A couple of months ago, Deputy King County Executive Kurt Triplett took on the thankless job of filling in as county executive after Ron Sims left for D.C.
Thankless because he inherited a county in the midst of a budget crisis. Though he’s not among the candidates running for the position, he finds the government he runs a punching bag on the campaign trail. And he’s about to take the unpopular step of perhaps proposing two tax increases to keep county services afloat.
In a conversation, he explained the county’s budget problems and bristled a bit at what he’s hearing from candidates, who blame the county’s predicament on mismanagement.
He said there are questions the candidates should be asked. So we’ll ask them and add their responses.
Q: The county has to make $50 million in cuts in next year’s budget. I’m not sure that people have really focused on the budget cuts that are coming.
A: The key thing I don’t think people realize is that even if we solve that, we’re looking at having to cut $60 million the next year. So the way to look at it is when all is said and done, King County will have had to cut $110 million in two years, while trying to preserve services, which we can’t do.
Q: So how did we get here?
A: We are in the great recession. That’s the issue that keeps getting glossed over (on the campaign trail). The federal government is cutting its budget. The City of Seattle is making cuts. Every government in the country is making cuts. Boeing is laying people off. Microsoft is laying people off. Starbucks is laying people off. It keeps being glossed off as a factor.
This is compounded by the fact that the county is not adequately funded. The state of Washington did a study in 2008 and found the system of funding, and the primary reason is that urban counties don;’t have the same ability as cities do to have a utility tax.
To give you an idea, unincorporated urban King County has 250,000 people. That’s twice the size of Bellevue and half the size of Seattle.
The City of Seattle generates $180,000 million a year through its utility tax. That’s close to about what we have to cut.
Q: So how are you feeling about having volunteered for all this?
A: It’s not enjoyable having to dismantle the government you help create. But I felt that I had the experience and the background to (make the cuts) through as thoughtful a process and we can. It helps that I’m not running (for county executive), because I can say freely what needs to be done.
Q: What do you think about the criticism being aimed at the county from some of the candidates?
A: It’s an easy shot to take. But I get the difference between campaigning and governing.
The question that should be asked of the candidates is what do they proposed to do about the 2011 budget? Because even after we make this round of cuts, the next executive is going to have to make $60 million in cuts, and I guarantee you’re not going to find that in efficiencies.
We’re facing radical cuts in the Sheriff, Public Health, human services and courts. You can’t save that by cutting pay. If we make a ten percent pay cut, I would save $24 million. But who are the people in the general fund? The police, courts and public health nurses. You can talk all you want (on the campaign trail) about how you going to cut emp0loyees, but you still have to run the jail. You have to run the public health clinics. You have to run the prosecutor’s office. Take that as an example. The starting prosecutor’s salary is $49,000, compared to $125,000 as a first-year associate (at a private law firm). We have to keep in mind that we need the best and the brightest in the prosecutor’s office.
Q: Your Deputy Executive told the council you’d be coming to them with a couple of tax increase proposals. One is a 1 percent sales tax to lessen cuts in public health, social services, law enforcement and other services. Another is a property tax hike to lessen transit cuts. But times are tough to raise taxes. What’s your thinking on those?
A: There’s going to have to be deep, deep cuts, and what we want is for the citizens to have the opportunity to choose (to raise taxes). We’re going to look very carefully (at the mix of cutting programs and raising taxes) and be mindful of the tax burden.
