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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Meeting today Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon is expected to release his proposed 2009-10 county budget at 3 p.m. today in the first-floor hearing room of the Robert J. Drewel Building at 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. The meeting is open to the public.   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, September 4, 2008 County Council says it was denied access to budget By Krista J. Kapralos, Herald Writer EVERETT -- The elected leaders who hold veto power over Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon were barred access for months to the computer program that holds the county's proposed budget information. The Snohomish County Council repeatedly asked Reardon for access to his plans. Instead, they expect to find out Reardon's budget recommendations when everyone else does: at a public meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. today. The county executive and his staff are violating an ordinance the council approved late last year to ensure full access to the county's financial records, council chairman Dave Somers said. Christopher Schwarzen, Reardon's spokesman, said Wednesday that Reardon was too busy to respond to critics. Earlier this week, Schwarzen said the proposed budget won't be a public document until it is unveiled today. That's when the county's other elected officials will see it, he said. The proposed budget will cover 2009 and 2010. It's the first time the county has created a two-year budget. Reardon is expected to propose trims to make up for a $9 million shortfall predicted in this year's $670 million budget. The council has until Nov. 24 to analyze Reardon's proposals, tweak them or create an entirely new budget. Reardon has most of the year to draft his proposals, and he does it all behind closed doors, said Somers, a fellow Democrat. "It's not a very open process," he said. In a series of memos this summer, Somers repeatedly asked Reardon for access to the county's financial management computer program, the Budget Development Tool. According to the memos, Reardon either ignored or only partially honored the requests. Reardon's financial team said in August that the council could have access to a "read only" version of the computer program, but only after the budget is unveiled. Somers responded with a memo to Reardon that said the council needs full access to the program and an ability to fully interact with the financial data. Reardon's budget staff agreed to grant the council full access to the program, beginning today, Somers said. If Reardon backs out on that promise, Somers said he might recommend that the county return to preparing budgets year-by-year. "If it seems there are any strings attached, or he stonewalls, then we'll deal with that when it happens," he said. Other elected county leaders also complain about how they have been shut out of the budget process, where collaboration could result in better decisions for county taxpayers. "I've requested budget information from the finance director, his deputy director and our budget analyst in the finance department, and they all said they were not able to do that," Snohomish County Clerk Sonya Kraski said. Kraski said she asked for information several times in the past month, and every time was told that the information would be kept secret until Reardon's budget is released as a public record. "We understand the county is facing difficult economic times," she said. But elected county officials should get more information on how the budget shortfall may affect their departments, Kraski said. "We need to know what that means to us and our particular budgets so we can plan accordingly," she said. Kraski was among six county leaders who Tuesday released a joint statement saying they're ready to work with the council on the budget. Kraski and others said they're worried Reardon will try to cut the departmental budgets voters elected them to control. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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