The Mission Building on the Snohomish County government campus is seen through a sculpture. (Sue Misao / The Herald)

The Mission Building on the Snohomish County government campus is seen through a sculpture. (Sue Misao / The Herald)

Vacancies could affect key county functions, officials warn

With a COVID-induced hiring freeze and budget talks looming, departments say they have been strapped.

EVERETT — Leaders of Snohomish County departments have pleaded for the County Council’s permission to break a hiring freeze to fill posts they say are critical to keeping up day-to-day operations.

The council has granted some exceptions to the freeze, which was instituted earlier this year and later extended as tax revenue tumbled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week, council members cleared the way for the recruitment of a law clerk, an office assistant and other staff members who will man counters and file paperwork on the downtown Everett county campus.

More positions remain empty, though — even as department heads warn that going without them could result in poor customer service for citizens and expose the county to liability.

“I appreciate the concerns about belt-tightening. But I think we’ve pretty much squeezed our guts out,” Snohomish County Prosecutor Adam Cornell told the council on Aug. 19, while requesting permission to hire a criminal law office assistant. “I am asking you to approve what is the bare minimum for us.”

The council granted Cornell’s request on Tuesday.

The discussions foreshadow the tough choices that await county leaders as the 2021 budget season approaches.

The county has slashed this year’s budget by more than $25 million with a variety of cost-saving measures, from delaying projects to instituting staff furloughs. Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers has warned that the coronavirus and resulting economic slowdown could again warrant a 10% reduction to the county’s roughly $250 million general fund when officials devise a spending plan for next year.

“It’s our job as council to make those difficult decisions and be responsible in how we do that,” Council Chairman Nate Nehring said in an interview. “The reality of the situation is that we’re facing a pandemic and an economic shutdown. And we can only spend the dollars that we’re bringing in.”

Somers is to unveil his budget proposal to the county’s legislative branch on Sept. 29, and the council must pass a final version by Nov. 30.

On Tuesday, the council approved the hiring of two Sheriff’s Office law enforcement technicians — one for the Evidence Control Unit and one for the Records Unit, which has a half-dozen vacancies. But the Sheriff’s request for two more technicians in the Records Unit was tabled.

The Records Unit is dealing with a mounting backlog as staff struggle to process a flood of concealed pistol license applications that has inundated the agency amid the pandemic and nationwide civil unrest over police brutality.

“To be quite frank, the dam has broken for us. We have employees quitting left and right due to the extreme workload,” Norm Link, chief of the Sheriff’s Office Administrative Services Bureau, told the council at the Aug. 19 meeting while making a plea for more technicians. “We’re falling behind further and further by the day.”

The Sheriff’s Office typically receives about 300 concealed pistol license applications a month. But in June, the agency fielded 2,500, Link said. Other firearm-related requests that the agency is responsible for approving, such as purchases and transfers, reached an unprecedented high of 2,400 in June; the previous record, set in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, was about 1,200 or 1,300, Link told the council.

“We’ve held the line as long as we could, but the liability for the county for the work that’s performed by these positions is pretty extreme,” he said. “We can’t be missing deadlines and giving out guns to people who aren’t approved to have them.”

The council has also tabled a request to fill one of two open field officer positions on the county’s six-person animal control team.

With the vacancies, the Animal Services Division can’t do private kennel inspections or respond to calls about stray dogs unless an animal is considered dangerous, said County Auditor Garth Fell, who oversees the division. And when the team receives a call about a dangerous dog on the loose, an officer sometimes takes more than an hour to respond because of staffing constraints, Fell told the council on Tuesday.

“These delays put animals and people at risk,” Fell said.

Snohomish County Assessor Linda Hjelle got some good news this week when the council granted her request to hire an assessment technician. But the assessor, whose office of roughly 65 employees now has 10 empty positions, is still hoping to fill a few more posts.

Hjelle has told the council she needs more staff to correct longstanding problems that were underscored by a recent audit.

The Assessor’s Office failed to meet three deadlines in 2019 — lapses that could have resulted in financial penalties, according to the audit, prepared by Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting for the county.

The audit also found that the office had “antiquated information systems” and backlogs that could ultimately lead to a property owner receiving an outdated statement of tax value and paying more or less than their fair share.

The findings were no surprise to Hjelle. During the county’s last budget season, she welcomed the examination when council members said they would support two additional staffers to help address the backlogs if she agreed to the audit.

Due to the pandemic, those two positions never made it onto the payroll.

“The performance audit substantiated what we’ve been saying and what the needs are,” she said. “There are direct impacts to the county.”

Rachel Riley: 425-339-3465; rriley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rachel_m_riley.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Employees and patrons of the Everett Mall signed a timeline mural that traces the history of the 51-year-old indoor mall that was once considered the premier place to go shopping in the city. Thursday, March 20, 2025 (Aaron Kennedy / The Herald)
Mall mural offers nostalgic trip into the past

Past and present Everett Mall employees joined customers Thursday to view an artistic timeline of the once popular shopping mecca.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen gives his State of the City address on Thursday, March 20 in Edmonds, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor talks budget at 2025 State of the City

Mayor Mike Rosen discussed the city’s deficit and highlights from his first year in office.

A person walks through the lot at Kia of Everett shopping for a car on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘The tariffs made me do it’: Customers move fast on cars

At one Everett dealership, customers move fast on cars ahead of Wednesday’s expected announcement on tariffs.

Public’s help needed to find missing Arlington man

The 21-year-old left the house Sunday night without his shoes, cell phone or a jacket, and was reported missing the following morning.

The Marysville Tulalip Campus on the Tulalip Reservation, where Legacy High School is located. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Marysville board votes to keep Legacy High at current location

The move rolls back a decision the school board made in January to move the alternative high school at the start of next school year.

The former Marysville City Hall building along State Avenue on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
City of Marysville, school board amend property exchange

The city will relocate its public works facility to the district’s current headquarters, which will move to the former City Hall.

Snohomish County Elections employees Alice Salcido, left and Joseph Rzeckowski, right, pull full bins of ballots from the Snohomish County Campus ballot drop box on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County to mail ballots for Edmonds, Brier elections

Registered voters should receive their ballots by April 9 for the April 22 special election.

A stormwater diversion structure which has been given a notice for repairs along a section of the Perrinville Creek north of Stamm Overlook Park that flows into Browns Bay in Edmonds, Washington on Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Edmonds Hearing Examiner decides on Perrinville Creek saga

The examiner revoked the city’s Determination of Non-Significance, forcing Edmonds to address infrastructure issues on the creek

Don Sharrett talks John Wrice through his trimming technique on Friday, March 14, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett barber school offers $5 haircuts — if you’re brave enough

Students get hands-on practice. Willing clients get a sweet deal.

Our Lady of Hope Fr. Joseph Altenhofen outside of his parish’s building that will be the new home of Hope ‘N Wellness on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Hope ‘N Wellness location to open Wednesday in Everett

Our Lady of Hope Church will host the social service organization at 2617 Cedar St. in Everett.

Amtrak Cascades train 517 to Portland departs from Everett Station on Saturday, Sep. 2, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Limited train service to resume on Amtrak Cascades

Trains will have less capacity for now, but service is expected to resume for some routes as early as Tuesday.

Marysville
Police: 66-year-old Marysville man dead from fatal stabbing

A neighbor found the man unconscious on the sidewalk as the result of an apparent stabbing. Police said they are looking for suspects.