SAN JUAN COUNTY

Budget choices reveal council's priorities

posted 12/06/2008
San Juan County Council will adopt the 2009 budget Tuesday, December 9. This past Tuesday, they voted on a series of motions restoring some positions and pulling some programs back on board. Among the positions still cast adrift are a public health nurse, an investigator for the sheriff's office, a custodian, half of the stormwater technician's position and an application support specialist.

They chose to add back the Agricultural Resource Committee Coordinator, the Juvenile Probation officer, a department assistant for the long range planning department, a half-time assistant to the Parks department, the county council's assistant position (at ¾ time) and a departmental assistant to the Health department. They added funding to the sheriff's office (for either a clerical or dispatch worker).

They also restored funding for transportation for seniors and for youth recreation programs on Orcas and Lopez Islands. Recreation programs on San Juan Island are funded through a junior taxing district voted for by San Juan Island residents. The fairness of having all county taxpayers pay for the recreation programs for Orcas and Lopez because those residents do not chose to fund their own program was brought up during the 4-2 vote on the motion.

The council did not fund a request from Assessor Charles Zalmenak for additional staff. Without the increase, he said it would be difficult to appraise the new construction built each year. If not assessed the county would lose $300,000 in additional revenue, he said.

John Manning, director of Health and Community Services said, "People will die." when he addressed the council about the budget cuts to his department. Half of the $400,000 cut from the current fund came from his department. After hearing from him on December 2, the council restored one departmental assistant. They had already decided to restore funding for senior services transportation after being lobbied by senior citizens.

Sheriff Bill Cumming was upset that public safety wasn't fully funded before anything else was considered. Cuts made in the original draft budget to the Department of Emergency management and to the sheriff's office weren't restored. After hearing from him, the council debated between giving him an additional $25,000 or $32,000, settling on $32,000.

Dona Wuthnow, director of the county Parks Department has restructured her workforce to cope with the budget cuts. Volunteers from the San Juan Trails committee and other community groups have stepped forward offering to help keep parks open. The council restored a half-time position to her staff to oversee the volunteers and for reservations.

The final hearing on the budget is set for 3 p.m. Dec. 9 in the county hearing room at 55 Second Street in Friday Harbor. COUNTY WEB SITE

13 Public Works employees provided
county vehicles to drive to work

posted 12/01/2008
San Juan County Public Works Department provides county vehicles for the following employees to commute to work: Public Works Director, County Engineer, Operations Manager, Facilities Manager, Utilities Manager, Solid Waste Manager, ER & R Manager, District 1 Superintendent, Road Supervisor District 1, District 2 Superintendent, Road Supervisor District 2, District 3 Superintendent, District 3 Road Supervisor.

The county pays for the fuel, maintenance, and - if necessary - ferry fares for the vehicles. The reason this is done is to enable the employees to respond quickly in case there is an emergency according to Policy and Procedure Directive 2007-03. A $1.50 is added for each commute to their paycheck in accordance with IRS requirements.

Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO) employees frequently responds to after hours emergencies. Manager of Operations Todd Shaner said seven OPALCO employees drive company vehicles home. They are the general manager, manager of operations, engineering manager, manager of technical services, and the three general foreman - one on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Island. The general foremen's service trucks are equipped with a minimal amount of equipment to take care of emergencies such as a hot line down on the roadway, he said.

The sheriff's office was the only other place where county employees drive vehicles home. (Editor's Note: We attemped to check with all 19 of the county departments Wednesday, Nov. 26. We didn't hear back from the Land Bank and Parks Dept.)

Undersheriff Jon Zerby said the deputies need to be able to respond directly from their homes. They'll frequently be called in from home to assist another deputy, he said.

Asked in a phone interview November 26, 2008 for a comment, Councilmember Howie Rosenfeld had no problem with deputies taking the squad cars home. "Everybody would agree with that," he said. But he wondered why if volunteer firefighters are able to respond in their own vehicles to fire stations, Public Works employees couldn't do the same thing if there was an emergency - drive to the building and pick up a vehicle. "But there are always two sides to an issue," he said. The council will review the matter before the budget is adopted, he said.

