PORT ANGELES — Clallam County’s unions have settled on which workers will be laid off Nov. 30, county Administrator Jim Jones said.
After it was announced that Clallam County would have to cut 15 jobs to help balance a $2.4 million budget shortfall, the county’s Teamsters unions started “bumping” employees based on seniority.
A tenured employee who was given a pink slip could bump a less experienced worker out of a job with the union’s support.
In some cases, workers moved from one department to another.
Jones said Friday that the process had come to a close.
“What is going on right now is all the unions have come back to the table,” Jones said.
The sides are trying to avoid a second round of layoffs that may occur in July without new revenue.
The unions originally said they would not give up pre-negotiated cost-of-living pay raises or bargain for unpaid furlough days.
In order to bring the shortfall to within $627,000 of black ink, county commissioners reached a consensus Oct. 13 to cut staff hours to 37.5 per week or require a corresponding 6.25 percent pay cut for salaried workers.
The three commissioners and Jones volunteered to take a 10 percent pay cut next year.
Sales tax hike
A penny-per-$10-purchase increase in sales tax to fund law and justice services has been proposed for placement on the February special election ballot.
County commissioners have not approved the idea.
Jones emphasized Friday that no final decisions have been made on the budget or the one-tenth-of-1 percent sales tax.
He said the budget will be “in flux” until commissioners adopt a final budget in early December.
Jones provided a list of the positions being cut in county government.
He declined to name the employees who are being laid off, some of whom have worked at the county for more than 20 years.
Positions cut
The layoffs will affect four people in the Sheriff’s Office, two in Community Development, two in the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, two in District Court, two in Parks and Facilities, one in the Assessor’s Office, one in Juvenile Services and one in the Washington State University Extension Office.
The budget proposal consolidates other positions and adjusts the responsibilities of part-time jobs.
Among the likely casualties of the budget ax is the popular Streamkeepers water-monitoring program.
Streamkeepers has 200 volunteers throughout the county who collect and analyze water samples from the rivers and streams in Clallam County watersheds.
Program coordinator Ed Chadd’s position will be eliminated under the current recommendation, leaving an Army of trained volunteers without a leader.
“Ed bumped into another job with DCD [Department of Community Development],” Jones said.
As for the future of Streamkeepers, Jones said: “We’re not sure yet.
“None of this is ever set in stone.”
Jones said perhaps another agency could take Streamkeepers on.
Community Development Director Sheila Roark Miller said staff is following up on leads for potential stewards for Streamkeepers.
“We going to contact some folks who we think might be interested,” Roark Miller said.
The first-year elected department director said Streamkeepers provides valuable “backbone” data for the county and state officials.
“I think if it was not for the volunteers, Clallam County could not have kept the program running for as long as it did,” she said.
Chadd declined to comment on the proposed cut to Streamkeepers or its future.
Roark Miller had already laid off two people earlier this year and reorganized the department to meet her budget. She said she has been steadfast in looking for new revenue and keeping her staff abreast.
“We’re doing our best at the county level to keep our services available and current,” Roark Miller said.
“We’re all in this together.”
Master Gardeners
Another popular but nonmandated service on the county chopping block is the Washington State University Extension Office Master Gardeners program.
The proposal is to eliminate WSU Extension Office support staff, which oversees Master Gardeners and other successful programs.
Master Gardeners program coordinator Muriel Nesbitt told the Peninsula Daily News last week that the program is “crippled but not dead.”
WSU Extension sponsors Master Gardeners, 4-H, Streamkeepers, Beachwatchers, youth enrichment programs in elementary schools and other programs and tours.
Master Gardeners plan to picket the Lincoln Street side of the Clallam County Courthouse on Monday at noon. The picket is to keep WSU Extension programs funded.
Master Gardener Elizabeth Oakes on Friday displayed a petition to fund Master Gardeners that was signed by 63 members of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
