There was a time when I envied those lucky enough to have a gig on the Pierce County Council — and for good reason. Sitting on the Council seemed like a way sweeter job than any of the mundane tasks I was doing at the time, such as driving a forklift, or delivering pizza, or whatever other bottom barrel employment I was holding down.

Not so much anymore.



Sure, these days I string words together for the Weekly Volcano — which beats the pants off stacking pallets of insulation in some warehouse in Fife — but even if I still toiled in the world of cracked knuckles, busting my ass Monday through Friday doing manual labor, chances are I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of anyone on the Pierce County Council these days. Chances are, if someone found me on the street and offered me County Executive Pat McCarthy’s job, I’d point at him with a gaping look of befuddlement and roll in laughter, cackling “You want me to do what?”



Have you seen the figures? They’re downright horrifying. You can call it a recession, a depression, or you can take The Daily Show approach and just call it a “Clusterfuck to the poorhouse,” but this economy situation has taken a nosedive toward the ugly and once unthinkable. You’re broke. I’m broke. And you better believe the government is broke. And just like being broke at my house means settling for store brand peanut butter, governments near and far are being forced to tighten their belts.



So is the case right here in Pierce County, where McCarthy and the Republican controlled Pierce County Council have been going back and forth over a supplemental budget intended to shore up the current estimated shortfall. What was a $4 or $5 million hole when McCarthy took office is now in the neighborhood of $8 million, and most prognosticators put the deficit in the $10 to $12 million neck of the penniless woods by June, if it’s not there already. Numbers like those — a result of ever dwindling tax revenue in our county — mean deep and widespread cuts are inevitable. There’s simply no massaging numbers that dire.



After receiving a depressing budget proposal from McCarthy and then making a few slices of its own, the Pierce County Council passed its version of this gruesome budget March 31. Perhaps the only thing more concerning than all of the cuts is knowing that, come this summer, there’ll be even more cuts to be made.



But that’s four months from now. Let’s deal with the tragedy at hand. As soon as McCarthy signs on the dotted line (which may have already happened by the time you read this), the cuts will be official, and the impacts will start to be felt.

Huge piece of the pie

The Pierce County budget is dominated by two agencies. Money headed toward the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and other corrections agencies makes up nearly 40 percent of the roughly $280 million of general fund spending.



Still, it seems to have been the one area those in charge — both Democrats and Republicans — were the least gung ho about gouging.



“These are difficult times, with a lot of difficult decisions,” says McCarthy. “We have to do what we have to do. I’m committed to looking at ways we can be smarter, leaner and more flexible.”



McCarthy’s proposal was similar to the Council’s, but relied more on money shifting and temporary fixes and proposed to cut about $800,000 less. McCarthy also made it a priority to go easiest on the Sheriff’s Department and corrections.



And while McCarthy and her cohorts on the Council may have tried their best to limit cuts to public safety departments, it’s clear that in times like these everything is on the chopping block. Even the Sheriff’s Department, which has been held as a sort of sacred cow in funding circles, looks to be taking a hit. The department was hoping to hire six new officers, which are sorely needed as populations in unincorporated Pierce County continue to grow. Those hires will have to wait until at least January, says Councilman Dick Muri.



“A lot of it depends on the state budget,” says Muri. “And things there are actually looking worse. It’s beginning to look like those positions won’t be filled even in 2010 unless some new revenues pop up.”



Tough decisions such as not hiring much needed new officers illustrate the rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul game that Council members must play. Not hiring new officers will allow county officials to dedicate more money to superior courts and legal prosecution, for example, which will help thin out local jail populations.



“Jail population is a huge drain on our general fund, and there has been a dramatic incline in the number of people we keep in jail while they’re awaiting trial,” says Councilman Terry Lee.



“When you can cut that population down, it’s a huge savings.”



