King County facing hard choices with social-service programs

King County officials, who hoped the Legislature would help them continue public-health visits to child-care providers and counseling for sexual-abuse victims, may have to cut funding for those and other programs at the end of June.

In dealing with a huge revenue shortfall last fall, the Metropolitan King County Council and County Executive Ron Sims appropriated only six months of funding for a list of health and human services and state-mandated legal services.

After June 30, $8 million worth of programs would be in a budgetary "lifeboat" that would stay afloat only if the Legislature gave the county some kind of relief. That relief didn't come.

No layoffs have yet been announced, and county officials are considering whether some programs can be saved.

The potential cuts would come primarily from three areas: public health, $1.2 million; community and human services, $2.2 million; and "unfunded mandates" from the state, $3.5 million. County officials said they are studying whether they legally can refuse to provide mandated services.

Those unfunded mandates include hiring public defenders when the state tries to take away parental rights, and doing background checks on parents in custody cases.

While the Legislature didn't address the lifeboat programs, it did give the county new options for narrowing projected 2010 shortfalls of $43 million in the general fund and $100 million for Metro Transit.

Two options involve new taxes: The county could impose a property tax for transit or ask voters to authorize a vehicle-license fee for Metro. A year-old sales tax that supports programs for people with mental illness or addictions also could be used to keep endangered drug and mental-health courts alive.

The Legislature rejected King County's request for authority to impose a utility tax outside cities.

More than 50 nonprofit social-service providers funded through the lifeboat stand to lose county support after June 30. Food Lifeline, which distributes food to 300 food banks, meal programs and homeless shelters in Western Washington, could lose $81,000 — or half of its King County funding for this year.

"We're really worried. June 30 is coming up incredibly quickly. The idea that this lifeboat is going to sink could be devastating for people in King County," said Kelsey Beck, Food Lifeline's public-policy manager.

King County has provided only a modest part of Food Lifeline's $4 million budget, but Beck said any funding cutback will be difficult at a time when more jobless people are turning to food banks.

Agencies that support victims of domestic violence and rape, homeless shelters, senior centers and youth in trouble with the law also could lose King County funds.

Public Health — Seattle & King County may cut back or end nurse visits to the homes of teen mothers and children with special health needs; dental sealants for children from low-income families; and efforts to combat the spread of disease from animals to humans.

Child care could get a double whammy, through funding cuts to public health and the nonprofit Child Care Resources.

Child Care Resources, which stands to lose $93,602 at a time when private donations are declining, helps parents find appropriate day care and trains providers to prepare preschoolers for school. Public Health may be forced to eliminate visits to child-care centers and health and hygiene training for providers.

"We really count on Public Health to deal with some of the quality problems in child care," said Deeann Puffert, CEO of Child Care Resources.

The county must be cautious in restoring any lifeboat programs because spending more than budgeted this year will worsen next year's projected shortfall, said Deputy Budget Director Beth Goldberg.

County Councilmember and county Board of Health Chairwoman Julia Patterson said she hopes the Legislature will go into special session and allow the county to create a public-health district with taxing authority.

"I think the case for public health is compelling because disease doesn't know any boundaries, it doesn't know income level, it doesn't discriminate," she said.

But Councilmember Reagan Dunn said this would be "a terrible time" to raise taxes.

"The role of government now ought to be to be efficient and do what it can with the money it has, and let citizens have the money they need to feed their families and keep their kids in school."

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com