Cuts may hit pretrial services hard

By Keri Brenner | The Olympian • Published September 12, 2008

OLYMPIA – Three staff members at Thurston County court pretrial services are among at least nine court staff members at risk of layoffs because of potential 2009 budget cuts, a top judge said.

Presiding Superior Court Judge Christine Pomeroy said the loss of personnel, included in 2009 budget proposals given to county commissioners Monday, could cripple county courts operations. In particular, layoffs of three people in pretrial services could force judges to keep people in jail instead of releasing them to outside supervision, she said.

"Three out of five — this is very drastic," Pomeroy said Thursday. "We're going back to pre-1990s levels for pretrial services."

Other 2009 potential job cuts in the courts include eliminating four security-officer positions at District Court's Building 3 at the Olympia courthouse campus, reducing court reporters from seven to six in Superior Court, dropping participants in drug court from 90 to 72 and not filling a vacant law clerk position in Superior Court,

"If these budget cuts go into effect, how will we run the courts?" Pomeroy said. She added that jury costs have exploded this year because of lengthy trials and expenses for interpreters. The courts will ask commissioners for more money next week to cover juries for the rest of 2008.

"If we don't get it, we're completely out of juror money," Pomeroy said.

The courts, and all other county departments, were told in June to trim expenses an average of 5 percent for 2008 to realize a total $4 million reduction in county general-fund expenses, from $79 million to $75 million. The county, like many other government agencies, is suffering from reduced sales-tax revenues because of the sluggish economy and limited sources of other income.

On Monday, the departments were asked to submit 2009 budget proposals that included an average 5 percent reduction from their 2008 approved budgets. The total drop will vary from department to department but is expected to be 5 percent to 12 percent.

Don Krupp, county chief administrative officer, said the departments' 2009 budget proposals are being recorded in the county's financial management system, in preparation for detailed review by county commissioners.

"It's purely number-crunching, cross-checking right now," Krupp said. The proposals will be presented in anecdotal form starting Sept. 19, Krupp said. A report on streamlining proposals for county law and justice departments also is expected by Sept. 30.

On Thursday, Pomeroy said pretrial services would lose its sole office assistant, and the number of pre-trial specialists would drop from four to two.

That would leave little staff to process background checks on people who are arrested, keep track of those released on random check-in status or verify addresses of where people will be staying if released, she said.

"This is a public-safety issue," said Pomeroy, who discussed the issue Thursday with other judges at their weekly meeting. "I'm not going to release someone from jail if I don't know where they will be staying."

Other county departments previously reporting potential layoffs are Thurston County Sheriff's Office, the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program and the county juvenile detention center. Commissioners this week also discussed eliminating contributions to outside social-service agencies.

The county is expected to release a draft 2009 budget in November, with final budget adoption in December.

Keri Brenner covers Thurston County for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5435 or kbrenner@theolympian.com.