centralized.
He recalled setting up a task force in April to find ways to save money with the construction of the $170 million campus project. The task force has since reported that the county will save $1.8 million in staffing costs by the end of 2005 because of consolidation efforts.
Drewel will leave office before much of the new campus is finished. The new jail will open in 2005, and the county expects to cover the costs of running the jail by dipping into the county’s rainy day fund. That account will contain about $15.7 million at year’s end, but will drop to $1.4 million by 2006.
Next year’s spending plan also includes higher surface water fees for property owners in cities’ urban growth areas.
The surface water management fee for homeowners was raised to $65 last year in the Southwest Urban Growth Area. Drewel is proposing to raise fees from about $34 to $65 in other growth areas to pay for drainage projects throughout the county.
Although the general fund budget has grown to $172 million next year, up from $165 million in 2003, county officials said half of the increase is due to the rising costs of workers’ compensation, liability insurance and health care insurance.
Overall, including funding for road projects and other infrastructure, the county’s total budget will be $571.2 million in 2004, roughly a half-percent increase over 2003.
Although some departments suggested chopping essential items, those suggestions weren’t folded into the budget.
“We had many Brooklyn Bridges put forward,” said Roger Neumaier, Drewel’s executive office administrator. Instead, smaller reductions were made to keep overall programs intact.
Proposed reductions include the elimination of the county paying the fees for residents who drop off unwanted animals at the Everett Animal Shelter, reducing the number of voting precincts by 74, and cutting staff time for employees who work with 4-H and Master Gardener volunteers.
Brian Kelly is a reporter with The Herald in Everett.
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