Council's 2010 budget process begins

Thursday Sep 17 2009 1:59 PM

The Pierce County Council's scrutiny of the county's 2010 budget begins Tuesday, Sept. 22, when councilmembers receive the County Executive's budget proposal at their regular 3 p.m. meeting in the Council Chambers (930 Tacoma Ave. S., Room 1045, Tacoma).

"The recession has hit Pierce County harder than anyone expected, so we'll have a number of challenges to overcome in crafting next year's budget," Council Chair Roger Bush said. "As always, we'll conduct a detailed, thoughtful review of the budget to assure that our taxpayers continue receiving the core services they expect from county government."

First will be three budget study sessions on Oct. 7, 13 and 20 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. - also in the Council Chambers - which are open to the public. Later the council will hear from department directors and the county's other elected officials at public hearings beginning Oct. 21.

Here are some of the tentatively scheduled budget hearings in the Council Chambers:

- Oct. 21, 9 a.m. - Auditor Jan Shabro
- Oct. 27, 9 a.m. - Budget and Finance Director Patrick Kenney
- Oct. 28, 9 a.m. - Sheriff Paul Pastor, Corrections Bureau Chief Robert Masko, Emergency Management Director Steve Bailey
- Oct. 28, 1:30 p.m. - Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist, Department of Assigned Counsel Director Michael Kawamura, District Court Presiding Judge Margaret Ross
- Oct. 29, 9 a.m. - Superior Court Presiding Judge Bryan Chushcoff, Juvenile Court Administrator Shelly Maluo
- Oct. 29, 1:30 p.m. - WSU Cooperative Extension; Human Resources Director Betsy Sawyers, Acting Risk Manager Mark Maenhout, Interim Information Technology Director Linda Gerull
- Oct. 30, 9 a.m. - Public Works and Utilities Director Brian Ziegler (sewers, stormwater, Chambers Creek properties)
- Oct. 30, 1:30 p.m. - Public Works and Utilities Director Brian Ziegler (roads, ferries)
- Nov. 2, 1:30 p.m. - Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam
- Nov. 4, 9 a.m. - Planning and Land Services Director Chuck Kleeberg, Parks and Recreation Director Kathy Kravit-Smith
- Nov. 4, 1:30 pm. - Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Director of Health Dr. Anthony L-T Chen, Community Services Director Tom Hilyard

The council plans to adopt the final version of the 2010 budget at its regular meeting Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 3 p.m. in the Council Chambers. All regular council meetings are broadcast live on C-RCC TV (channels 22 or 78) and streamed live at www.co.pierce.wa.us/cfapps/internet/redirectCouncilWebcast.cfm.

CONTACT: Brad Chatfield, Council Communications Manager, 253-798-6626