Snohomish County facing tough budget decisions

Snohomish County Council Chairman Dave Somers stopped by the Monroe City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, to provide councilmembers with an overview of the county's current priorities and challenges. Somers, who began his fourth term in January 2014, has served on the county council for nearly 14 years.-á -á -á

The Monroe-area resident represents Snohomish County District No. 5, which includes Monroe, Snohomish, Sultan, Gold Bar, Index and Lake Stevens.

Marijuana is one issue the council has grappled with this year, said Somers. Initially, when developing county land use regulations concerning the production and processing of marijuana, the council made those uses permissible in a rural-residential (R-5) zone. Somers said that they received support when the decision was first made, but there was substantial opposition once the facilities started going in.

After further review, the council found that while the R-5 zoning suited that purpose in some locations, it did not in others. A proposed facility near Wagner Lake, a residential area located just outside of Monroe, received widespread opposition.

The council ended up passing an ordinance in May that prohibits marijuana production and processing in R-5 zones.

Currently, the county council is focused on establishing a countywide agenda for the 2016 legislative session in Olympia. Somers said the county has worked for the past few years to coordinate its legislative priorities with those of its local municipalities, in order to present a cohesive front. This leads to a more streamlined legislative process.

"When we're down there, we can cover each other, speak for each other and make sure we're speaking with one voice,GÇ¥ Somers said. "That really helps get things passed in Olympia.GÇ¥

In terms of parks and recreation, the county is focused on improvements at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, and plans on spending $800,000 on enhancements this year. One of the construction goals is to build covered walkways in between several of the key buildings, in order to give the facility an all-weather appeal. Out near Sultan, the county is continuing to work toward establishing a shooting park, and is working to navigate environmental challenges related to existing wetlands.

Somers said the current vision is to establish a park for recreational archery, with the hope of adding rifle, pistol, shotgun and skeet shooting down the road.

"I shoot down at the Kenmore range,GÇ¥ Somers said. "Archery with teens is really, really big, and so the view is to try and get something going up there.GÇ¥

The county is facing a challenging financial outlook as it prepares to enter the budgeting process, said Somers. Every year, the county executive prepares a proposed budget, to which the council responds with an alternate budget. At the end of the process, the council votes on a budget that is either signed or vetoed by the executive.-á

Somers said he expects the executive's proposed budget by the end of this month, at which point the council will have until around Thanksgiving to work it over and pass its final version.

"We do have a problem at Snohomish County with our financial situation,GÇ¥ Somers said. "We are at an all-time record low in our reserves.GÇ¥

County policy is to maintain a reserve fund balance equal to 11 percent of the general fund. Currently, the reserve funds are down to about 5 percent. As the council moves forward with budget planning for 2016, it will need to address these financial deficiencies, Somers said.

"We're in a situation where we are borrowing from various funds to pay our bills month to month,GÇ¥ Somers said. "We're going to have to resolve that in the coming years, starting with this budget session.GÇ¥

A slow economic upturn and increased medical staff at the Snohomish County Jail are among a number of factors affecting county finances. Additionally, there have been settlements and other costs related to the Oso landslide.-á

"We're being reimbursed for a large part of that but not all of it, so we're still millions short there,GÇ¥ Somers said.

Somers will be term-limited out of office in 2017, unless he is elected to the executive's seat this November. Somers made the decision earlier this year to challenge Snohomish County Executive John Lovick, a fellow Democrat, for his position. Lovick, who was appointed to the position in 2013, ran for the seat during the special election held in 2014, beating challenger, Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick.