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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:
November 21, 2007
Contact: Kitsap County Board of Commissioners Chair Josh Brown
Phone: (360) 337-7146, cell 360 271-9628
No. 07-82
Kitsap County reins in spending, releases balanced 2008
Preliminary Budget
PORT
ORCHARD, WA— If adopted, the preliminary $327.96 million
2008 Kitsap County budget will be the first fully balanced budget in more
than a decade.
“Like working families and businesses facing rising costs everywhere, Kitsap
County must also live within our means, and this balanced budget shows that
we’re serious about being fiscally responsible to our taxpayers,” Kitsap
County Board of Commissioners Chair Josh Brown said.
For the first time in years, the county will have no budgeted deficit. The
county has been working to reduce and eliminate budgeted deficits, starting
with a high of $7 million in 2005, $5.7 million in 2006 and $6.4 million
this year.
The preliminary $327,961,687 Kitsap County budget contains six distinct
categories:
Special revenue funds: $122,801,253
(Dedicated for specific programs and services such as emergency management,
mental health and central communications)
General fund: $87,617,666
(Mandatory and elective services including public safety, law and justice,
parks, general government, community programs and all elected offices)
Enterprise funds: $69, 215,321
(Operations financed and operated similar to private non-profit businesses)
Capital project funds: $16,671,589
(Finances county buildings and renovations, such as the new Administration
Building)
Internal service funds: $20,472,529
(Covers costs of services and goods used internally between county
departments)
Debt service funds: $11,183,329
(Covers interest payments on bonds and other financial obligations)
Kitsap County’s $87.6 million general fund – that covers general county-wide
government operations and services – saved nearly $2.8 million through a
combination of spending cuts, efficiencies and funding reductions of 33
staff positions; saved more than $500,000 by eliminating the projected 18.8%
increase in health care costs to zero percent – or no increase – in health
care through successful labor/management negotiations; and was helped by
unanticipated higher than projected revenues.
“Our success balancing the budget would not have been possible without
everyone at the county – elected officials, employees, department heads –
steeping up to the plate and working together to save taxpayer dollars, and
I thank them all,” South Kitsap Commissioner Jan Angel said.
The county also moved forward with various innovations including creating
the Department of Community Development (DCD) into an “enterprise fund.”
Based on a recommendation from a 2006 report authored by former consultant
and current North Kitsap Commissioner Steve Bauer, the DCD will operate more
like a business to recover costs related to construction permitting,
inspections and land use applications.
“I’m pleased that after months of hard work we covered the immediate
shortfall, balanced the budget and created a formal rainy day fund,” North
Kitsap Commissioner Steve Bauer said. “The 2008 budget is a good first step,
but there are a lot of long-term issues that Kitsap County is going to have
to address to maintain the quality and level of services that people have
come to expect and deserve.”
A full copy of the preliminary report can be found on the Kitsap County
website at
http://www.kitsapgov.com/das/.
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