WENATCHEE — Chelan County officials on Tuesday began the grim task of deciding how many people to lay off to cut spending next year.

Commissioners adopted a preliminary 2010 budget with $2 million in cuts.

Each department has been given a target amount they have to trim, ranging from a low of $513 for the Board of Equalization to a high of $460,700 for the Sheriff’s Office.

Departments have until Dec. 1 to decide how they will reach it.

County Administrator Cathy Mulhall said she expects about 20 people to lose their jobs as a result of the reductions. Earlier estimates were as high as 50 people.

The county is facing about a $2 million drop in revenues, particularly sales tax, building permits and treasury interest, from what was projected in 2009. Additionally, the commissioners are trying to increase the fund balance, or money on hand to cover its operating expenses.

Commissioners initially talked about cutting 10 percent — or $3.2 million — across all departments from next year’s budget. That could have forced layoffs of 50 employees. They have since adjusted that down to $2.1 million. They also made bigger cuts in some departments and smaller ones in other departments, placing a priority on public safety.

Officials were unusually quiet as commissioners doled out the cuts Tuesday morning.

“The screaming and hollering has already occurred,” said acting Auditor Skip Moore. “It’s obvious to everyone that the county is in a hole and this had to happen.”

Moore said he will have to lay off one person and possibly reduce another person to part time to reach his cut of $68,399.

However, if he is chosen by commissioners to replace Auditor Evelyn Arnold next month, Moore said he will not refill his deputy auditor position and will not have to lay anyone off.

Prosecutor Gary Riesen, who already laid off a prosecutor during budget cuts this year, said he will have to lay off at least one more person and possibly more. He said he will first explore the idea of reducing hours for his staff to save money.

“But I don’t have enough money in my budget to make the cut without affecting personnel,” he added.

Riesen said that out of his $1.7 million annual budget, only about $80,000 is not tied to salaries and benefits. He has been asked to cut nearly $108,000 next year.

Juvenile Services Director Phil Jans said he also will look into the idea of reducing hours and salaries, but that would have to be approved by the employees and their unions. Without that, he would have to lay off a few people to reach his $177,500 cut. He said his employees earn between about $45,000 and $60,000 a year.

“The amount is so big that there is no way other than reducing salaries,” he added. “You can’t get that out of (cutting) pencils and copy paper.”

Jans already laid off two Juvenile Services employees during this year’s budget cuts.

Last week, Sheriff Mike Harum said he would have to lay off six deputies if he had to slash his spending by 10 percent — the commissioners’ original goal.

His cut was reduced to 5.8 percent, or just under $461,000.

Since his budget is the largest in the county’s general fund, he is being asked to reduce the most.

On Tuesday, Harum said he expects to lay off one administrative person who works in the office.

He will also lay off a deputy who was already laid off this year, but then hired back full time on an hourly basis without benefits.

Harum said he will eliminate five vacant deputy positions from his budget, but will not lay off any other working deputies.

To round out the cuts, he will reduce spending on supplies, equipment and overtime.

“We’re just hoping nothing big happens next year,” he said. “A big fire or flood would easily put us in the hole.”

County commissioners are imposing the cuts because of revenue shortfalls.

All departments made two cuts in 2009 that amounted to about 5 percent of their overall spending.

In all, the equivalent of 22 positions were lost, either through layoffs, moving people to part time or not filling vacancies.

Michelle McNiel: 664-7152

mcniel@wenatcheeworld.com