Dear Colleagues,
I hope you had a chance to read Wednesday's message from Executive Constantine advising that King County is projecting a $100 million shortfall in the General Fund in 2025-26 due to the state's 1% cap on property tax collections. Given the magnitude of this shortfall, there will be cuts to county programs and services across King County government.
General Fund is one of many revenue sources that support our department. We will work with the County’s budget office to review potential reductions necessary to balance the budget and help bridge the $100 million gap. As the Executive said, there are no plans for immediate job cuts in any department, including Public Health. Executive Constantine will submit his updated spending plan to the County Council in September, and we would expect to start implementing any reductions in 2024. Public Health does have some temporary COVID-funded positions that may be ending sooner, but these reductions are not related to the General Fund shortfall.
To help prioritize these spending plan decisions, a community survey was opened up this week. I encourage you to take the survey and share your thoughts. Please feel free to share with others. You can find the survey at publicinput.com/BudgetSurvey.
I will continue to communicate with you as we work with our county partners to balance the budget in alignment with our collective bargaining agreements, our community responsibilities and our shared values. We are planning a Lunch & Learn next month to provide updates and answer questions you may have.
Thank you for what you do every day to protect and promote the health of King County residents.
Faisal
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