Preliminary county budget passes; layoffs imminent

YAKIMA, Wash. -- A $3.1 million gap between declining revenues and growing expenses must be closed before Yakima County commissioners adopt a 2010 operating budget next month, a budget that is certain to include employee layoffs.

Commissioners adopted a preliminary budget Tuesday that sets spending for daily operations next ear at nearly $54.5 million.

Revenues, however, are estimated to come in at $51.4 million, a decline of more than $1 million from this year as the economic slowdown hits sales tax and investment earnings.

Those two sources, along with property taxes and grants, are the major county revenue sources.

Commissioners said they will avoid dipping into reserves to cover a portion of the shortage. The county will use about $1.3 million of its reserves to finish the 2009 budget projected at $53.5 million.

"This will be a painful budget to adopt. We have used additional amounts from reserves," Commissioner Mike Leita said. "We no longer can continue to use reserves to ease the pain and push the problem forward."

County reserves are about $5.4 million.

Total county spending for 2010, including enterprise funds like solid waste and utilities, the criminal justice sales tax, Department of Corrections, flood control zone district, and state and federal funds is $229.6 million.

In other business, commissioners approved a 14 percent increase in landfill tipping fees from $28 to $32 per ton.

The basic rate for individual citizens using the landfill will rise from $7 to $8.

Public Services Director Vern Redifer said the increase includes $2 to offset operating losses and $2 for future capital needs for transfer stations and equipment to haul garbage to the Cheyne landfill near Zillah once the Terrace Heights landfill, east of Yakima, is closed.

Redifer said operating costs are in the red because of less garbage being disposed of, a loss of grant funds and reduced investment earnings.

"We have done significant cutting of expenses to reduce operating costs. We just couldn't absorb them all," he said.

The new rates are effective Jan. 1.

Hearings schedule

Yakima County commissioners will conduct public hearings on the 2010 budget next month.

The hearings are scheduled for Nov. 10 at 2:30 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. before final adoption on Nov. 17.

The hearings will be conducted in Yakima City Council chambers at 129 N. Second St.