County budget keeps belt tightened

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The Jefferson County budget for 2017 avoided permanent cuts to its general fund for the second year in a row.

And for only the second year since the onset of the Great Recession, the general fund’s cuts weren’t required to stay within its projected revenues.

The addition of about $350,000 in base budget expenditures and $479,330 in special one-time expenditures is no minor feat, considering how much the city is limited in its ability to keep pace with inflation.

“We’d love to do more, but we don’t have the revenue to do it,” Jefferson County Administrator Philip Morley said.

Morley explained that, out of the nearly $55 million total budget for Jefferson County, three funds are supported by property taxes. Almost 50 percent of this year’s general fund of nearly $19 million comes from property taxes, which also account for 60 percent of the road fund’s roughly $460,000 in operating revenues. All of the conservation futures fund is covered by property taxes.

State law limits revenue growth in property taxes to 1 percent annually, unless otherwise approved by voters, and even when the 0.6 percent value of new construction in Jefferson County is added, that only allows the tax base to grow 1.6 percent each year.

“That falls well behind the rate of inflation,” Morley said. “It’s a continual challenge to maintain our services and programs at their existing rates.”

In spite of this squeeze, Morley touted the county’s expansion of the sheriff’s office budget by $800,000 over the past three years.

“Public safety is a big priority for our investments,” Morley said. “Since the recession, it’s one of our only departments to see an increase in staff, while others have lost staff or remained at the same levels.”

The addition of a single sheriff’s deputy in 2017, combined with other personnel in previous years, makes for a net increase of three employees, from 48.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2008 to 51.5 in 2017.

Morley confirmed that the county can expect a new chief civil deputy prosecuting attorney in 2017. The position has been vacant since June.

Prosecutor Michael Haas said last June, after David Alvarez had resigned as chief civil deputy after 17 years to take a similar job with Clallam County, that he needed the commissioners to increase the salary. Alvarez was paid $89,878. Haas posted the job at the position’s original Grade 20 compensation ($66,877.80 to $89,878.2 a year) and was not able to attract a viable candidate, Morley said.

Haas wanted the job’s salary increased midyear, which the commissioners declined to do.

The new salary range for the position, based on an analysis of the job in comparable counties, is $77,285 to $103,865 Morley said. The salary for the new hire is already allocated in the budget, and the first review date for candidates is Feb. 12. The Prothman Company is assisting the prosecutor in this renewed recruitment process.

“It’s usually at least two months after the first review dates before we have our new hire,” Morley said.

County Commissioner David Sullivan, who praised the budget as a “collaborative process,” pointed out that the county still has 30 fewer employees than in 2008. Morley warned in his budget summary report to the commissioners that the state legislators eventually need to step in for the county to continue to provide essential services.

“The county government provides the basic functions for everyone else in the community,” Sullivan said. “Our elected officials have taken pay cuts, and even new staff members have resisted raises. This is our legacy now.”