Snohomish County

6 downloads 229 Views 42KB Size Report
crane, construction lead, steel order and cancellation of the furniture order. We tried to make it work. Such a climate
Snohomish County Executive Office

John Lovick

3000 Rockefeller Avenue, M/S 407 Everett, WA 98201-4046 (425) 388-3460

County Executive

Executive’s 2016 Recommended Budget Address Good afternoon, Thank you for taking time away from your busy schedule to learn more about my 2016 recommended budget. My team and I have been working many months now to develop a budget that upholds the values of fiscal accountability while maintaining high-priority services the community has come to expect. Simon Sinek, the noted author and TED Talk speaker said, “Leadership is not about the next election, it’s about the next generation.” I believe this to be true. Another truth is that we are all leaders, not because we are elected or appointed or promoted. We are all leaders because we serve. And if we truly expect to be not only successful but significant we must ask ourselves, “Why do we do what we do?” We spend a lot of time asking “What do we do?” and “How do we do it?” But we don’t often ask why – as if it’s a given, already understood by all. But I don’t think it is understood by all. Here’s why I believe we do what we do. Because: People want to feel safe where they live. People want to enjoy where they live. People want to be successful where they live. And people want to be proud of where they live.

[email protected]

Values that we all share. It’s why we help the most vulnerable (the elderly man struggling to pay his bills, the young mother struggling to feed her children, the victim struggling to survive a trial), it’s why we patrol our streets, issue building permits, pass legislation, keep our parks healthy, support a thriving economy, uphold our judicial system. You name it. Whatever you do to serve, you are improving the lives of others. You are focused on all the generations of today and on the generation of tomorrow and the one after that and the one after that. I’m here to tell you that you have a mission. You have a purpose. You have a vision. And now you have a budget that supports that today and into the future.

COURTHOUSE Before we can do anything, we must address the courthouse. I’ve said it many times, there’s no question a replacement courthouse is needed. Unfortunately, the project across the street simply isn’t plausible given onerous parking requirements and imposed delays that have cost us our construction crane, construction lead, steel order and cancellation of the furniture order. We tried to make it work. Such a climate of uncertainty and financial risk is unacceptable for any project, let alone one of this magnitude. We must do it right. Any project approved now that fails to meet the needs of the employees and the public who use it will be a disservice to our taxpayers. That’s why my budget proposes: A $4 million tax cut beginning in 2016 given that the courthouse replacement project is suspended and the second phase of bonds will not be issued under my plan. Taking a portion of the existing bonds to keep the current courthouse on life support (not a remodel – life support) and renovate the historic Mission Building to accommodate some law and justice staff. Finally, my plan takes the remaining portion of the bond proceeds (about $33 million) and uses it to retire a portion of the debt, which will save taxpayers $59 million over the life of the bonds. Building a structure that doesn’t meet our needs is poor stewardship.

SHORING UP GENERAL FUND AND RESERVES My budget also focuses on shoring up general fund finances and reserves (also referred to as fund balance). First, this budget contributes $5 million to reserves in 2016, increasing our total reserves to nearly $22 million or 10 percent of general fund revenue and achieving the 11 percent target in 2017. Healthy reserve levels are critical to the overall fiscal health of the county. Second, this budget includes approximately a one percent service-level reduction in the general fund. 2

These are not across-the-board cuts. They vary by department. For example: while law and justice averaged slightly more than one percent, there are no cuts to public safety. Many departments and offices will minimize these service level reductions by not filling or eliminating vacant positions and taking advantage of retirements. Human resources will work with any affected employees to place them in open positions as appropriate. We value our employees and we want to leverage their talents and resources.

MAINTAINING PUBLIC SAFETY And speaking of critical services, I want to address public safety. As I said a moment ago, this budget does not cut public safety. A safe community is a high priority of my administration. We must have an adequate number of deputies on our streets, and we must do all we can to ensure the jail is safe. I applaud Sheriff Ty Trenary for continued improvements to the jail to address safety and liability issues and for making sure that all the jurisdictions that use the jail are paying their fair share. This will allow for a better balance between costs and revenue recovery in 2016. Also under the umbrella of public safety, my budget continues the partnership with our schools by maintaining school resource officers in Snohomish High School, Stanwood High School, Mariner High School, Lynnwood High School, Sultan High School and Glacier Peak High School. I hope I don’t have to justify to anyone why this is so important to the health of our county. My budget also increases our contribution to SKIP (Safe Kids Improved Pathways) from $1 million to $1.5 million. We’ve accomplished so much with this program and we want to make sure we continue to build safe routes for elementary-age children and reach as many schools and children as possible. To date, we have completed 48 SKIP projects and will begin 17 others in 2016. And finally, ESCA (Emergency Services Coordinating Agency) of south county will dissolve at the end of this year and incorporate with our Department of Emergency Management. It’s a smart move for us to work as one county, and I believe south county will be well served by this partnership.

VULNERABLE POPULATIONS Another area of critical services involves helping our most vulnerable. This area of service is always near and dear to my heart.

