Election Information

2013 Snohomish County Budget

Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon released his 2013 Budget Plan on Friday, September 28, 2012. It will be up to the County Council and the public now to examine and make changes to the plan between now and the end of November. The Council plans to hold the first public hearing on the budget on Tuesday, November 9^th at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers. There will be additional public hearings on Wednesday, October 31^st at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm. The Council Chambers are located on the eighth floor of the Bob Drewel Administration Building on the County Campus in Everett.

Executive Reardon's budget plan proposed no new property tax increases, while offering a balanced budget that protects services for vulnerable populations and maintains the public safety. He said his budget is marked by necessary restraint and discipline due to limited resources and an economy that is still sluggish. The council reaction was measured. Council Chairman, Brian Sullivan thinks it will need some reworking. He has said he's considering an increase to the county's general property-tax levy. A 1 percent increase would take in more than $700,000. It would add $2.24 per year to the property tax bill for a home assessed at about $240,000, the county average, according to council staff.

There is much work to be done. Councilman Koster said he is looking forward to working with his Council colleagues, the Executive and the public to meet the challenge of a fiscally responsible budget that will provide the necessary services for our county. Budget information will be posted on the Snohomish County website: www1.co.snohomish.wa.us

County Road Projects

Snohomish County Public Works maintains 200 bridges and 1,650 miles of unincorporated roads. The department has been especially busy in Councilman Koster's District 1. Recently completed projects include culvert replacements at the intersection of Burn Road and McElroy Road. The existing replacement is significantly larger than the old culvert. South of Granite Falls, culverts were replaced on South Lake Roesiger Road as an emergency project. Corrugated and reflective striping projects are currently in process now through mid November. Center lines will be striped and edged on the Jordan Road between Arlington and Granite Falls, Pioneer Highway, north and south of Stanwood and 67^th Avenue NE between Marysville and Arlington.   Snohomish County received a $1,700,000 federal safety grant for the striping and corrugating to address the problem of vehicles drifting out of lanes in rural areas. Reflective striping can be installed with a raised profile that provides a rumble effect when vehicles stray.

Granite Falls Bridge #102 painting, seismic retrofitting and replacement of expansion joints has been completed. The Jim Creek Bridge #42 replacement project is underway. The single lane, alternating traffic bridge will be replaced with a new two-lane bridge and realignment of the roads to correct sight distance problems. The construction is planned for 2013. The South Fork Sauk River Bridge #540 replacement project is in process. The consulting firm has been there to collect data for the Channel Migration Zone Study necessary to provide information needed for the new design. The bridge is currently planned for construction during 2015. Snohomish County is proposing a retrofit project for the Blue Bridge #538 on the Mountain Loop Highway, 12.06 miles north of Granite Falls. A major flood in 2006 eroded the bank causing stabilization problems. The retrofit project will include installing new deep-drilled piers at the west end.

More information on the road and bridge projects is available at the county webpage:

http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Public_Works/Services/Roads

Online Council Documents:

The Snohomish County Council offers convenient public access to electronic versions of official documents dating back to 1980, including Council Motions, Ordinances, Resolutions and Minutes of Meetings. Click to access the Online Council Documents.