County proposes cuts, may need more

Work force would drop by 7 percent, but $1.2 million gap remains

By Christian Hill | The Olympian • Published November 18, 2008

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Meanwhile, the county is receiving less in charges and fees because fewer people are selling their homes (real estate excise tax), taking their garbage to the Waste and Recovery Center (tipping fees), and developing their land (building permits).

On the other side of the ledger, meanwhile, costs for labor, utilities and fuel continue to rise.

The county's planning department is particularly vulnerable to this downturn in fees. It expects to receive $500,000 less next year than in 2008 and will lay off 17 employees as a result. The layoffs will reduce the number of employees who work at the Permit Assistance Center from 10 to seven. Employees at the center help residents, contractors and property owners who want to develop land.

Several building inspectors also will be laid off. The county has issued 29 percent fewer building permits than a year ago, Community Development Director Michael Welter said.

"Obviously, it's a tough time for everybody," he said. "Our bottom line is to keep in play the best possible service that we can, given the reductions."

The sheriff's office could lose as many as nine patrol officer positions, although Chief Criminal Deputy Jim Chamberlain said he hopes commissioners will keep it to the seven positions that already are vacant because of a hiring freeze. The office already has shifted the front-desk deputy and plans to move three traffic deputies into patrol.

The cutbacks will reduce investigations of some property crimes, cut out responses to low-priority calls and cut out responses to vehicle collisions on private property and state lands.

"It's not a good situation by any stretch as far as maintaining services," Chamberlain said.

The budget calls for laying off five deputy prosecuting attorneys as well as nine court-appointed attorneys and support staff members. Combined with proposed cuts in Thurston County Superior Court, the offices expect more court delays.

The total county budget is $374 million, $10 million more than this year. The budget is higher because the county will finance construction of the Accountability and Restitution Center and other capital projects with $45 million bonds to be sold next year.

In June, the county enacted a hiring freeze. The following month, they directed departments to reduce their current-year spending by 5 percent. Commissioners also asked departments to reduce spending by another 5 percent for 2009 and pay for the increased costs within those budgets.

The commission makes the final budget decision but it has no authority over elected officials who manage county departments.

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