County job cuts, tax rise on table

Proposals include major reductions at jail

By Keri Brenner | The Olympian • Published October 01, 2008

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OLYMPIA – Thurston County could lay off or not fill vacancies for 50 jobs to offset a $4.3 million 2009 budget deficit, along with increasing the sales tax, officials said Tuesday.

The list

Proposed Thurston County law and justice layoffs or unfilled vacancies cuts, listed by department and number of positions:

Sheriff's office -- 18
Prosecuting attorney -- 9
Assigned counsel -- 8
Superior Court -- 5.5
Clerk's office -- 4.5
District Court -- 4
Juvenile Court -- 1.5
Total -- 50.5

Money split

Don Krupp, chief administrative officer, proposed that $4.4 million from the increase in the treatment-oriented sales tax, if approved, would be split three ways:

• Aid to community mental health and drug addiction treatment programs;

• Establishing a coordinated therapeutic court overseeing both District Court and Superior Court mental health and drug offender treatment and diversion programs;

• In-custody jail and juvenile detention center treatment programs and services.

A sweeping list of proposed law and justice cutbacks also includes eliminating all jail treatment and education programs and capping the number of beds filled at the 80-space juvenile detention center at 40.

"In my view, these cuts in Thurston County are as much of a crisis as the bank failures are at the national level," Jon Tunheim, chief deputy prosecuting attorney, said at a meeting of more than 40 criminal justice and law enforcement staff members and county commissioners. "These cuts will be a step back to where we were fifteen years ago."

Don Krupp, chief administrative officer, said some of the treatment-oriented programs and staff members could be saved or reinstated next year if the county commission approves a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax increase. The commissioners have authority to adopt the increase, earmarked for mental health and drug treatment programs, without voter approval.

"So far, nine other counties have already adopted this sales tax increase," Krupp said.

The meeting's purpose was to present a final report from a law and justice task force looking at a 2009 budget that is 5 percent less than the 2008 department budgets.

The 5 percent decreases would maintain the county's general fund budget at $75 million and also would absorb all inflationary costs — including a 6.2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for employees.

Krupp, meanwhile, said the sales tax increase would generate $4.4 million annually. It would raise the county's sales tax from 8.4 to 8.5 cents per $1 spent.

Commissioners said they would look at the sales tax option in coming weeks.

"I'm anxious to get to the point where we have priorities," Commissioner Diane Oberquell said. "I'm not sure we have any priorities now other than survival."

Sales tax limits

Oberquell said the treatment-oriented sales tax is limited to new or re-tooled programs and can't be used to aid existing projects — something she wants the state Legislature to change.

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