Council Chambers at Redmond City Hall couldn’t contain the crowd at Thursday night’s public hearing about the King County Executive’s proposed budget for 2010.

So many people showed up, in support of maintaining health and human services, that some watched the live coverage of the proceedings on Redmond City Television (RCTV) in the building’s lobby.

Speakers’ testimonials repeatedly included impassioned pleas for “prevention, not detention” and preserving human dignity in a time of unprecedented economic turmoil.

Among the present members of the King County Metropolitan Council, Kathy Lambert, who represents District 3 including Redmond, acknowledged the echoes of the Great Depression. Lambert is a member of the Council’s budget team, chaired by Councilmember Larry Gossett. Others on the team are Councilmembers Jane Hague and Julia Patterson.

Also representing Redmond at the hearing were City Councilmembers Richard Cole, Hank Myers, Pat Vache and Dave Carson.

CRUNCHING NUMBERS

A brief presentation explained the difference between “dedicated” and “general” funds.

Dedicated funds mean accounts for which revenues have been collected for a specific purpose and can be spent only for that purpose. For example, bus fares can only be spent on transit and sewer fees can only be used to pay for wastewater treatment.

The proposed general fund of $621 million — a projected $56 million shortfall — pays for day-to-day services not supported by other revenues. The largest percentage, 76 percent, is allocated for law, safety and justice. Public health and human services would receive 4 percent of the funds.

King County collects revenues on behalf of all taxing districts within the county, including cities, school districts, the Port of Seattle, and other special districts, but the county’s general fund receives only 15 cents of every property tax dollar collected. Of the rest, 52 cents goes to schools, 31 cents to local and city services and 2 cents to the Port of Seattle.

King County residents currently pay a 9.5 percent sales tax. The state keeps 6.5 percent, 1.8 percent goes to Metro Transit and Sound Transit, 0.1 percent is set aside for mental health services and substance abuse and the remaining 1.1 percent is split between cities and the county.

CALLS FOR ACTION

Setting a fitting tone for the evening, King County Judge Wesley Saint Clair, who presides over the Drug Diversion Court and received the county’s 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, introduced a successfully rehabilitated man who is now clean and sober and training to become a drug counselor himself.

Over and over, speakers explained how health and human service agencies had been a lifeline for themselves or their clients who might otherwise be in jail or a nursing home — at a far greater cost to society than giving them resources to rise above their difficult circumstances. Here’s just a sampling of programs that could be affected by budget cuts:

Representing Volunteer Chore Services, a program of Catholic Community Services, was Andrea Cashman. She described the ways that volunteers help vulnerable seniors with shopping, home repairs and getting them to medical appointments. Catholic Community Services is based in Seattle, but has offices throughout the Eastside, including one at Avondale Park Transitional Housing in Redmond.

Jackie Bui of Bellevue-based Youth Eastside Services (YES) talked about her very first client who had overdosed on her mother’s drugs, was assaulted by a doctor and attempted suicide — but because of YES counseling and mentoring, went back to school and is now a social worker helping geriatric clients. Assistance from YES counselors is available to at-risk young people at Redmond’s Old Fire Teen House Center, among other locations.

King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, referring to neighborhoods such as unincorporated Redmond, expressed gratitude for “the grassroots movement of citizens who’ve made the choice to participate in safety” and are networking to monitor what is happening in their own neighborhoods.

However, Rahr noted, “Even with their help we need to have a reasonable number of sheriffs. … We’ve had to cut prevention and outreach.”

Board members Geoff Ethelston and Gloria Campbell, from the Northshore Senior Center in Bothell, said the center serves more than 7,500 seniors and disabled adults each year, including many from Kirkland, Bothell and Woodinville, with a wide range of support for the aging or infirm, as well as their caregivers.

Campbell said she enjoyed “the lovely testimonials from young folks” who were representing other agencies, but asked the county’s budget committee to “remember the Greatest Generation, too.”

Meghan Altimore and Connie Fletcher, on behalf of the Eastside Human Services Forum, said reducing human services will drive up the costs of public safety. Without services provided by Redmond-based Hopelink and its partners, families and people would be hungry, cold and homeless, said Altimore.

Danielle Prince of Bellevue-based Eastside Domestic Violence Program said, “We are busier than ever.” For every 13 families turned away in 2008, they now have to turn away 18 because there is simply not enough safe housing.

“The turnaways have increased, the abuse is more violent and devastating,” said Prince, which results in more calls to emergency rooms and police.

And a large group from the Washington State University Extension’s Master Gardeners Association explained how their network of volunteers teaches children and others how to grow their own food and reclaim water, which are also ways to economize and promote health in times of financial duress.

YOUR VOICE

Another public hearing on the 2010 King County budget is scheduled from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 at the King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave. in Seattle.

In addition, the council will take public testimony regarding the budget over the Internet. Visit www.kingcounty.gov/Council/Budget.

The council is expected to adopt a 2010 budget on Nov. 23 and will send the adopted budget to the Executive for signature in December.