Last night, I e-mailed each of the candidates seeking the appointment to Bob Macleod’s seat on the Thurston County Commission, regarding this article in the Olympian about the reduction in force of courthouse security in the county. This is what I asked each of them to respond to and I told them that I’d be posting responses on my blog.
In light of the article, I’d like to ask you the following:
I understand the budget is in dire straits, but do you think that it is appropriate to cut the security at the courts at this time? What would you do if you were a Commissioner to rectify the situation, or what would you have done instead? And if you feel this was an appropriate budget decision, please give me your rationale for why you believe that the right decision was made.
Thus far, Karen Valenzuela, Russ Lehman and Mary Moore have responded. Below are their responses, cut and pasted from the e-mails they sent me, in the order they were sent.
Karen Valenzuela
This situation is troubling on a number of levels. After the horrifying incident between the inmate and security guard in the Courthouse elevator in 2005, and subsequently hearing a County Commissioner more or less lay blame on the rest of us for that because we didn’t approve the enormous jail bond in 2004, it’s hard not to wonder what the County is thinking. On the other hand, as the budget process works, millions of seemingly little budget decisions are made in the context of a much bigger picture, and without knowing the trade-offs, this particular decision is hard to evaluate. I suspect a lot of this may be related to the county’s precarious position of having backed itself against a wall by moving forward on the construction of a second jail without having a plan or the financial resources to run two jails. The new BOCC will clearly have to face that head-on. Also, let’s remember that the County’s 2009 budget is a planning document: it can and should be continuously revisited throughout the year for adjustments and possible redirection, especially in light of the fact that it was adopted by a Commission two-thirds of whose members have now left the Commission. A new BOCC may have different priorities, and may need to make adjustments in the budget to reflect those priorities.
Mary Moore
The County Commissioners are not directly responsible for making these cuts. All program managers were asked to cut their budget by a certain percentage. Since the Thurston County Superior Court hires the security guards, their program managers apparently felt that of all the alternatives, this was what they wanted to do. The Commissioners can question those decisions, but must be careful not to be seen as micromanaging the various county departments.
All the cuts are ugly ones. For instance, Extension with one of the smallest budgets had to cut 25% of their budget resulting in their need to cut their hours in which they are open to the public from eight to five hours per day and from five to four days a week. Both Parks and the Fair Board were cut by 50%.
It is time to really take a good look at all the services that the County offers and see which ones are the most critical to the most citizens. That is going to involve a good deal of communication with all citizens of the County, not just a sampling.
Russ Lehman
“Is it appropriate to cut the security of the courts”…? The short answer here (the only answer possible here) is that the primary responsibility of any government is to provide for the health and safety of its citizens…and its employees. With that said the budget is very dire situation and is complex in that many moving parts have to be reconciled. As a school board member, as well as the various professional positions I have had, I learned that while it may sound like avoiding “decisions”, or positions, in pre-appointment or election questions like these, the most responsible position is to consider all the moving parts when the entire budget is on the table.
It is the ultimate decision of the BOCC to pass the budget. My inclination at this point is to have certain priorities, like safety at the courthouse, while straying flexible to all the issues relevant to the budget making process.
Russ was also kind enough to address some of the questions I’d raised when I reviewed his application and posted my thoughts on it.
As regards issues raised in your blog:
1)I left the school board because of my stroke AND the philosophy of governance of a majority of the members – after 7 years of service.
2) I have applied for this position now because my health is very good and because this is a unique time for the BOCC. Sandra Romero is, I believe, committed to accomplishing great things on the board.
3) On the school board I was one of five who had to pass a budget every year. I, and another board member (in the last two years) had dramatic differences of opinion with the majority who wanted to spend down the reserve fund and make, what we considered, were dubious cuts and increases in spending as well as “protecting’ that spending where we believed were not in the best interests of the students.
Thanks to Karen, Mary and Russ for their responses to my questions and engaging in conversation about the issues affecting our county.
Update 9:38pm
I received a response from Erik Landaas just a few minutes ago. Here it is:
The decision to cut security officers at the entrance of the courtrooms is a reflection of how dire the County’s budget problems are. Commissioner Wolfe, Commissioner Romero and the new Commissioner will continue the hard work of deciding where the cuts must be made. If elected to this office I will assure the people of Thurston County my dedication and expertise in solving these difficult problems. My first approach to this specific budget problem would be to quickly get together with the County’s budget experts, department directors; and go line-by-line through the budget and evaluate what cuts can be made while preserving the essential public safety components of the County.
I also support government transparency and would implement the Citizen’s Budget Task Force’s recommendation to establish a citizen’s based strategic planning process by forming a citizen commission to advise on government priorities and budget decisions. Engaging the public would benefit the commissioner’s office as well as empower citizens by developing a partnership in objective budgeting for Thurston County. The task force already has many good suggestions for involving the public in this process such as web based questionnaires, volunteerism, public television and encouraging meaningful public participation at commissioner meetings.
Thanks Erik for taking time to answer the questions. One question though… You say in the first paragraph of your response, “if elected”. Are you seeking the appointment, or just running for the seat in the next election? I know you’ve filed PDC paperwork so you can fundraise. But, if it’s the latter, please withdraw your name from consideration for the nomination.
Update 11:56pm
Susan Bogni e-mailed me at 10:05pm with her response. Thanks to Susan for responding.
Budget adjustments are driven by the amount of income the County can reasonably forecast for the coming year…particularly the income from various taxing sources. As a county commissioner I am prepared to work with court administrators and the sheriff’s office to determine how best to address court security priorities. I also intend to lay the subject before our state legislators inasmuch as the maintenance of county courts are a mandate imposed on county government by state law. That state mandate implies that State government has a degree of responsibility for the funding of county courts.
Update 1/2/09 4:52pm
I received a response earlier this afternoon from Ed Crawford, and it’s pasted below. Thanks for your comments Ed.
I agree with Mary Moore’s answer regarding commissioner mandate to make percentage cuts.
One thing that is critical to all functions of government operations is to ensure that all employees and the public are provided a safe work and business environment. At this time I reserve making a definitive statement. I am familiar with the function, but not familiar with the physical layout, staffing requirements, or the opinions of those who made the reduction decisions.
Update 1/3/09 9:10am
Corinne Tobeck responded to me on these questions earlier this morning. She also answered some questions I asked in my review of her application, which I will post separately from this thread. Here is Corinne’s reponse to my questions about security at the courts.
My preference would be to continue the security at the courts, if at all possible.
I’m sure this decision was not made lightly by Superior Court. Making cuts is difficult under any circumstance. I would expect Superior Court has considered all of their options and will be seeking other available funding and/or manpower alternatives to help rectify this situation.
The County Commissioner’s job is to adopt the annual budget and to fix the amount each department may spend during the calendar year. County Commissioners do not have the right to dictate how those dollars will be spent, that decision remains with the appropriate elected official.
The Commissioners could, however, make their safety concerns known to Superior Court and discuss available alternatives. The decision, however, still remains with Superior Court.
I can only trust that this was the appropriate decision based on available funding and consideration of all needs identified by Superior Court.
Tags: Corinne Tobeck, Ed Crawford, Erik Landaas, Karen Valenzuela, Mary Moore, Russ Lehman, Susan Bogni, Thurston County Commission, Thurston County Democrats