The Public Works budget is separate from the county current (general) fund budget. In the past few years, up to a $1 million each year has been legally shifted from the road fund to the county current fund. Approximately half has been diverted to the sheriff's budget and the other half to the general county expenses.

A public hearing on the county budget will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2 in the Legislative Building at 55 Second Street in Friday Harbor.

Council Request: No Pay Increase for Council Members This Year

posted 11/20/2008
At the conclusion of its discussion of the proposed 2009 budget today, the San Juan County Council voted to send a letter to the Salary Commission asking that it not give County Council members a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for 2009.

Council Chair Howie Rosenfeld suggested the move saying, “It will send a positive message to the community and our staff." Rosenfeld said he had cleared the proposal with Council Members-Elect Richard Fralick and Lovel Pratt, who will be joining the Council in February.

The vote was 4-0 in favor with Council Members Alan Lichter and Gene Knapp absent.

The San Juan County Citizens Salary Commission sets salaries for elected County officials whose compensation is not established by the state. Last year it gave Council Members a 3 percent cost of living increase.

County Auditor Milene Henley said eliminating the COLA for the council would save $4623.49.

"That just about covers the $5,000 for lobbying and travel," Rosenfeld said. (The preliminary budget proposal presented to the Council by the County Administrator did not include funds for lobbying. $5,000 was added in.)

The Council voted separately to send a letter to other elected officials asking them to also consider foregoing cost of living increases.

Council proposes add-backs to 2009 draft budget

Ag coordinator, juvenile probation officer positions restored;
restrooms kept open, day parks partially open

posted 11/20/2008
On Monday, Nov. 18, 2008 San Juan County Auditor Milene Henley told the county Council she expects to have about $300,000 more cash left at the end of this budget year than projected earlier and – after being warned that much of it would need to be allocated for such necessary costs as separation expenses and correcting a few errors in the recommended budget – the San Juan County Council proposed using the money to restore several items that had been reduced or cut in the preliminary proposal submitted to the council by Administrator Pete Rose.

The meeting was geared toward establishing the budget that the Council will move to public hearing on December 2.

The most visible of the proposed add backs include retaining the Juvenile Probation Officer who primarily serves Orcas and Lopez Islands, retaining the Agricultural Resource Committee coordinator's position and restoring $25,000 for the senior citizen transportation program. The council also voted to ask the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee to grant approximately $25,000 in Lodging Tax funds to the Parks department to enable it to keep public restroom facilities open at Shark Reef Park on Lopez, Village Green in Eastsound and possibly open facilities in peak season in some day parks now scheduled to be closed.

With the add-backs, the proposal now calls for a total reduction in the County's workforce equivalent of approximately 14 full-time positions. The reduction is spread across 19 departments. Four employees are being laid off - two full-time and two part-time. Some positions are empty and will not be filled. The rest of the workforce reduction is coming about by reducing the hours of approximately 25 employees.

Three other employees, whose positions are funded from building and land use permit fees, have been told there employment is contingent upon the amount of permitting activity taking place. Through the end of October, permitting income has remained steady.

Employees who are laid off or have to take a lower-paying position will be placed on a lay-off registry and for the next two years will be the first to be notified of any County job opening.

"The turnover rate for our County workforce was 15% in 2006 and 12% in 2006 and 2007," said County Administrator Pete Rose. "Even if that rate is somewhat lower this coming year, we hope to have opportunities for employees affected by these cuts."

As she compiled new budget figures, Auditor Henley again warned the council that because much of the additional $300,000 she expects to be in the bank at the end of the year is already committed, the add-backs would reduce 2009 working cash reserves well below the Auditor's recommended amount of $1.5 million. However Council members agreed to take the budget, including the restored items, to the public hearing and deal with additional changes – or cuts if necessary – during final deliberations.

