Thurston may cut 50 jobs

BY KERI BRENNER | THE OLYMPIAN • Published September 30, 2008

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OLYMPIA - Faced with a $4.3 million budget deficit next year, Thurston County is proposing to lay off or not fill vacancies for 50 courts, prosecuting attorney's, sheriff's and corrections jobs, officials said today.

The sweeping list of proposed criminal justice and law enforcement 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 beds.

"In my view, these cuts in Thurston County are as much of a crisis as the bank failures are at the national level," said Jon Tunheim, chief deputy prosecuting attorney, at a meeting today of more than 40 criminal justice and law enforcement staff and the three county commissioners. "These cuts will be a step back to where we were 15 years ago."

Don Krupp, chief administrative officer, told commissioners that some of the treatment-oriented programs and staff could be saved or reinstated next year if the county board approves a 1/10 of 1 percent sales tax increase. The commissioners have authority to adopt the sales tax increase, earmarked for treatment-oriented programs, without voter approval.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's Olympian.