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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Aaron Reardon   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, September 7, 2008 Job cuts shake up county workers Several county officials are caught off guard by proposed cuts to their staffs. By Krista J. Kapralos, Herald Writer The nearly 100 job cuts Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon proposed Thursday have yet to be approved by the County Council, but some workers already have been told to clear out their desks. Three people who work for the county's Human Services Department were given pink slips just hours after Reardon unveiled his 2009-10 budget, in which he recommended cutting 95 jobs throughout the county's departments. According to his plan, another 50 vacant positions would be eliminated. Reardon spokesman Christopher Schwarzen said the three layoffs Thursday were not tied to Reardon's budget. The timing was jarring, though, for some of the county's elected officials who face cutting their own staffs if Reardon's 2009-10 budget is approved. Several elected leaders said Thursday's public meeting was the first time they'd heard solid numbers from Reardon about the county government's financial situation. Human Services Director Ken Stark is making changes so his department runs more efficiently, Schwarzen said. More staff cuts are expected in the department in the coming months, and it's not clear how many people will lose their jobs under Stark's plan, Schwarzen added. Two of the people who were let go were asked to leave immediately. The third will be allowed to finish out the year, he said. Another 23 county human services workers could be asked to leave under Reardon's budget. Stark already has told those people their jobs might be gone by year's end, Schwarzen. Stark was named interim human services director in June, six months after Reardon dismissed Janelle Sgrignoli, who had worked for the county for two dozen years. Stark was appointed to the position permanently last month. Other departments hit hard under Reardon's budget include the corrections department, which would cut 13 positions, and the prosecutors office, which would lose 10 positions. The county's planning department would lose 52 positions, but that number includes several dozen employees who were shifted to comparable public works jobs early this year. "I am frustrated that if deep cuts needed to be made that we were not consulted on where those cuts could come from," Auditor Carolyn Weikel said. Reardon recommended in his budget that Weikel lay off four people in her office. Weikel said Reardon's finance team asked her to propose cuts to her own department in general terms, but she was never given financial goals or staff numbers to meet. The discussion was "very generic, and it was not specific," she said. Prosecuting Attorney Janice Ellis also said Reardon's staff asked her, in general terms, to recommend cuts in her office, but that she was not invited to interact with the executive's budget team. "We've come to recognize that information goes into the executive's office, and when the executive is ready to act, he acts through a public statement," she said. Even if all of Reardon's staff cuts occur, it might not be enough, council Chairman Dave Somers said. "The revenue forecast in the budget seems rosier than what we'd been told a month or so ago," he said. In addition, Somers said Reardon failed to make room in his budget for major transportation projects that are necessary to meet requirements of the Growth Management Act. "We're falling behind," he said. Weikel and Ellis both said they're not ready to concede that they'll have to make cuts in their departments. In the coming weeks, they and other elected department heads plan to appeal to Somers and the rest of the council to seek other ways to balance the budget. The council is scheduled to approve the final 2009-10 budget by Nov. 24. Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out County Executive's picture Is this photo really the most recent shot the Herald has of County Executive Aaron Reardon? I would guess this photo is at least 5 years old. Considering he is a public official, and the Executive of the county in which your paper resides, I found it difficult to understand why your paper would not have a more recent photo. J Anderson | Sep 7, 2008 4:05 pm | 1 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Reardon wants to cut /eliminate 95 county jobs The Herald reports that Reardon wants to cut or eliminate 95 county jobs. I have heard that Mr. Reardon wants to ADD 3 NEW JOBS to his finance department. How does ADDING 3 NEW jobs fit into his equation of eliminating 95 county positions? It's known that Mr. Reardon left for China this past Friday the 6th of Sept. He also has traveled to Iceland earlier in the year. Both of these trips were funded with tax payers money. How could this travel possibly benifit the county ? If there is some benifit, I would like to see a report or explanation to justify Mr. Reardons' travel. From what I've read, Mr. Reardon knew (almost exclusively), of the countys financial status for the up coming year. I realize that 2008 and 2009 are separate fiscal years. The travel to China and Iceland more than likely was approved in the 2008 budget. Still, knowing that 2009 was going to require a significant reduction of staff, that it would be in the countys best interest to NOT spend the money on expensive travel. Today, I have to wonder if this money was well spent. He's the one who now recommends cutting 95 jobs, (and adding 3). I find it hard to believe that Mr. Reardon felt this travel was justified and necessary. I think Mr. Reardon has only one thing in mind with his decission making,. . . and thats himself. Julie Sweeney | Sep 10, 2008 1:13 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal JOB CUTS Hmmm... I am wondering whether the job cuts are a result of some sort of scientific or astrological approach to eliminating county jobs. Does the executive have a staff of people that gather to denigrate employees, and sack people who otherwise might have been doing a good job? (Janelle Sgrignoli comes to mind.) Is there a dart board, where hapless employees fall victim to the dart of the whim for a different approach? Or, does personal preference and popularity, seniority or job performance have anything to do with who goes or who stays? When budget cutters trim jobs, those actions also trim the services to the citizens of a growing county. Maybe the executive needs to remember that voters can be very fickle; but, they will act very decisively when they get to the point that enough is enough. If the executive is truly concerned about the county budget, maybe he could start by reducing his salary a bit and some of his perquisites. At least that would be a demonstration to the voters that he is actually trying to help the situation. Gary Clark | Sep 7, 2008 9:24 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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