Yellow Pages
Belt-tightening across all Skagit County departments should save the county $819,000 — money that will be needed to avert a budget deficit in 2009.
County commissioners Tuesday formally authorized 10 percent cuts in supplies and services while leaving staff positions untouched.
At least one department head has pointed to salaries and benefits as a likely area to cut because they make up 63 percent of the county’s budget.
“We’ve really tried hard to not be looking at downsizing,” County Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt said at a Tuesday meeting on the budget attended by county department heads. “We don’t want to do that.”
The county has instituted a hiring freeze of sorts by holding vacant positions for up to 90 days to save on personnel costs. Officials say they cannot estimate how much money the delays on new hires will save.
An accounting revision has almost single-handedly taken the county out of its budget deficit for this year.
* See the full story in Wednesday’s edition of the Skagit Valley Herald or on the E-edition, available with subscription.
