PCRC writes new version of 2009 budget

Published 5:22 pm Monday, April 6, 2009

The Pierce County Regional Council (PCRC) released a new version of the 2009 budget which addresses the lower-than-expected tax revenue.

The revised budget reduces general fund spending by $8 million from $289 million to $281 million.

PCRC Executive Pat McCarthy stated council placed priority on criminal justice programs and government.

Sumner Deputy Director Diane Supler said the Pierce County Regional Council’s budget slashing follows months of efforts to trim costs by Sumner.

She said Sumner began looking for ways to trim its budget about 20 months ago. Reductions were made in 2007 for the 2008 budget and other reductions were made in the city’s 2009-2010 biennial budget passed Nov. 18, 2008. Money-saving measures included discontinuing the hanging basket program, hiring freezes in some positions and the elimination of the parks and facilities manager position.

“We had a sense that things we’re going to get worse with the current economy,” Supler said. “So we’ve been doing this for a while.”

Another idea for cutting costs is closing City Hall for a few more days.

“If we could get all the unions to agree, we would close the City Hall for five days a year,” she said, emphasizing the days would not be sequential, but spread out over time.

Supler said there are currently no new conservation demands for the city, but it’s too soon to be certain of the future.

“I don’t know if we’ve necessarily weathered the storm,” she said.