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Councilmember Dave Gossett October 31, 2008
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Snohomish County Council
3000 Rockefeller Ave. M/S 609
Everett, Washington 98201
 
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Snohomish County Council
3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 609
Everett, Washington 98201
 
Office: 8th floor, Robert J. Drewel Building
Phone: 425-388-3494
 
'Reducing Gridlock and Increasing
Pedestrian Safety is My Top Priority'

County Councilmember Dave Gossett continues to vigorously pursue transportation solutions for the residents of South Snohomish County. Development projects throughout the community contribute thousands of dollars annually to help mitigate the traffic congestion that new businesses and residents cause.
 
These mitigation dollars should not lie dormant in the bank, said Gossett, when they should be used to build critically needed roads and sidewalks.
 
"I've been working to find ways to use existing revenues to fix roads for some time," said Gossett. "I made progress with the 2008 budget by adding funding for North Road and a number of walkways into the county's six-year Transportation Improvement Plan. I'm very pleased with the Public Works Department's response to my suggestions this year."
 
Public Works revised their work plan by taping an additional $15 million from the county's mitigation fee fund to allow four major projects to be completed a year earlier than originally planned. The four projects are:
  • 180th  St. SE and Interurban Blvd. intersection improvements.
  • 67th Ave. NE and 108th intersection improvements.
  • Seattle Hill Road: 35th Ave SE to 132nd St. SE intersection improvements.
  • North Road SR 524 to 164th St. SW widening.
"What's also exciting about this approach is that it is not only quicker, but by doing the projects earlier it reduces the cost," added Gossett. "I'm going to keep looking for ways to more effectively use existing dollars to solve traffic problems."
 
Pointing out that Community Transit's ridership has increased from 8.7 million in 2005 to a projected 12.7 million in 2008, Gossett said the county council is considering changes to County Executive Aaron Reardon's proposed budget to promote transit opportunities, including more park and ride lots, use of reversible or HOT lanes, and transit traffic signal prioritization.
 
"That's roughly 4,000,000 trips that are taken in buses instead of cars," said Gossett. "Getting more people to ride buses is both good for the environment and reduces traffic congestion."
 

Public Safety a Top Priority as Council
Continues to Crunch Budget Numbers

 

"Putting together Snohomish County's 2009 budget has been very difficult," said Councilmember Dave Gossett, "but I'm convinced we can meet this challenge."

Declining sales tax and real estate excise tax revenues will reduce critical general fund revenues by $20 to $30 million next year. The county's general fund ($210 million in 2008) pays for a wide range of vital public services, including police, prosecutor, corrections, courts, parks, elections, records, assessments, treasurer, and county policy and administration.

When the council received County Executive Aaron Reardon's recommended 2009 budget in September, his proposal already included $9 million in cuts to cope with rapidly declining revenues.

Council analysis soon revealed that the deficit had grown by $12 to $13 million to a total of $21-$22 million at this time. To close this revenue gap, Council Chair Dave Somers asked departments to propose 7% and 9% cuts to their individual budgets. The council is now reviewing the proposed additional cuts.

"I want to reduce the impact of budget cuts on public safety," said Councilmember Gossett. "While revenues are still not certain, I've proposed that the council look at restoring several important public safety services."

Gossett's proposals include:

·      Restoring deputies to the Sheriff.

·      Providing reporting software that will allow deputies to spend more time fighting crime and less time writing reports.

·      Restoring staff to the Clerk and Prosecutor to make sure criminals pay their fines and pay restitution to victims.

·      Restoring some funding for drug courts.

"It is too early to tell if these services can be added back into the budget," said Gossett, "but I'll be working hard to find the necessary funding."

The county council's budget hearing will be held Wed., Nov. 5 at 10:30 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. in the Jackson Hearing Room on the 8th floor of the Bob Drewel Building on the county campus (3000 Rockefeller Ave.) in Everett. This hearing will likely be continued to Mon., Nov. 24.

Meetings Are Webcast

Don't forget that All Council Meetings and Hearings Are Webcast Live. To view all county council meetings and hearings live or archived go to the county's homepage at www.snoco.org and enter "Council Webcasts" into the "Search For" box located in the middle top of the homepage.
 
I hope you found this eNEWSLETTER informative and useful. You can make it even more valuable by suggesting topics and issues for future newsletters. Please contact me at 425-388-3494, or e-mail Dave.Gossett@snoco.org. If you would like to share this newsletter, select the Forward email link below.
Sincerely,
 
Dave Gossett
Snohomish County Council