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Lifeboat funding to end for many services facing elimination while stop-gap measures save some public health, criminal justice and human services
Summary
More than three-quarters of a million in public health services and nearly a half million in human services that are in the figurative budget lifeboat will disappear July 1, 2009 because King County does not have enough money to sustain the services. But, using new funding tools granted by the legislature this spring, Executive Kurt Triplett is transmitting a $2.8 million 2009 supplemental budget today that gives six more months of funding for pandemic flu-related health services, unfunded mandates, some homeless services and a two-month reprieve for the Evergreen Pool in White Center.
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More than three-quarters of a million in public health services and nearly a half million in human services that are in the figurative budget lifeboat will disappear July 1, 2009 because King County does not have enough money to sustain the services. But, using new funding tools granted by the legislature this spring, Executive Kurt Triplett is transmitting a $2.8 million 2009 supplemental budget today that gives six more months of funding for pandemic flu-related health services, unfunded mandates, some homeless services and a two-month reprieve for the Evergreen Pool in White Center."We are grateful to legislators for their hard work this last session that gave us part of what we needed to restore critical services that faced elimination," Triplett said. "However, every year that the tax structure for counties remains what it is now, the service cuts will become increasingly painful," Executive Triplett said. "Without a new revenue source such as the utility tax cities have or a possible sales or property tax dedicated to critical public health and human services, we will be making budget cuts that will be devastating to criminal justice, public health and communities." King County is facing deficits in excess of $40 million for 2010 and $60 million for 2011.
The Executive proposes using a variety of temporary, one-time tools to support the continuation of these select lifeboat items for the balance of 2009 to allow time for other funding alternatives to be developed. The one-time funding sources include making use of a temporary decrease in the required employer contribution to the Public Employees' Retirement Systems (PERs), as well as, making one-time use of funds provided by a temporary increase in the auditor's filing fee. Both of these tools are available to the county thanks to recent action by the Washington State Legislature at the request of King County.
The temporary funding provided to these programs through this supplemental will allow the county to develop options for long-term funding for these programs. Without such funding, the programs temporarily funded through this supplemental ordinance will be terminated at the end of this year.
In addition, the supplemental ordinance addresses funding needs on an on-going basis for the $3.4 million in unfunded mandates from the State Legislature that the King County Council placed in the lifeboat. King County is obligated under state and federal law to delivery these services although no funding has been provided for them. Through a series of actions, including the provision of $214,970 in supplemental funding for Superior Court and salary savings by holding positions vacant, King County will be able to fulfill its legal mandates by delivering the services required by these mandates for 2009. Additional funds to support these services are assumed for 2010 and beyond.
Despite these actions, funding for a number of other programs and services in the lifeboat will end effective July 1, 2009,including $768,602 in Public Health Services such as providing dental sealant for low-income children, coordination of services for children with special health care needs and Medical Examiner Office death investigation capacity; $472,747 for human and community services such as substance abuse recovery support and the Digital Bridge Technology Academy, which provides technology training to low-income, "at-risk" youth.
"It is painful that we couldn't save everything in the lifeboat, but we were able to cover over half of the public health services, some unfunded mandates, and move some community services out of the general fund and pay for them with new revenue tools the legislature gave us," said Triplett. "Difficult, direct service cuts like this that have a real impact on our residents are only a sign of things to come if we don't get a permanent, on-going fix to the structural deficits facing counties throughout the State of Washington."
The 2009 supplemental proposal includes:
- $840,216 in one-time money for public health Child Care Health and other H1N1/influenza related programs
- $214,970 to cover all remaining unfunded mandates in Superior Court
- $30,800 to keep Evergreen Pool open during the summer while discussions for a possible transfer occur
- $1,113,424 in one-time money for community service contracts
- $616,646 in one-time money for homeless programs
"These are stop gap-measures at best," said Executive Triplett. "With the current worldwide concern about the return of H1N1flu this fall, and public health funding in crisis at the local, state and federal level, it is time to look again at a dedicated tax for public health."
Criteria used for funding programs in the lifeboat were:
- Unfunded mandates required by state law
- Pandemic flu related Public Health services and community services that may receive on-going funding in 2010
- Homeless programs that meet criteria for use of revenue from increased Auditor's fee
- Facilities that may be transferred to another entity in near future.
The temporary $20 increase in the Auditor's filing takes effect August 8 and is expected to generate $1.9 million in 2009 and $4.3 million in 2010. The fee is in effect for four years and beginning in 2010, it will allow King County to provide a variety of shelter, counseling and other support services to the homeless. For 2009, the fee will offset costs for existing homeless programs which frees up General Fund dollars on a one-time basis to devote to the lifeboat items restored through this ordinance.
The consequence of balancing the 2009 budget with one-time sources of funding means that the money that is being use will not be available to address future challenges in 2009 or the 2010 deficit.
The Executive is working with budget staff to develop potential funding options to preserve critical public health and human services for the November ballot. In addition to funding important communicable disease prevention, it would free up General Fund money that now pays for public health services and help address the on-going financial challenges resulting from the structural imbalance in the revenue foundations provided to counties by the State.