The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had been facing about $400,000 in cuts but will now probably be shaved by only about $200,000 in an effort to help clear cases and thin out jail populations. There will be a review in July to see if any of the efforts to reduce jail population have worked. If efforts aren’t effective, it’s likely that the Prosecuting Attorney’s Orrice will be cut by another $200,000.



Consider that in light of the fact that Pierce County Jail houses about 300 to 400 prisoners who can’t afford bail and sit there waiting for their day in court. Once they’re moved through the county court system, those who end up heading to the clink become the state’s problem. But while they’re sitting in jail, the county spends an estimated $8 million to $12 million a year in costs that county officials have decided shouldn’t be allowed, says Muri. 



"We normally have a criminal justice backlog of 1,100 cases," says Muri. "Today we're at 2,200. Of those 2,200, about 400 are sitting in jail because they can't make bail. That's on our nickel, versus the state's nickel."



“There is consensus that we want to preserve public safety as a priority,” adds Lee. “All of these things that are going to be cut are important. But we’ve got to come up with a list of the least essential services. Some of them are incredibly important to different special interest groups. And if you talk to certain people, theirs is the most important service in the world. But we have to look at this from 10,000 feet.”

On a smaller scale

While the Council and McCarthy have done their best (at least according to them) to maintain public safety, other areas — including projects many on the Council have promised their constituents — won’t be so lucky.



“There’s money that had been promised to various Council members (for projects — not pockets) that won’t be delivered,” says Lee. “In my district, a China exchange program for the Peninsula School District won’t happen now. In my district alone, I’ve had to come up with $23,000 in unanticipated cuts. We’re cutting Boys and Girls Clubs senior staffing. We all have to do things like that.”



There also will be judicious cuts to city departments such as Planning and Land Services, which has spent the past several years working its tail off to keep up with demands created by developers in unincorporated Pierce County. But as development has slowed, the demand for the department’s services has waned. Cuts in that department will mostly involve cutting staff.



“Planning and Land Services will be hit hard,” says Lee. “But permitting is down, and they won’t need the same staff.”



Community and advance planning efforts are likely to be delayed as a result, says Lee. Whether its storm water retention or relieving transportation, large-scale capital projects will slow. Efforts will be made to avoid eliminating capital projects, but there should be no doubt that many will be pushed back.

What about the arts?

One area the budget spares — and by spares I mean cuts drastically rather than kill it entirely — is the Pierce County Arts Commission. In previous years the Arts Commission’s budget has floated around $150,000. While there were times during the crafting of this most recent budget when it seemed like the Arts Commission might be cut altogether, it appears it will be saved from total annihilation and handed around $80,000 — with stipulations from the Council that all previously awarded grants be honored with the money. One of the main functions of the Pierce County Arts Commission is to hand out artist grants and hire resident artists to bring the arts to schools in the county that need the extra help. For the most part it appears that will continue — at least for now.



Pierce County Councilman Tim Farrell says maintaining funding for the arts is important but not the most important thing given the circumstances. He also noted that maintaining arts funding wasn’t as important to other members of the Council — especially juxtaposed with things such as public safety.



Frank honesty like that isn’t enough to soothe an angry voice such as Chris Van Vechten’s.



“While this is certainly better than being completely defunded as many of us had feared two months ago, it nonetheless was an unnecessary move,” says Van Vechten, who sits on the Pierce County Arts Commission. “Reducing our budget by $45,000 isn’t going to help shore up a $12 million shortfall.”



“Public funding for the arts in this country was not born out of economic decadence but rather financial necessity. Here in Pierce County, the need for public arts assistance is growing against a backdrop of shrinking support from our County Council.”

In times like these, disgust and bewilderment felt by people such as Van Vechten will not be all that rare. No, sentiments like his will create a chorus — a chorus of wrath and frustration, agitated by the cold fact that no amount of screaming is going to change the numbers.



This is the world — and the county — we live in.



“No one is immune,” says McCarthy.



Once again reminding me how thankful I am not to be in her chair.



Paul Schrag contributed to this story.