PORT ANGELES — Before adopting next year’s budget, Clallam County commissioners warned that 2012 will be a work in progress.
“We will expect this budget will be changed a bit going into next year,” said Commissioner Mike Doherty on Tuesday night, referring to anticipated cuts from the state Legislature.
Commissioners Doherty, Mike Chapman and Steve Tharinger voted unanimously to approve the 2012 budget after the second of two public hearings at the county courthouse.
The $31.2 million general fund has a $38,326 shortfall that will be covered by reserves.
Layoffs, furlough days
Clallam County chiseled a $2.7 million shortfall down to size through 15 layoffs and arduous negotiations in recent months.
County employees will take 16 unpaid furlough days next year, a concession that the eight unions that represent county employees agreed to in order to prevent 16 additional layoffs.
“We saved employment, we saved services to the taxpayer, and we lived within our means,” Chapman told ranking county officials in the second budget hearing.
“We put the county on solid footing for now, seeing what the Legislature does to us.
“It gives us a fighting chance. I think for the good of the organization, we did the right thing.”
The Legislature is in a special session to cut $2 billion out of the state budget.
Expect more cuts
Doherty said Clallam County will take its share of the hit.
“And then, in the regular session, there probably will be more cuts,” Doherty said.
“We expect some adjustments through available [county budget] emergencies and other things in the first and second quarter of next year because of the Legislature in session.”
Tharinger, who is also a 24th District representative who represents Clallam, Jefferson and part of Grays Harbor County at the state level, described a “complexity” in cutting even more from the state budget.
“The state’s funding and services are at 1984 federal levels,” Tharinger said.
“Case loads, the number of people that are retiring, the number of kids that are entering school, the number of people that need care, the people that need higher education — those numbers have certainly gone up since 1984, but our funding has gone way down.
“Revenue based on GDP [gross domestic product], we’re probably at 1960 levels. So finding another $2 billion in cuts in that environment is very challenging,” Tharinger added.
Tharinger did not seek a fourth term to his county post this year to focus on his legislative duties.
His replacement on the Board of Clallam County Commissioners, Jim McEntire, attended both county budget hearings and took notes.
County Administrator Jim Jones and Budget Director Kay Stevens drafted 15 versions of the 2012 budget, compared with two or three versions in a typical year, to reflect the fluidity at the county in recent months.
A total of 19 positions were reduced, 15 by full layoff and four by partial reduction. One full layoff has since been changed to a partial layoff.
Unpaid furlough days
“We do have 16 unpaid furlough days and a cost-of-living adjustment by all employees,” Jones said.
“The cost-of-living adjustment is by everybody except for the elected officials who do not get cost-of-living adjustments and the few part-time people who also do not get medical benefits.”
In other action Tuesday, commissioners established the 2012 general purpose property tax levy, a 1 percent increase of $95,559.
Commissioners also established the 2012 road fund property tax levy for the county, a 1 percent increase of $64,470.
“Clearly this year, these two levies, specifically, saved jobs,” Chapman said.
Tharinger said there were some lingering issues in the budget, such as final union talks and park maintenance, that will take a few months to resolve.
“We have processes available for budget changes, budget emergencies and budget amendments within current county policy that would not foreclose anybody, and specifically the board, from making any changes you felt were appropriate in the future, whether that’s next week or next quarter or the first quarter of next year,” Jones said.
The budget presumes that all eight unions will sign tentative agreements.
The only person who testified in the second hearing was Norma Turner of Port Angeles, who thanked Jones for volunteering to take a pay cut of about $14,000.
Turner applauded commissioners for trimming their travel budget and encouraged them to look at long-term outcomes by supporting drug and alcohol prevention programs, therapeutic courts and mental health treatment.
‘Economic engine’
“I think it’s very important to say, again, that the Clallam County government, in this budget, still is a very large economic engine,” Jones said.
“A lot of people don’t realize that local government provides economic benefit to the local community.”
According to Jones’ executive summary on the 2012 budget, Clallam County is taking $28.1 million out of the economy in taxes, licence fees and permits.
At the same time, it is putting back $61.8 million through salaries, benefits, contracted services and capital projects for a positive effect of $33.7 million.
“And that’s before the economic multipliers,” Jones said.
“That’s real money.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
