Sparring starts over King County budget

Sheriff Sue Rahr warned that proposed budget cuts would compromise public safety in a hearing before the Metropolitan King County Council on Wednesday.

Rahr said 27 deputy positions serving "the highest-crime neighborhoods in King County" — White Center, Skyway, South Park and Boulevard Park — would be lost under the budget proposed earlier this week by County Executive Kurt Triplett.

Her comments spurred a wrangling between her agency and Triplett's acting budget director, Beth Goldberg, over the exact numbers of lost positions. Goldberg said just 20 deputy positions would be eliminated, and only six of those are currently filled.

"Today was the first time we heard her articulate these concerns," Goldberg said. "What she is saying is just frankly not reflective of what's in the budget."

The dispute in numbers came in part because of a news release Triplett released Monday, which Goldberg said had incorrect numbers. She added that the correct figure was in the budget.

In response, Rahr's office challenged the budget office's numbers.

"The information that comes out of that budget office is so convoluted we don't believe it," said sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart.

That back and forth yesterday marked the beginning of the King County budget debate, which will take place largely in several forums where agency leaders will have their chance to comment on proposed cuts before the County Council.

During Wednesday's hearing, leaders of law-enforcement and criminal-justice agencies testified. District Court Chief Presiding Judge Barbara Linde described a struggle to handle increased workloads with fewer resources, while other agency heads commended the county executive for trying to make targeted cuts.

Triplett has proposed a $621 million general-fund budget for 2010. The general fund is an all-purpose pot of money that's about one-eighth of the county's $4.8 billion total budget.

Triplett wants law, safety and justice programs to receive $521.9 million overall, up slightly from about $520.1 million this year, while making deep cuts to parks and human services and eliminating animal control.

Here's how the agencies in charge of law enforcement and the criminal-justice system fare under his plan compared with what the cost would be to maintain current services next year:

• Sheriff: $141.7 million, up from $138.7 million. Part of the increase comes because the sheriff would get $2.1 million to assume responsibility for King County Courthouse security screeners.

But the Sheriff's Office contends it actually faces cuts of more than $4 million and the loss of the 27 deputies, saying Triplett's proposed increase is misleading. Rahr suggested that the money for the security screeners, for example, isn't enough to handle the additional responsibility. Rising compensation for deputies also means next year's labor costs will rise by about $7 million, Rahr said.

• Adult and Juvenile Detention: $126.6 million, up $11.7 million, mostly from settlements with labor unions over wage increases.

• Prosecuting Attorney: $55.8 million, up about $800,000, which maintains current services.

• District Court: $25.3 million, up about $250,000. But that increase won't be enough to handle expected increases in court cases, said Linde.

District Court has already had to cut clerks even as the number of cases has increased, up more than 14 percent since 2005, Linde told the council. The court expects more than 1,200 additional DUI cases next year, thanks to a federal grant funding increased DUI patrols.

• Superior Court: $18.5 million, about a $500,000 cut.

Almost all of the agency heads testifying challenged the notion the county would save money from cities annexing unincorporated areas.

Triplett's budget assumes Burien's annexation of North Highline next year would immediately reduce the county's costs in providing services, but Linde said the annexation also means the court will lose revenue that would fund clerk positions.

Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103 or sbhatt@seattletimes.com