Commissioners: Do We Get Bang For Our Buck? County Officials Consider Reducing Dues Paid To Professional Organizations

Spokane County government spends more than $200,000 to belong to professional organizations, with more than half that total going to just two groups.

Saying they’re not sure taxpayers are getting their money’s worth, county commissioners want to drop some memberships and offer other organizations less money than requested.

The Washington State Association of Counties is asking Spokane County for $58,919 this year. Among other activities, the organization lobbies the Legislature on matters important to commissioners from each of the state’s 39 counties.

The Washington Association of County Officials lobbies the Legislature on behalf of the county’s other elected officials, like the auditor, treasurer and sheriff. It has asked for $44,919 from Spokane County this year.

The county also pays about $6,000 to be a member of the National Association of Counties, which lobbies Congress and tracks federal regulations.

In a recent meeting, Commissioner Kate McCaslin proposed offering the two state organizations half what they’ve requested, “and if they don’t like it, we’ll drop them altogether.”

McCaslin also suggested dropping the membership to the national organization if it isn’t helping the county get more federal money than the county pays in dues.

The three commissioners also told Jim Lindow, the county’s chief administrative officer, to meet with department heads to evaluate whether the money each spends on associations is justified.

By Tuesday, Lindow had met with two managers, who agreed to cut memberships that cost the county about $4,500 a year. As a result, the county no longer will be a member of the American Corrections Association or the National Association of Corrections. It will offer less than the Northwest Association of Community Development Managers had requested.

County officials say some association dues are vital.

The county pays $4,800 a year to the Coalition for Clean Water, said Bruce Rawls, county utilities director. But the group helped the county convince the Legislature to provide $75 million for future sewer work in Spokane city and county.

The American Water Works Association costs $385 a year. It keeps the county apprised of issues relating to drinking water.

The county pays $3,950 to the Amateur Softball Association of America. But the money comes from player fees, and makes the teams eligible to compete in district, state and national tournaments.

Gary Lowe, executive director of the state Association of Counties, said he would be “disappointed” if the county reduced its contribution. As with the Association of County Officials, each county’s contribution is based on its population, so Spokane pays one of the highest dues in the state.

While it’s impossible to say whether the county gets a return on its investment every year, Lowe said his organization in recent years has helped net “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to help local governments fight crime.

“The Legislature is not a place where you win every year. We’re not going to win this year on every issue,” said Lowe, adding that Spokane would be the only county in the state to pay less than requested.

McCaslin said she’s not anti-association, and agrees that most of the groups provide necessary services. In fact, she’s the former executive director of Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. and was a consultant to managers of various associations before taking office Jan. 1.

“I know about the value of association,” McCaslin said. “But we’re talking about a lot of money here.”

, DataTimes