A public hearing on the proposed 2009 budget is scheduled for December 2. More information and County Council's Budget Proposal documents are available on-line at: www.sanjuanco.com/budget2009/default.aspx

County Administrator's Budget Proposal Cuts Deep

On Tuesday, San Juan County Administrator Pete Rose submitted a $13.3 million dollar budget proposal to the Council that includes cuts in every county department and reduces or eliminates some highly visible government services.

Proposed cutbacks include the lay off or reduction in hours of more than 10% of the County workforce, a 23% reduction in the County Health and Community Services Department's budget, closing seven County parks and several public restroom facilities, reductions in programs for youths and seniors, increased fees for farmers markets and for the use of County facilities for community events, and closing some county service offices on Orcas and Lopez Islands.

"This is by far the largest budget gap I have had to deal with in my career," said Rose - a 28 year veteran of county and municipal administration. "The amount we had to cut was the equivalent of the combined total budgets of the Assessor, Auditor and Treasurer's departments. The cuts we have had to propose will set the County Health Department, the Parks department and Juvenile Court back to where they were 15 to 20 years ago."

When the 2008 County budget was adopted, Rose and County Auditor Milene Henley warned that very little slack was being left in the budget. Historically, actual spending by the County had averaged approximately six percent below budget and revenues historically exceeded projections, leaving unspent cash at the end of the year. To sustain programs the County Council deemed essential, department budgets were tightened to within less than 2% of projected spending and roughly a million dollars of working cash reserves was used to balance the budget.

The Auditor's revenue and spending projections through the second quarter showed that, assuming even a lower than average 4.9 percent growth in revenue, the County's budget could be sustained with some modest cutbacks. But the nationwide credit and foreclosure-fueled economic crisis grew quickly after mid-year. State, county and local governments which depend on property taxes, and sales and excise tax revenue from construction and home sales, were hit especially hard. Pierce and Snohomish Counties in Washington had to borrow money to meet last month's payroll. And in San Juan County, with 2009 budget preparations well underway, Auditor Milene Henley projected that total available funds in 2009 will actually be lower than in 2008, primarily because of reduced sales tax revenue projections and reduced cash reserves.

"By law, the most we can increase tax revenue from existing property is 1% and that amounts to approximately $40,000;" said Henley. "That is less than our anticipated increase in gasoline costs." In early October the County Administration confronted a difference between projected revenues and departmental budget requests of approximately $1.8 million - nearly 13%.

Among the early cutbacks in department budget proposals, Henley noted, was that requests for increased budgets for gasoline were simply cut in half, based on the dropping price of oil. Administrator Rose said he began with formal priorities: (1) Public Safety, (2) Core and legally mandated services, (3) Long range planning projects that would bring the County into compliance with the State Growth Management Act, (4) Public Health, (5) Environmental and quality of life programs including parks. But in the end, all of those programs were cut back.

With 203 authorized full-time positions and 61 part time and seasonal jobs, the San Juan County government is the County's largest single employer. The proposed cutbacks affect approximately 30 employees, eliminating the equivalent of 20 full-time jobs. According to County Human Resources director Pamela Morais, all employees who are at risk of lay-off or cutback have been informed by their supervisors.

It will now be up to the San Juan County Council to review and ultimately adopt a balanced 2009 County budget before the end of the year. The Council has scheduled additional meetings to review and discuss departmental budgets.

A brief description of the most visible cutbacks in services is listed at the end of this article. A viewable PDF version of the budget will be posted on the county's Web site www.sanjuanco.com by the end of the day on October 21.

A public hearing on County Revenue will be held on November 4. The Council has scheduled the final budget public hearing and adoption of the budget for December 2; however Administrator Rose says that it is possible that the budget may be adopted sooner if work can be completed in time.