3

So, my budget proposes no cuts to the Snohomish Health District operations in 2016. In fact, it provides $400,000 to support the First Steps program, which helps young mothers and their babies in those important first years of life. My budget also supports adding six half-time FTEs (full-time equivalents) in Public Works to further our supported employment initiative. I’ve talked about this initiative before. People with disabilities suffer a much higher-than-average unemployment rate despite having so much to offer. It is incumbent upon us to model the benefits of a diverse workforce to both the private and public sector. We also want to use this untapped resource because we know what reliable, hard workers they are. Funding has been secured for the creation of the Rapid Recidivism Reduction Center to be housed in the Carnegie Building on the Snohomish County campus thanks to $1.3 million in funding from the Legislature and $1 million from the county. This program will help people transition out of jail and into the community as well as help prevent some people from entering our jail system in the first place. The Center will include “one-stop” services to address employment, behavioral health, and other human services needs coupled with 20 temporary housing beds for individuals being released for nonviolent crimes from the Snohomish County jail. Based on effective models operating in New York, San Antonio, and Los Angeles, the Center is expected to reduce recidivism as well as costly trips to emergency rooms and calls to 911. The Carnegie Building was built in 1905 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Its historic integrity will be maintained during the remodel.

PUBLIC RECORDS Another area of importance is accountability and transparency in public records. My budget adds nearly $200,000 and two FTEs in Risk Management and Superior Court to address the increasing demands for public records and to reduce liability. While a few people abuse the public records laws, these laws exist for a reason and we need to make sure we have the necessary resources in place to accommodate requests in a thorough and timely manner.

TRANSPORTATION Finally, transportation is another major success story in our budget. Our coordinated effort with Economic Alliance Snohomish County, Snohomish County cities, the Port of Everett and transit along with partnership building in Olympia yielded $665 million earmarked for county-area transportation projects and more than $800 million to state grant programs over the next 16 years. This, in

4

conjunction with the more than $30 million annual investment in our county road program, will help keep traffic moving and continue to provide an attractive venue for businesses. We have accomplished much in my proposed 2016 budget and without increasing taxes. In fact, my budget proposes a tax cut and saves taxpayers millions of dollars, a prime example of good financial stewardship.

SR-530 UPDATE We are still recovering from the SR 530 slide that occurred on March 22 of last year. I have seen every day the effect this tragedy has had on our community. We will never forget. Last year, at this time, I was concerned about the heavy toll the 530 slide took on our budget. Today, I am pleased to report that we have been very successful in securing federal and state reimbursements for SR-530 expenses, more than $16 million to date, and expect to receive even more in the next several months. In addition, the County has been notified that it will receive a phase 1 award of $5.9 million from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) for the Snohomish County Voluntary Buyout project for eligible properties impacted by the slide. We have been recently informed that FEMA requested a phase 2 allocation, which could be as much as $3.5 million. I want to thank our congressional delegation for its role in making the grant money possible. My budget also includes an additional $1.5 million for infrastructure projects in Arlington and Darrington in 2016 as part of Public Works’ $5 million commitment towards SR-530 recovery efforts. Our priority continues to be to help those directly affected by the slide and the flooding.

COUNTY STAFF I want to take this opportunity to talk about my commitment to our current employees – my commitment to diversity and ensure that every employee in my office and throughout Snohomish County government is treated fairly – from management to technical to administrative staff and to those on the front line delivering essential services to the community. I also want to highlight the represented employees and members of our labor unions who form the backbone of our county staff. They have demonstrated excellent service and dedication, even through years of financial uncertainty. Though their numbers have shrunk in the past five years, the demand for their work has not. And I am committed to supporting their efforts and their talents now and into the future.

5

Lenda Crawford and the budget team, please stand up. These are your ambassadors doing everything they can to support WHAT you do, HOW you do it, and WHY you do it. Thank you, Lenda and your team for your hard work.

CLOSING Snohomish County has much to be thankful for. Let me start by stating the obvious. We live in a vibrant and thriving county providing a high quality of life to those who choose to live, work and play here. We have a low unemployment rate of 3.9%. Our diverse workforce is No. 1 in the state in the concentration of manufacturing jobs, second in aerospace manufacturing and second in the number of technology-based jobs. I am excited about the highly effective partnerships we’ve built with others — the state Legislature, other government agencies and local businesses. And recent comments from credit rating agencies echo sentiments of a strong economy, strong management, strong budgetary flexibility and good financial policies and practices indicating a bright future ahead. We are living in a new fiscal era – what is referred to as the “new normal.” Our circumstances have changed, we have been changed, but our values remain steadfast. This budget reflects those values we hold dear. It reaches out to those who need our help the most. It strengthens our neighborhoods and communities. And it holds us accountable to the people we serve. It is a solid budget – compassionate, courageous and financially sound. Once again I want to thank our finance team, our elected officials and department directors who worked so hard to make this possible.

I am proud to serve with you.

May 2016 be a great year for the people of Snohomish County.

Thank you.

John Lovick County Executive 6