Visiting one of the most densely populated parts of the county, County Council members listened late into the night Tuesday as neighborhood residents and dozens of county employees and non-profit agencies urged them not to slash funding and jobs during a budget hearing at Finn Hill Junior High School.

The hearing was one of six the Council has scheduled to hear from the public on what the county’s funding priorities should be. King County Executive Ron Sims delivered the county’s $4.9 billion budget Oct. 13, which proposes to trim $93.4 million from the county’s discretionary spending in the general fund.

Council member Larry Phillips introduced the audience to a brief overview of the county’s responsibilities and anticipated cuts needed to balance the budget. He blamed some of the problems on a weakened economy and the turmoil erupting in the financial markets.

“We are very aware of the difficult financial times we are going through as a nation,” Phillips said. “We are going to be doing the best we can to continue to get our services out the door.”

A large number of cuts will come out of public services. In addition to regional services such as transportation and public health, King County also provides local services for unincorporated neighborhoods such as police, building and parks.

Council members and speakers at the hearing focused mostly on public safety and public health. In an effort to cut costs, the county has encouraged annexation of several urbanized areas, but after four years and more than $2 million, only two of the largest county areas have successfully been annexed. With annexation stalled and relying on county services more than ever, the proposed service cuts for Kirkland’s Finn Hill, Upper Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhoods are an especially bitter pill.

Representing those neighborhoods on the Council, Jane Hague said she’s been speaking to elected officials on the Eastside about how the cities and the county must work together.

“Your city may be required for mutual aid calls in unincorporated King County,” she said. “It’s not fair for either of us to off-load on each other.”

The county, which has set aside approximately $7.7 million in annexation funding to assist cities in annexing the 10 largest urban unincorporated areas in the county, now proposes to use those funds towards 39 county park facilities.

Hague said she was interested in trying to mitigate the impact of losing 79 personnel from the Sheriff’s Department — including 24 deputies and 29 detectives — by working very closely with the Sheriff and the courts.

“We don’t want what the Sheriff (Sue Rahr) has called the ‘Broken Windows Theory,'” she said. The theory is a sociological concept that claims, generally speaking, that neglect attracts crime.

Councilwoman Julia Patterson, chairwoman of both the council and the County Board of Health, expressed her concerns over cuts to a number of preventative health care programs, including immunization services, injury prevention programs and oral health screenings.

“One of the areas that we are very much concerned about is our ability to continue to fund the most basic services in Public Health,” she said.

One of the victims of the cuts would be Bothell’s Northshore Public Health Center, given temporary “lifeboat” funding until June of next year. Funding would also be cut for the Northshore Senior Center, which operates a senior day-care center at the Kirkland Congregational Church. Overall, the county’s Department of Health faces a cut of $19 million, eliminating 70 staff positions.

A number of youthful speakers also protested the proposal of ending the 145-year-old County Fair, held in Enumclaw. Tia Smith, a 16-year-old member of the Eastside Hushpuppies 4-H club, spoke in favor of preserving the fair as a valuable learning opportunity.

“The young people of 4-H are the future of King County,” she said.

For more information, visit www.metrokc.gov.