Divorces take longer, burglaries often aren’t investigated in person and bathrooms at Cowlitz County parks are dirtier or locked all together. Those are just some of the effects of budget cuts county officials made this year.

County commissioners slashed $4.3 million from the general fund in May on top of $1.28 million in cuts they approved in December, when they also decided to use $2.4 million in reserves to balance the 2009 budget.

Officials don’t expect major cuts in the upcoming 2010 and 2011 budgets, but say the best they’re hoping for is to lose no more ground.

“We’re looking at keeping the status quo, at being flat,” Commission Chairman George Raiter said, acknowledging “some departments are struggling” with the previous cuts.

And as for increases, including the 25 additional employees requested for the next two years?

“That’s not likely,” Raiter said.

For county departments the cuts — including eliminating 32 jobs in December and another 42 in May — have had mixed results. Some managers say they’re making do, while others say they’re no longer able to do all their duties.

“We can’t do our jobs, that’s the bottom line,” said County Clerk Roni Booth, who lost 18 percent of her staff and about 25 percent of her budget in 2009. “(The mandated requirements) aren’t being met, and the courts can’t do their job because I can’t do mine.”

“It’s painful,” added Ron Junker, who manages the custodial, maintenance and parks departments. “If it gets any worse, my recommendation is that we will be shutting down parks next year.”

County workers were asked to take voluntary furloughs — agreeing to take off days without pay — to help cut costs earlier this year, though only some of the unions agreed. All non-union workers were given a 5 percent pay cut and all department heads and elected officials took the same cut — except for Superior Court Judges Jim Warme and Stephen Warning.

Raiter said officials plan to restore the 5 percent cut to workers in 2010, but the furloughs option may be extended into the next two years.

“I see no reason not to make furloughs available if people are willing,” Raiter said.

Those furloughs also mean that many county offices and buildings are closed each Friday, which helps with the budget but not public relations. By and large residents have been understanding, officials said, but that doesn’t mean they like it.

Junker’s heard complaints about messy bathrooms at county parks. He said he simply doesn’t have the staff to do the work anymore and has cut back from daily cleanings to three times a week. And no one is happy to hear that repairs that used to take two weeks now can be as long as five and half weeks, Junker said.

Raiter also worries about the loss of planning and equipment updates due to the cuts. The Information Technology department, for example, saw its computer programing and technical work parcelled out to other departments this year.

“It saves money in the short term, but you also don’t have that vision or planning for the long run,” he said.

Stretched Too Thin

Sheriff Bill Mahoney says he has more immediate concerns.

Mahoney said cuts to deputies and the elimination of court security have his workers stretched too thin and unable to cover all their cases. He’s had to send deputies and detectives home at times because they’re approaching exhaustion trying to cover the workload and finish investigations within legal deadlines.

His office can’t close to the public one weekday like other county departments, and the unions representing his employees voted down the idea of furloughs. So the work continues with even fewer people.

“It’s been ugly, brutal,” he said. “People still call 911 … and we still have to be there.”

Mahoney requested 10 additional employees in the next two-year budget, saying he’s just trying to replace what he’s lost. Mahoney retires at the end of the month but developed and submitted the office’s budget request for 2010 and 2011.

“I don’t have an answer on whether it’s realistic to expect help, but I’m going to be there arguing for because I think public safety is the primary function of county government,” Mahoney said. “That’s what we’re here for and that needs to be funded.”

Like Mahoney, Booth said her clerks staff simply don’t have the time to attend all court hearings, maintain the records for the public and help everyone filing legal documents. She’s had to close her lobby and only see residents through a window on the side of her office. Civil cases are seeing the biggest delays, yet civil matters like divorces also increase during tough times, she said.

Booth has asked for four additional positions in 2010 to restore the staff she lost in the previous cuts. Realistically, she says she knows that may be a long-shot, but Booth said she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t ask.

“It would be like saying we’re just fine, and we’re not,” she said.

Making Do

Not every county department manager paints such a dire picture.

The Building and Planning Department started leaving positions vacant last summer as officials worried about the budget and cuts, director Mike Wojtowicz said. At full staff there should be 31 instead of the current 22.

The cuts haven’t hit the department as hard as some others because the demand for building permits and other work has dropped off as the economy stalled. Employees still are filling in on other jobs to make the cuts work, but Wojtowicz worries about what happens when the economy rebounds and delayed projects suddenly start flooding his office.

“It’s going to be a challenge once all the pent-up demand hits, because we’re not going to be able to replace everyone at once,” he said.

Treasurer Judy Ainslie said the cuts haven’t been fun, but her office is making it work, largely due to her staff agreeing to take furlough days or pay cuts.

There have been adjustments, though. The county used to provide short-term loans to taxing districts, such as school districts, who need to pay employees or bills before taxes or state funds arrived for the month. This year, Ainslie had to tell all taxing districts to make other plans.

“I said please don’t count on us because the county itself is having cash-flow issues,” she said. The county almost had to borrow from other funds to meet the April payroll and still may have to so before October tax payments arrive.

“I’m thankful we’ve been able to hold on as well as we have up to this point,” Ainslie said. “We’re trying to provide service to the public as best we can.”

As for requesting more employees, Ainslie said she didn’t consider that an option given the times.

“I figured I was going to have to live with what I had and be thankful,” she said.

“I could use more people. I could use more money,” agreed Assessor Terry McLaughlin. “But I also realize you have to learn to do with what you have.”

Editor's note: Click on the bottom image at right for an enlarged view of a graphic that breaks down the budget situation by department.