Proposed Budget Cutbacks and Effects

Listed in order of Percentage Budget Reduction Figures current as of 10/20/2009 (Percentages compare 2009 department budget request to Administrator's proposal to Council)

San Juan County Park Department - Budget Reduced $314,770 - 33% In 2008 the Parks Department received 26% of its operating funds from the County Current budget. In 2009 the county fund will provide only 5% of the department's budget. The most visible cuts in Parks:

Parks to be closed on San Juan Island

• Reuben Tarte Memorial Park
  
  
• Eagle Cove Day Park
  
  
• Turn Point Park

Parks to be closed on Lopez Island

• Shark Reef Sanctuary
  
  
• Otis Perkins Park
  
  
• Blackie Brady Park
  
  
• Mud Bay Park

Close Public restrooms at Eastsound Village Green, Eagle Cove, Shark Reef and Reuben Tarte Parks.

Increase fees charged to farmers market at Village Green by $3,000 per year.

Charge higher fees to use Park facilities for special events.

Eliminate all county cash contributions to Orcas Island Recreation Program - an amount equal to 13% of that program's budget last year. Staff hours will be cut by 10% and staff will focus on fundraising. Some programs will be discontinued and scholarships for low income children to attend Orcas Rec programs will be reduced.

No money provided for park trail maintenance or major repairs to facilities or infrastructure.

Administrative support for the San Juan Island Trails Committee will be cut.

"The main issue is that this budget doesn't contain enough money to properly maintain the camping parks that will remain open and must generate the department's funding," said Parks Director Dona Wuthnow. "If we aren't able to do major repairs or fixture and equipment replacements, we will see a decline in the total park system over time."

Community Development and Planning - Reduced $477,401 - 24.6% The department was stripped of virtually all costs not having to do with permitting, code enforcement and long-range planning. The proposed budget would:

• Eliminate one of the department's four clerical positions.
  
  
• Reduce professional services budget for major projects, including the Critical Areas Ordinance, GMA compliance and planning projects concerning the Lopez/Eastsound UGAs by $60,000.
  
  
• Eliminate county funding for the Marine Resources Council and the Lead Entity for Salmon Recovery. The survival of those programs would depend entirely on grant funding.
  
  
• Support a 5% increase building permit fees.

Administration - Reduced 211,934 - 27%

• Reduce travel, office and professional services expense budget.
  
  
• Combine Communications Program Manager position with Information Services and Public Works departments.

WSU Extension (Agriculture) - Reduced $53,319 - 24.2%

• Eliminate funding for one 4-H Agent (the 4-H Coordinator remains).
  
  
• Eliminate funding for Agriculture Resources Committee Coordinator.

Health and Community Services Department - Reduced $332,856 - 23.1%

A total of 6 staff will be laid off from part-time jobs and the hours for two additional positions will be reduced. Two more employees will be moved into a grant funded project. Among the most visible impacts under the proposed budget:

• Lay-offs of some staff members at senior centers on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Islands.
  
  
• The transportation program that provides rides to seniors for medical appointments, grocery shopping and to congregate meals will be drastically reduced.
  
  
• Reduced nursing staff and clinic hours.
  
  
• Travel immunizations, tetanus, pneumonia, hepatitis and other recommended adult vaccinations would no longer be readily available.
  
  
• Flu immunization clinics would be reduced or eliminated.
  
  
• Probable reduced nurse home visits and medical travel assistance to Medicaid clients.
  
  
• Suspend the Derelict Vessel Program.
  
  
• Staff reductions in Environmental Health could double the wait time for a septic or water permit to be processed.

Information Services -Reduced $121,444 - 17.5%

• .5 time position reduction in 4 person department will reduce internal software and computer support.
  
  
• Desktop computers will be replaced on a six-year cycle rather than five years.
  
  
• $10,000 cut from program to upgrade network servers.

County Council - Reduced $93,603 - 16.2%

• Eliminate administrative assistant position
  
  
• Eliminate request for lobbyist/lobbying expenses
  
  
• Eliminate funding for video-conferencing program.
  
  
• Reduce travel, professional services and office expenses.

Juvenile Court - Reduced $56,657 - 14%

• Eliminate position of Juvenile probation officer serving Orcas and Lopez islands.

Facilities Maintenance - Reduced $86,855 - 14%

• Eliminates 1 full time maintenance worker and reduces another from full to part time.
  
  
• Cuts one half-time custodian.

