News Release - 2001-17
December 7, 2001
Prosecutor Averts Layoffs with Transfer from Sheriff
Prosecutor Randall K. Gaylord was able to avert layoffs in his office last week thanks to Sheriff William G. Cumming. On the final day of budget deliberations, the Board of County Commissioners cut $25,000 from the prosecutor’s appropriations. The budget cut would have meant that two half-time positions (an attorney position and a support staff position) would have been eliminated on May 31, 2002.
It was a roller-coaster week for the prosecutor. "I notified the affected employees. We were prepared to shut down the GMA portion of this office in the first five months of the year. I gave instructions to my staff to begin the process."
Gaylord said that existing cases could not be handled simply by folding them into the work of other attorneys. "These cases are just too big and involved and have rigid deadlines. We couldn't possibly handle them without help," said Gaylord. He continued to say, "In addition, the Commissioners had just authorized a suit against the Town of Friday Harbor the day before the budget cut."
Assistance came from a one-time opportunity of the sheriff. By simply delaying the hiring of two new deputies, the sheriff expects that he will be able to save $25,000 from his budget. Thus, Sheriff Cumming authorized the auditor to shift those funds from the sheriff's budget to the prosecutor's budget. The prosecutor will use this money to retain the people that have been trained to do the GMA work.
Over the last three years, the San Juan County Prosecutor's Office has incorporated a half-time attorney position and a half-time staff position to defend the Comprehensive Plan and regulations. This approach has saved the County hundreds of thousands of dollars in comparison to other counties that retain Seattle attorneys. "We have developed expertise within our office and, now we (and the County) are better because of it. I was very surprised when the Commissioners made the decision to cut our appropriations," said Gaylord.
"I am very sorry for the unnecessary amount of heartache felt among the people who work for the Prosecutor's Office due to these actions," said Gaylord. "And, I am grateful to Sheriff Cumming. His actions will benefit our office and the rest of the community."
Randall K. Gaylord