Facing the worst economic climate in decades, Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy submitted a 2010 budget to the County Council Sept. 22 that would make substantial spending cuts while preserving public safety and economic development as the top priorities. Included among the cuts are reduced services at Lake Tapps County Park and for the Foothills Trail.

Under the executive’s proposal, more than 200 county jobs would be cut next year and some programs would be consolidated, reduced or eliminated.

Criminal justice, which accounts for three quarters of county spending, would be protected from proportionate cuts.

And the budget would fund initiatives aimed at business and job growth that would help the local economy rebound.

“The worst recession since the Great Depression has forced us to take a new look at how we provide quality public services to our citizens in the face of declining revenues,” McCarthy said during her presentation to the council. “My goal was to find a balance in the continuity of effective programs and the stability of our system.”

The seven-member Pierce County Council has scheduled a series of budget hearings over the coming weeks to review the proposed spending plan for next year. Final approval is scheduled for Nov. 10.

In her address to the Council, McCarthy pointed out a pair of notable “firsts” in the budget – neither of them good.

• In what might be the first time in history, the county’s assessed valuation total is projected to decrease from the prior year – from $92.6 billion in 2009 to $88.6 billion in 2010.

• It is the first time in at least 20 years that the county is considering a reduction in the general fund budget. The executive’s proposal cuts the general fund by 2.6 percent, from $277.8 million to $270.6 million.

When factoring in total county spending, the executive’s budget reduces spending by $70 million, which is 8 percent below the 2009 budget.

Every department in Pierce County government would be negatively impacted in 2010.

The executive’s budget proposes to cut 109 jobs that are funded by the general fund. The total increases to 285 jobs when positions funded by other accounts are added.

That would leave the total county workforce at 3,106 positions, down 11 percent from the peak of 3,488 in 2008.

In addition to the staff cuts, at least eight departments that are funded by the general fund are budgeting for staff furloughs in 2010.

McCarthy asked her department heads and the county’s independently elected sheriff, prosecuting attorney, assessor-treasurer and judges to make recommendations regarding what to cut from their budgets.

“In many cases, I accepted their recommendations,” McCarthy said. “But I challenged them to make sure the changes and reductions are strategic.”

The executive’s budget seeks to promote economic development in Pierce County by continuing initiatives that consolidate the county code, make improvements in permitting predictability and recommend changes in infrastructure policies to help facilitate private investment that targets job growth.

The Parks and Recreation Department proposes to eliminate services at 16 parks.