Island County has the opportunity to set the pace for county budget cuts. First it’s not business as usual. This means unions, you’re on notice. The idea is to keep employees benefits in place and maintain service to the taxpayers. Make cuts as suggested here:

1. Commissioners, cut pay by one-third and work one week each three weeks, with an online daily meeting with each other every day taking from 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Department heads cut expenses by 20 percent without cutting service to taxpayers.

3. Cut all unfunded state mandates to the county.

4. Attorney general, use traveling judges now.

5. Sheriff, utilize posses for calls that require minor offenses.

6. Building department, retain fee building inspectors and plan checkers.

7. Planning department, 20 percent cut in pay, keep the flow of new projects through the department. No nit-picking, just quality checking with haste.

8. Road department, 20 percent cut in pay, defer maintenance, forego all state requirements without funding. Forego stripping residential streets and roads including fog lines.

9. Public works, 20 percent cut in pay, Reschedule projects sliding current projects to the right 24 months. Reduce design staff by 30 percent. Develop outside fee design firms for future projects.

10. Unions, exercise emergency procedures keeping statement above as paramount with wage reduction.

The economic climate will take 5 to 8 years for recovery at earliest; it could last 10 to 16 years. A full austerity county budget is a must. Note: Doctors don’t operate on themselves.

Dale Tyler

Oak Harbor