The King County Council Budget Review and Adoption Committee held its first community meeting on Tuesday at the Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus in Issaquah on Tuesday.
The meetings are being scheduled in an effort to get more feedback on the county’s proposed budget earlier in the process. King County Executive Ron Sims on Monday presented a $4.9 billion budget with a projected $93.4 million deficit.
“There are some big challenges to deal with in terms of the deficit in the general fund,” Councilmember Larry Phillips said.
One of the big concerns is the big budget cuts in the King County Sheriff’s Office.
King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert, a Redmond resident, said she’s very concerned about cuts to the sheriff’s office, in particular the fact that if there are fewer officers on duty, there may be a delay of service in some cases while a deputy waits for a second deputy to arrive in order to enter with backup as required.
“It puts our officers in danger and it puts our citizens in danger, and I don’t think that’s OK,” Lambert said.
Phillips said the council is taking concerns about the sheriff’s office very seriously, and passed a motion in August that said their top priorities in the budget process will be maintaining public safety, health and quality of life.
The committe will hold three more public hearings:
• Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the Finn Hill Junior High School Library, 8040 N.E. 132nd St. in Kirkland.
• Thursday, Oct. 23 at the Shoreline Conference Center, Arden Room, 18560 1st Avenue Northeast in Shoreline.
• Tuesday, Oct. 28 at the Southwest Conference Room, 12th Floor King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave. in Seattle.
All meetings 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.
