()

()

Service disruptions loom on Peninsula as state budget talks continue

OLYMPIA — If the state partially shuts down July 1, some services may be disrupted in both counties of the North Olympic Peninsula.

State officials sent notices last week to county administrators that county employees on state contracts could be impacted along with the more than 26,000 state employees who would be furloughed if a budget isn’t signed into law by midnight June 30.

That would result in various services — especially those related to health and human services — being temporarily discontinued in Clallam and Jefferson counties.

“They are just warning us, letting us know on our end,” said Clallam County Administrator Jim Jones.

The state budget includes funding for local governments.

“There are so many people that have a small slice of their salary that eventually comes from a state fund,” said Jim McEntire, Clallam County commissioner for District 1.

“Most of that is going to be in juvenile and health and human services. That is where the bulk of our state funds gets spent.”

In addition to Health and Human Services, Juvenile Services, District Court and Family Court receive the bulk of state funding received by the county, Jones noted.

“There are a lot of places in the county where we have employees that are grant-funded or contract-funded from the state,” he said.

“Assuming no budget is approved, we would not be able to continue doing those services past June 30, nor charging the state for any costs for those services.”

About 20 employees would be affected, Jones said.

Jefferson County faces a similar dilemma.

“The employees in Jefferson County most affected are in public health,” said David Sullivan, District 2 commissioner.

“They run on these state contracts” with some employees “being paid from several different contracts that are doing several different programs at the same time. That is what happens to small counties, small communities,” he said.

Counties brace

Failure by the state Legislature to pass a budget in the first few days of July could temporarily be absorbed by Jefferson County, Sullivan said.

“We are going to take it easy at first and not send out notices right away like the state is doing, but if they don’t get one done by . . . two weeks into July, we will have some layoff notices,” he said.

The number of Jefferson County employees that could potentially be furloughed has not been determined.

Clallam County is looking at dipping into contingency funding to continue operating the impacted services if state funding is cut off in July, McEntire said.

“I think, if there is a legal way to do it — and I am sure we can find a way to do this — we can take whatever steps we need to take as a commission to access our fund balances in those various funds and keep operations going as normal,” he said.

And Clallam County would seek recompense from the state if that were the case.

“We will do whatever we can to recoup that money,” McEntire said.

The three Clallam County commissioners will discuss their options concerning this matter during their regular work session at 9 a.m. Monday at the county courthouse.

Jefferson County is considering shuffling employees to other jobs funded by the county or federal government in order to prevent furloughs.

“Public health in Jefferson County has multiple funding streams,” said Jean Baldwin, director of Jefferson County Public Health, noting that employees in programs funded entirely by the state will be reassigned the first day of July to other projects should the shutdown begin.

“Can we transfer folks into other jobs if they have the rights skills? You betcha. We can’t do that indefinitely, but we can do it at least [for] a week and a half,” Baldwin said.

According to Philip Morley, Jefferson County administrator, the Jefferson County Public Works Department will take a similar approach, with the juvenile justice system currently taking stock of its options.

Any actions remain dependent upon the state Legislature.

“We are not going to make a firm decision on any kind of furloughs or changes until we get to June 30,” Baldwin said.

Waiting on the state to submit a budget every year has a chilling effect on growth, Sullivan said.

“The uncertainty really hurts planning efforts in every department. For the whole county, we end up waiting every year . . . to see what they are going to do. If we knew . . . we could do some real planning, and we could bond that money and do some good things.”

And Jefferson County is “still trying to recover from the recession,” Sullivan continued.

“We cut about 10 percent of our staff at that time, and we really haven’t had it back. We are just maintaining. And we are doing OK, but it really hurts not knowing year to year what some of these funding streams are going to be,” he said.

________

Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Port Townsend to test sewer system with smoke, dye

The city of Port Townsend will test its sewer… Continue reading

JUMP! Playground to close for renovations

Jefferson County Parks and Recreation will close the JUMP! Playground… Continue reading

Barcy Fisher, left, and Patti Buckland have been selected as the 2024 Marrowstone Island Citizens of the Year.
Fisher, Buckland honored as Marrowstone Island citizens of year

Barcy Fisher and Patty Buckland were named Marrowstone Island’s 2024… Continue reading

About 700 people from Jefferson and Clallam counties spill out from the steps of the Jefferson County Courthouse onto Jefferson Street in Port Townsend on Monday to take part in a National Day of Protest organized by the 50501 Movement, which stands for “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement.” (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Hundreds protest actions of Trump administration

Activists cite USAID, worry about Treasury, impacts of immigration

Peninsula to welcome Canadian visitors

Celebration of Coho passengers planned

Fish barrier removal to impact highway traffic

Portions of roadway to have long-term closures

Cheryl Gertsch of Sequim, left, talks with Krista Meyers, project manager with Cascadia Solar of Port Townsend during the annual Home Building, Remodeling and Energy Expo on Saturday at Sequim Middle School. The event, hosted by the North Peninsula Building Association, featured a variety of booths, displays and presentations dedicated to home construction, repair and improvement. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Building expo

Cheryl Gertsch of Sequim, left, talks with Krista Meyers, project manager with… Continue reading

Sunlight reflects off the skull of Gunther, the California gray whale carcass on display on the pier in Port Townsend. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
The golden hour

Sunlight reflects off the skull of Gunther, the California gray whale carcass… Continue reading

The state is looking to turn Miller Peninsula, a 2,800-acre undeveloped park east of Sequim, into a destination state park with a visitors center, cabins, picnic areas and more. Some locals oppose the move. (Warren Wilson)
Opponents want park to stay day use

State updates plan for Miller Peninsula

Sequim staff plan to send a proposal to the state this month to potentially fund sewer and water lift stations on West Sequim Bay Road using new developments’ property taxes through a Tax Increment Area by Sequim Bay in a 363-acre area. It would require the city to prove that developments in the area wouldn’t happen without the stations. The city council also would have to approve it. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim exploring funding mechanism to incentivize development

City would create district, repurpose tax dollars for lift stations

Fred Rix of Port Angeles, right, looks over floral arrangements with Ann O’Neill, an employee of Angel Crest Gardens of Port Angeles at a temporary stand at First and Race streets in Port Angeles on Valentine’s Day. Rix said he wanted roses for his wife, Wendy Rix, for their 55th wedding anniversary. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Valentine’s roses

Fred Rix of Port Angeles, right, looks over floral arrangements with Ann… Continue reading

Port Angeles-owned Lancashire Heeler “Ki” poses with handler and co-owner Chelsy Pendleton of Utah with their ribbon. Ki placed as Best of Opposite Sex at the 149th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
PA dog places at famous show

Lancashire Heeler wins ribbon at Westminster