Elections - Reduced $24,508 - 11.3%

• The Elections assistant position in the two-person office would be reduced to part time.
  
  
• Budgets for voters' pamphlet production and other offices expenses would be trimmed.

Superior Court - Reduced $20,446 - 11.1%

• Budget for Court Reporter reduced by $10,000
  
  
• Reduced budgets for jurors and office expenses.

Treasurer - Reduced $45,410 - 9.4%

• Combine a part-time position with Assessor's office.
  
  
• Reduce overtime budget for major accounting system conversion.
  
  
• Reduction in anticipated interest expense.

Prosecuting Attorney - Reduced $92,912 - 8.9%

• Eliminates funds to renovate the law library.
  
  
• Transfer one member of the two-person Victim Services team to grant funded program. Small reduction in authorized hours.

Auditor - Reduced $61,729 - 7.8%

• Close Orcas Licensing office and lay-off part-time licensing employee.
  
  
• Assume administrative duties for other departments affected by lay-offs.

Assessor - Reduced 7.8% ($70,386)

• Reduce the authorized hours of one property appraiser.
  
  
• Reduce hours and combine clerical support positions.
  
  
• Share customer service window

Sheriff - Reduced $145,999 - 5.7%

• Will not fill vacant investigator's position.
  
  
• Reduce additional fuel budget request by half.
  
  
• Clerical support cut from full-time to less than half-time.

20 county positions cut in draft budget cuts

posted 10/21/2008
Thirty county employees will be affected by cuts proposed in the draft budget which will be presented to the county council at 1 p.m. today by county Administrator Pete Rose. The budget includes cutting 20 positions, some are part-time and therefore the number of people affected is 30. The cuts affect 19 departments.

County Councilmember Kevin Ranker reminded the rest of the council this morning, the budget cuts are recommendations and that at least funding for two of the positions has already been found.

Positions proposed to be cut
The department name is in bold, the positions are listed in the bullets below the department. The county council will finalize the budget in December. Some of the positions are being moved into grants.

County Administration

• (0.75)Communications Coordinator

Assessor

• (0.50) Office Manager
• 0.10 Personal Property Manager

Auditor

• (0.60) Customer Service Specialist - Orcas Island

Facilities

• (0.20) Facilities maintenance worker
• (0.50)Custodian

Clerk

• (0.10) Archivist from .5 FTE to .4 FTE

Council

• (1.00) Department Assistant

Communications

• (0.50) Part time Dispatcher

Community Development and Planning

• (0.50) Marine Resources Committee Coordinator
• (0.50) Salmon Recovery Lead Entity
• (0.25) CAO Administrative Support
• (1.00) Dept. Assist. Permitting
• (1.00)Dept. Assist. Planning

County Agent

• (1.00) 4-H Agent
• (0.50) ARC Coordinator (Conservation District position)

Elections

• (0.25) Elections Assistant

Health

• (0.60) Dept. Assist. 1 San Juan
• (0.60) Environmental Assistant Health Technician
• (0.60) Dept. Assistant 2
• (0.60) Dept Assistant 1, Lopez
• (0.50) Dept. Assistant 1, Orcas
• (0.90) Public Health Nurse 2
• (0.20) Community Services Manager
• (0.10) Senior Services Coordinator
• (0.50) Public Health Specialist

Jail

(0.50) Field Corrections Officer

Juvenile Court

• (1.00)Juvenile Probation Office, Orcas and Lopez

Treasurer

• (0.50) Foreclosure Deputy

Prosecutor

• (0.20) Temp. Dept. Assistant

Sheriff

• (1.00) Investigative Deputy
• (0.60) Admin assist reduced from 1 to .4 FTE

Dept of Emergency Management

• (0.25) Emergency Management Director

Parks

• (0.05) OIRP coordinator
• (0.08) OIRP assistant
• (0.25) Dept Assist II
• (0.26) Reservationist
• (0.07) SJI Parks Asst Mgr
• (0.05) SJI Parks Mgr
• (0.17) SJI Parks Park Aide
• (0.05) Lopez/Shaw Park Aide
• (0.08) Shaw Park Aide
• (0.09) Lopez Parks Asst Mgr

