6/17/2009
County to cut spending by $6 million, raise fees to balance budget
Vancouver, WA – The Board of Clark County Commissioners took action on Tuesday to prevent a deficit in the county budget for 2009-2010, by cutting plans for spending in most county programs and increasing fees to improve cost recovery for services related to building.
“Everybody is going to have some losses. If there is someone who is not mad, it’s going to be miracle,” said Board Chair Marc Boldt. “Our greatest loss will be letting go of some top-notch professionals on our staff. Unfortunately, they and their families will feel the most pain from all of this.”
Boldt said many county employees worked diligently to provide the Board with options to resolve about $21.5 million in potential financial problems. He also thanked community stakeholders for helping to forge compromises on thorny issues such as school impact fees.
The Board has asked managers to retain as many employees as possible to limit the impact on the local economy. There will be some jobs lost, but the exact number will depend on many considerations, including retirements, resignations and transfers related to seniority.
To provide many public services, the county depends on sales tax collections tied to new construction and retail sales. Those sectors have been hard hit during the economic downturn. The budget was based on conservative forecasts that had to be revised because revenue in the first quarter of 2009 was about 9 percent short of what was needed to maintain the $994 million two-year budget.
Key parts of the budget action include:
General fund departments: Reduce spending by $4.5 million or about 3 percent. Each department is to decide how to preserve jobs and minimize reductions in service.
Community Development Department: Improve cost recovery for fee-eligible services, including those provided by the Fire Marshal, by raising fees about $2.5 million overall. Reduce spending by $1.5 million to adjust to reduced demand for services and reduced revenue. Based on Tuesday’s hearing, the commissioners decided to reduce the scope of cuts previously considered for parts of the department that involve the Fire Marshal, Animal Control and Code Enforcement.
Real Estate Excise Tax: Use $3.6 million to pay on previous capital investments instead of using General Fund dollars and delay future capital investments.
Public Employees’ Retirement System: As directed by the State of Washington, reduce investments planned through 2010 by $2.7 million; prepare to increase investments starting in 2011.
Sheriff’s Office/County Road Fund: Limit impacts on public safety by using $2.5 million from the Road Fund to pay the Sheriff’s Office to patrol county roads in 2010. The Sheriff’s Office also expects to adjust plans to invest in vehicles, computers and new deputies.
Development Engineering: Improve cost recovery for fee-eligible services provided through the Public Works department. The commissioners directed staff to prepare plans to cover about 75 percent of the cost of these services. A detailed proposal is to be presented and formally considered in a public hearing set for July 14.
Motor Vehicle Fuel Budget: Reduce budget by $500,000 to recognize savings already achieved, due to prices lower than expected in 2009 so far.
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