Visiting one of the most densely populated parts of the county, County Council members listened late into the night Tuesday as neighborhood residents, dozens of county employees and non-profit agencies begged them not to slash funding and jobs at a budget hearing at Finn Hill Junior High School.

The hearing was one of six the Council has scheduled to hear from the public on what their funding priorities should be. King County Executive Ron Sims delivered the county’s $4.9 billion budget Oct. 13, which proposes trimming $93.4 million from the county’s discretionary spending in the general fund.

Council member Larry Phillips introduced the audience to a brief overview of the county’s responsibilities and anticipated cuts needed to balance the budget. He blamed some of the problem on a weakened economy and the turmoil erupting in the financial markets.

“Very aware of the difficult financial times we are going through as a nation,” Phillips said. “We are going to be doing the best we can to continue to get our services out the door.”

A large number of cuts will come in the form of public services. In addition to regional services such as transportation and public health, King County also provides local services for unincorporated neighborhoods such as police, building and parks.

Council members and speakers at the hearing focused mostly on public safety and public health. In an effort to cut costs, the county has encouraged annexation of several urbanized areas, but after four years and more than $2 million only two of the largest county areas have successfully annexed. With annexation stalled and relying on county services more than ever, the proposed service cuts for the unincorporated area near Redmond city limits are an especially bitter pill.

Councilmember Jane Hague said she’s been speaking to elected officials in cities all along the Eastside about how the cities and the county must work together.

“Your city may be required for mutual aid calls in unincorporated King County,” she said. “It’s not fair for either of us to off-load on each other.”

Approximately $7.7 million in annexation funding, set-aside to assist cities in annexing the ten largest urban unincorporated areas in the county, is now proposed for funding 39 county park facilities that are in the same areas.

Hague said she was interested in trying to mitigate the impact of losing 79 personnel from the Sheriff’s Department — including 24 deputies and 29 detectives — by working very closely with the Sheriff and the courts to minimize the impacts of these cuts.

“We don’t want what the Sheriff (Sue Rahr) has called the ‘Broken Windows Theory’,” she said. The theory is a sociological concept which claims, generally speaking, that neglect attracts crime.

Councilmember Julia Patterson, chairwoman of both the council and the County Board of Health, expressed her concerns over cuts to a number of preventive health care programs, including immunization services, injury prevention programs and oral health screenings.

“One of the areas that we are very much concerned about is our ability to continue to fund the most basic services in Public Health,” she said.

One of the victims of the cuts would be Bothell’s Northshore Public Health Center, given temporary “lifeboat” funding until June of next year. Funding would also be cut for the Northshore Senior Center, which operates a senior day-care center at the Kirkland Congregational Church. Overall, the county’s Department of Health faces a cut of $19 million, eliminating 70 staff positions.

A number of youthful speakers also protested the proposal of ending the 145-year-old County Fair, held in Enumclaw. Tia Smith, a 16-year-old member of the Eastside Hushpuppies 4-H club, spoke in favor of preserving the fair as a valuable learning opportunity.

“The young people of 4-H are the future of King County,” she said.

The County Council Budget Committee will hold one more public hearing meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at the Southwest Conference Room, 12th Floor King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave. in Seattle.

The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. Coverage will be available on King County Television, on Comcast and Broadstripe Cable Channel 22. For more information, visit www.metrokc.gov.