Info Services

• (0.50) Web master
• (1.00) Application Support Specialist

19.34 Total FTEs FULL TIME EQUIVALENTS

County Budget Message: Bumpy Road Ahead

posted 10/25/2007
COUNTY NEWS RELEASE: County Administrator Pete Rose delivered good news to the County Council Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007: the budget he has presented for their consideration, totaling $59.6 million in 31 departments and funds, is balanced and maintains the current level of county services. The actual "moving parts" of the budget, Rose said, amounts to about $38 million dollars in capital and current expenditures after subtracting for double-counted transfers and reserves.

Rose sent the proposed 2008 budget document to the County Council late Friday, along with a budget message entitled: "Beginning to Look Ahead." The not so good news in his message, "It is doubtful that the service level can hold for an additional year.” As for the capital budget, Rose said it has "Hit ‘the Wall',” and he encouraged the council to consider levying the optional second 1/4 percent Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) to cover urgent facilities needs.

Now the budgeting process continues with the Council reviewing presentations from individual departments. Then on December 4th, the Council will hold a hearing on the proposed budget and tax levies. The final budget and levies must be adopted before December 31st."

The draft 2008 general operating budget ("County current") increases 5.4% over last year's to almost $14 million. Much of the increase is attributable to payroll costs: larger state-mandated contributions to retirement funds, higher medical insurance costs and contractual salary increases for county employees.

Other proposed increases are sparse. The Assessor's office will be able to hire an additional appraiser to reduce the backlog of annual property appraisals and new construction appraisals, and money is set aside to deal with the Assessor's changeover in the cartography position and in new mapping software.

The Parks department will receive an additional $70,000 to deal with maintenance and capital needs at the four additional parks it takes over this year. Rose noted that the increase, "still keeps this valuable service on the edge of adequate funding." The additional parks are located at Eagle Cove (San Juan), Pear Point (San Juan), Lopez Village and Lopez Hill.

The third area receiving new funds is Information Systems, where a $150,000 budget increase will allow the County to begin updating its computer systems every five years, rather than every 6-1/2 years as well as paying to support some technology systems and applications where the county has been running with too little or no support. The County's Information Technology Committee has warned that some internal systems in the older machines are no longer supported by the manufacturer. Rose commented, ."Technology is essential in keeping us efficient at our jobs and is probably the only way we are able to keep up with service demands as well as we do."

The County Administrator said he was pleased to advance one of the County's priorities: affordable housing. He proposed that funds from a recording fee that state law earmarks for affordable housing and homeless programs, be used to hire an affordable housing coordinator for up to two years. During that time the coordinator would seek independent funding and develop a more comprehensive strategy for affordable housing (workforce, senior, low-income) in the County. “Bricks and mortar” grants in these programs will also remain available.

In looking to the future, the County Administrator urged the Council to ."Worry less about finding efficiencies than finding effectiveness." He wrote, "We get the government we pay for, and government on the cheap may not be worth paying for." The cautionary note about the General Fund was described to the Council on Tuesday as a "controlled descent". Rose recommended that the Council and staff spend the first several months of 2008 analyzing budget sustainability and planning how to adjust it in the future.

Turning to the capital budget, expenditures will be highlighted by two projects: Design work for the repair of a wall at the courthouse which has been leaking since the 1980s and the restoration of the historic court house. The County won a $330,000 state grant to do the restoration, but it must match the grant dollar for dollar. The proposed budget sets aside 2/3rds of the match in 2008.

Among the capital projects postponed or left unscheduled for lack of funding:

• Actual repair of the water damaged courthouse wall.
  
  
• Construction of a fireproof vault for records at the legislative building.
  
  
• Repair and upgrade of fairground facilities.
  
  
• Lighting, repaving and striping for the courthouse parking lot.
  
  
• Relocation of the San Juan County Equipment shops
  
  
• Agate Beach Park toilet replacement.

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