Union E Building Department Fund County Workers’ Union Suggests Tapping Reserves To Prevent Layoffs

A union representative blasted Spokane County commissioners Tuesday for considering courthouse budget cuts to pay for rising law enforcement costs.

Amie Swenson of Local 1553 said the proposed cuts would mean layoffs among the 400 courthouse employees she represents.

“I don’t want to see these people lose jobs,” Swenson said. “I am sick and tired of law enforcement sucking off the general fund every year.”

She suggested commissioners take money from the “sacred cow across the street” - the building department, which has $1.5 million in cash reserves, which Swenson called a “pot of gold.”

Commissioner George Marlton liked the suggestion.

Commissioner Steve Hasson fumed at it.

He noted that some county departments, such as building, roads and the Interstate Fairgrounds, are enterprise funds. They generate revenues to offset their expenses.

Those departments, he said, should not be penalized for sound business practices that buffer them with extra cash for rainy days.

Hasson credited Jim Manson, director of building and planning, for his “resourcefulness” in managing his department in a for-profit fashion.

General fund departments don’t pay for themselves. They include the tax assessor, treasurer and auditor, as well as the sheriff’s department, jail, public defender, prosecutor and courts.

Several law and justice departments recently asked county commissioners for $700,000 to finish the year and cover rising overtime and other costs.

Marshall Farnell, county budget director, suggested commissioners slash all general fund departments by 2 percent.

Commissioners Hasson and Phil Harris said it would be painful, but possibly necessary.

“We have uncommon times and we need uncommon solutions,” Hasson said. “When you have a war, you first attend to the war. You hunker down.

“He (Manson) is always lending us money,” Hasson said. “He’s like our sugar daddy because of his resourcefulness.”

Manson said he is discussing the transfer of some of his reserve funds and said such a move was “possible.”

Marlton suggested that the building department take the route Geiger Corrections Center did last week. Geiger transferred $105,000 of its reserves to the juvenile division to pay for a day confinement center.

To get the county through 1995 with no layoffs “would be a good gesture by his (Manson’s) department,” Marlton said.

Commissioners put off any action until further study of the budget crisis, caused mainly by a $1 million shortage in sales tax revenues. Ninety percent of that is caused by a construction slowdown.

Harris had other suggestions, such as considering a four-day work week for the month of November. Employees would be off without pay on Fridays.

, DataTimes