Pierce Exec Unveils $3 Billion 2022-2023 Budget Proposal

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier has unveiled a $3 billion budget proposal for the county's 2022-2023 biennium.

At the Pierce County Council's meeting Tuesday, Dammeier posed his budget as a way for the county to move solve and move past the many troubles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"At it's core, it's about recovery, it's about Pierce County moving forward to a better and brighter future," Dammeier said.

In his opening statement, Dammeier touched on the ways the pandemic had exacerbated existing issues surrounding housing, homelessness and behavioral health in Pierce County, touting "unprecedented" investments in homelessness, human services, and public safety. Here's a look at what those entail:

Homelessness and affordable housing

Dammeier's proposal includes a nearly $100 million put towards ending homelessness and bolstering affordable housing. That money includes $26.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for shelter spaces, which Dammeier says will double the amount of available shelter beds in Pierce County.

The Pierce County Council has set a goal of ending street homelessness by November, and is working on a proposal to rapidly expand shelter space through the fall. Dammeier's funding would come in addition to the money already set aside for that plan, and assist the county as it works on longer-term solutions to homelessness.

As for housing, the executive's budget includes $78.9 million for emergency rental assistance programs, which help less fortunate residents currently struggling to keep their homes. It also sets aside $25 million in ARPA funding to develop and preserve affordable housing and $30 million to buy land for the purpose of building more affordable homes.

Behavioral health

Pierce County has historically had a greater need for behavioral health treatment and services than the rest of Washington state, an issue that has only been heightened by the trauma and confusion of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the end of last year, the Pierce County Council passed a new sales tax, adding 0.1 percent to all sales in the county to better fund behavioral health programs. Dammeier's proposal expands on that funding, adding $26.86 million to fund behavioral health services programs within the county. It also spends nearly 2 million to create 14 new county positions supporting residents with disability and aging concerns, and $16.27 million to maintain and expand the county's trail system.

"If the last 18 months have taught us anything, we have learned the importance of taking care of our physical and mental health," the Biennial Budget Executive Summary reads. " A large portion of the proposed biennial budget is devoted to helping County residents live their healthiest and happiest lives."

Public safety and policing

Finally, Dammeier's proposal summary emphasizes investments into public safety and police transparency.

"We have to, in this budget, battle rising crime and build community trust in the system," Dammeier said.

The executive's plans to do that include a $2.1 million investment in body cameras and dash cameras for county deputies. It also sets aside $1.54 million to create four new positions in the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, including hiring an additional internal affairs detective focused entirely on issues of police accountability.

Tying in with the emphasis on mental and behavioral health, the budget also includes $1.28 million to create a new Rapid Response Team of five behavioral health professionals. The team would be dispatched to resolve non-criminal situations, instead of armed law enforcement officers. The budget also hires a criminal diversion manager, who would funnel residents with behavioral health-related convictions away from prison and into therapy or other alternatives.

Other proposals

Other expenditures proposed in the executive's biennium budget include:

• $25 million to infrastructure, including $15 million for broadband.
• $22 million to preserve open spaces, repair habitats, manage forests and transition to electric vehicles.
• $10 million to support a new elections center.
• $6 million for COVID-19 testing.
• $4 million in ARPA funding to support professional services for small businesses.

Now Pierce County Council's work begins

Now that Dammeier has presented the Pierce County Council with his proposal for the upcoming biennium, the Council will begin a monthslong period of deliberation and refinements before voting on a budget of their own.

While Dammeier, a Republican, has on occasion clashed with Pierce County Council's Democratic-majority, the council appears to agree with Dammeier's budget — at least regarding what the biggest issues currently facing Pierce County are. Derek Young, a Democrat and the Pierce County Council chair, released his list of budget priorities Tuesday in advance of Dammeier's unveiling. Ultimately, many of Young's priorities align with Dammeier's, including an emphasis in spending on public health, behavioral health, and housing concerns.

"While it’s hard to predict anything going into a budget cycle, I can almost guarantee we will be making significant investments into housing," wrote Young. "Because our increase in population exceeds housing supply, prices have skyrocketed around Puget Sound. That’s causing financial harm and increasing our unhoused population."

Of course, how the council wants to tackle those issues could vary dramatically from what Dammeier has proposed, and will be ironed out over the coming weeks and months. The council will have its first of four biennial budget planning meetings on Oct. 7, followed by a series of 10 biennial budget committee meetings in late October and early November. The council's final vote on the budget will happen Nov. 23.

>> Read the full 2022-2023 Biennial Budget Executive Summary