County facing more cuts, will lose three deputies

YAKIMA -- Job losses -- including three sheriff's deputies -- and fewer public services from Yakima County government are the result of a 2011 budget adopted Tuesday by county commissioners. Cuts next year will total more than $370,000.

Individual departments will decide where to cut, but department heads and elected officials said at least two people will be laid off, current vacancies will remain open and fewer private attorneys will work under contract to represent indigent defendants.

Next year's cuts are on top of a $1 million across-the-board reduction imposed earlier this year, costing 10 jobs. Officials said the latest round of cuts would have been more severe without the earlier effort, which was the first midyear reduction in 17 years.

A year ago, when commissioners adopted a budget for 2010, 26 people were laid off.

Dan Fessler, who heads the office of assigned counsel, said the continued erosion of the budget is straining all of county government.

"We are having to reduce and are trying to make sure we cover as much as we can with what we have left," Fessler said Tuesday.

Sheriff Ken Irwin has to cut $80,000 and confirmed this morning that he will have to lay off three deputies.

Harold Delia, administrative consultant to county courts, said he will lay off one person in District Court and one person in Juvenile Court to cover cuts in his funding.

In some departments, existing vacancies won't be filled or will be eliminated altogether to close the gap. For example, a retiring employee of the Assessor's Office won't be replaced. And three positions that became vacant in the Planning Department won't be filled.

The county's general fund budget, which finances the operations of most county departments, is slightly more than $50.5 million, a decline from the amended 2010 budget of more than $50.9 million.

County Commissioner Kevin Bouchey of Toppenish said crafting a budget during the economic downturn has been a challenge.

"We have to look to provide services taxpayers are expecting. We need to provide those services within existing revenue," he said.

Chairman Mike Leita said the budget reflects the county's efforts to reduce expenses that have been rising faster than revenues.

"We are downsizing county government," Leita said. "It would be easy for the community to come to us and demand we do more with county government. I think the community understands we are being challenged by increasing expenses."

Still unknown is what will come out of contract negotiations with the county's 15 unions. Bargaining groups declined the commissioners' request to freeze 3 percent anniversary, or step, increases next year. Employee groups don't want to lose ground at a time when their share of medical insurance premiums will increase by about 9 percent.

The sheriff's deputies union was not approached about a freeze.

The county's overall revenues will grow at least in part because commissioners will ask for an additional 1 percent in the revenue the county will receive from property tax. The effect on property-tax bills will be determined once Assessor Dave Cook calculates the tax rate for each property in the county.

The rate is determined by dividing the budget request by the taxable assessed value of property.

Total revenue projected next year is $51.6 million.

Commissioners plan to set aside the $1.1 million in revenue that exceeds expenses. The county will create a special election reserve and place $437,115 in that account to cover 2011 election-year costs.

The remaining $618,800 will go back into the county's general reserve, which is used to provide cash until property tax payments arrive.

Commissioners used more than $1 million from reserves to balance the 2010 budget. A county policy requires reserves be repaid over a two-year period.

* David Lester can be reached at 509-577-7674 or dlester@yakimaherald.com.