Dear employee, 

Back in late April, Executive Constantine emailed you about the unavoidable budget cuts facing the County’s General Fund.   

As the Executive explained, state law prohibits more than a 1% annual increase in the property tax. When inflation grows, that law prevents us from keeping up with rising costs, and inflation has been as high as 9.5% in recent years.  

King County was able to pass a two-year budget last year, and while the overall budget is healthy, it’s based on several funding sources. One key component – the General Fund – faces increased expenses due to inflation and with the projected shortfall in this critical portion of the budget, we must make proposed cuts beginning this year, which will take effect next year.  

Some departments are more reliant on the General Fund than others. The General Fund supports a number of expenses required by the state, like operating a jail and the court system, which cannot be cut. That leaves the remainder of the General Fund to face reductions, which can’t be spread out among the General Fund evenly.   

The Executive will send a proposed budget to the County Council this fall to make some of these reductions, which will decrease the size of cuts needed in another budget next year. Starting early will allow time for cuts to be phased in, staff to find other jobs where necessary, and clients to find alternatives to our services where available.  

I want to emphasize that no decisions have been made yet. Executive Constantine will send his recommendations to the County Council in early October.  

The planning instructions agencies received last month included budget goals to meet, and each agency will find the best solution to balance the needs of the people we serve and create the smallest impact on our work, and our colleagues. This could potentially include making reductions or finding savings elsewhere by eliminating open positions or not filling vacant positions. However, it is likely some filled positions will be eliminated next year.   

Departments will develop plans that meet their target goals and send those to the budget planners, who will then work on building a proposed budget for the Executive. This budget will not be final until the Council passes it.   

I know this can be an anxious time and uncertainty can be stressful. We will continue to support you in your employee experience here at King County. I encourage everyone to work with their supervisors and the HR team to help address any questions you may have. 

Sincerely,

Dwight Dively, Budget Director