The Metropolitan King County Council quickly and unanimously approved a 2012 budget Wednesday that barely alters the $5.2 billion spending plan proposed by county Executive Dow Constantine.

The council increased spending in the general fund, the discretionary part of the county budget, by less than 1 percent, to $650 million.

The county would have 12,988 employees next year, or 298 fewer than this year. Most of those cuts would be made by not filling vacancies.

Next year's budget calls for laying off about 75 employees, many in the roads division, which has seen a decline or flattening in its funding from property and gas taxes.

The council wrapped up the budget almost two weeks earlier than expected.

"This is the easiest, quickest budget I can remember," said Chris Vance, a former council member who now lobbies for county jail guards. Disagreements were muted, Vance said, because there isn't much money to fight over.

Council members attributed the smooth process to more collegial relations among themselves and more collaboration with Constantine than his predecessor, Ron Sims.

"The executive sent us a good budget and consulted with us a lot beforehand. It's just so different than it used to be. It's not contentious or secretive," said council budget Chairwoman Julia Patterson.

Amid the pleasant talk, council members acknowledged a looming problem. State lawmakers must cut $2 billion in spending, which could have a harsh effect on county health and social-service programs.

Patterson warned it could mean, for instance, closing county public-health clinics. Council members said they planned intense lobbying in Olympia. A majority of them are former state legislators, from both parties, which they said should help their efforts.

The state cuts could be so painful, Patterson said, that council members may want to ask local voters next year for more money, possibly through some kind of tax increase. She had no particular funding source in mind, she added, saying it's too early to consider.

Council members made just three noteworthy changes to Constantine's budget, which steers 76 percent of the general fund to public safety and criminal justice.

They added $1.5 million in spending for public defenders, saying they'd get the money from the sale of surplus property in Maple Valley.

They tweaked Constantine's one-time $1 million infusion for human services. Constantine had proposed a competitive process for allocating the funds. Council members instead split the money between three regional organizations: Food Lifeline, the King County Coalition against Domestic Violence and the YWCA for its homelessness programs.

They also slightly changed staffing in the roads division so there would be fewer supervisors and a few more maintenance workers, including snowplow drivers.

Council members approved Constantine's proposal to spend $617,000 next year for four staff members to carry out his Lean initiative, a workplace-efficiency program modeled after Toyota's.

Constantine praised the council in particular for backing his plan to add $2.7 million in rainy-day funds to maintain the county's AAA bond rating.

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com