EDMONDS – What would city of Edmonds budget cuts mean for the average citizen?
In the police department, it could mean some longer officer response times, reduced parking enforcement and elimination of crime prevention programs such as Block Watch (see story page 1). In the fire department, it wouldn’t result in anything most people would notice right away, but a fire inspector and a lot of support help would be lost.
In other departments, the effect might not be so potentially dramatic, but would be seen – and likely smelled – nonetheless.
“There would be a noticeable difference in the restrooms” at parks as a result of reduced maintenance hours, said Brian McIntosh, the city’s assistant parks and recreation director.
With custodial service proposed to be cut back citywide in 2003 as a result of a projected $2 million revenue decrease, trash pickup in parks would be less frequent, with the result that users could be asked to pack out their trash, McIntosh said.
Maintenance at parks that are not revenue-producing athletic fields or courts would be reduced. Building repairs citywide would be subject to greater prioritization as “maintenance people would be manning the brooms,” McIntosh said.
“Everything we do would be to a lesser degree,” he said.
Late spring and late summer swimmers would have to find a place other than Yost Pool to do it. The pool, normally open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, would be open only 60 days, roughly July and August, McIntosh said. It costs about $1,000 a day to run the pool, said parks director Arvilla Ohlde.
The city would lose some color over the summer. Its beloved flower basket and corner park program would be cut back from 160 baskets to half that total or less, and half of the corner parks would be planted with low-maintenance perennials instead of the colorful annuals that bloom in the summer, McIntosh said.
The Beach Ranger and other Discovery programs, including informational beach and nature-trail walks, beach cleanup days, spring break and summer nature day camps for kids, would be cut. Visits to classrooms would be maintained, Ohlde said, as those are paid for by the school districts.
If some of the money is restored, Ohlde said the first priorities to bring back would be some of the part-time help and flowers, with the latter having “a reciprocal effect on the economy” through enhancing the city’s image.
Hours at the sign-up window at the Frances Anderson Center would be maintained, as the window would still be open 14 hours a day, six days a week. But the backup help would be eliminated, Ohlde said, potentially increasing the wait for service at times.
Waits could also be lengthened for anyone who comes into City Hall to pay their utility bill, said city finance director Peggy Hetzler. Those who work at the pay window would be cut from three to two, meaning there would be no backup help.
Other losses in the finance department, including the equivalent of one-and-a-quarter accountants and an information technician, wouldn’t be immediately noticed by the public, Hetzler said. But as a department that serves all other departments, “we affect everything,” she said. “It’s going to make things a lot more difficult.”
Anyone who applies for a building permit through the city’s development services department would also likely have to wait longer, said department director Duane Bowman. The department would lose an assistant planner who reviews the permit applications, meaning those duties would have to be spread out. The planner also provides research support for the city’s Historic Preservation Advisory Commission and Downtown Parking Advisory Committee, increasing the demands on those volunteer boards.
The support person for the code enforcement officer would also be lost, shifting paperwork duties to the officer and slowing response time for complaints, Bowman said.
The two part-time receptionists in the planning department would be cut, leaving all calls to voice mail or to be transferred to the main receptionist downstairs – which would also be cut and filled by other employees rotating in, Bowman said. The planning department receptionist position would be the first he would restore if he can, he said.
“It’ll have a really dramatic impact on the public” as far as development services are concerned, Bowman said.
Fire service wouldn’t noticeably change, with the two firefighter positions to be cut backfilled by others working planned overtime, said Chief Tom Tomberg. But that’s “not always an effective way to do anything,” he said.
The department would also lose its fire inspector, reserves, the assistant chief and a part-time executive assistant, leaving two 8-to-5 positions in the department, Tomberg and Fire Marshal John Westfall – and “one person in fire prevention for a city of over 39,000 people,” Tomberg said.
Assistant Chief Kevin Taylor is in charge of training, safety, commanders and is an expert on state rules the department must follow.
“That’s a huge loss,” Tomberg said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
