(The Center Square) – Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier vetoed the county council’s supplemental budget and is now focusing on releasing his proposed 2025 budget adjustments.
Dammeier’s reasoning for the veto was that the supplemental budget was pushed through on a partisan vote, and was riddled with “irregular fund transfers, new administrative constraints, and ill-advised spending.”
In response, Pierce County Council Chair Ryan Mello called Dammeier’s objections vague, but suspects it centers around a $2.5 million allocation for a homeless stability site. A homeless stability site is a shelter that provides basic amenities and services to help people experiencing homelessness get into permanent housing.
“It’s ironic because that spending appropriation was authorized in the base 2024-2025 Budget, passed unanimously by the council in November 2023 and signed by the executive,” Mello said in a news release last week.
The Pierce County Human Services Department has struggled to find a low-barrier homeless stability site outside Tacoma despite the $2.5 million as part of the 2024-2025 biennial budget.
Dammeier’s office originally proposed shifting allocated funding for a proposed low-barrier homeless stability site outside Tacoma as part of the proposed supplemental budget changes. The shifted funds would have included $1.85 million to the Aviva Crossing Project, $635,000 to homeless and housing services, and $140,000 to youth diversion programs.
Instead, the county council approved the $2.5 million to be used for up to three temporary tiny home villages and homeless stability sites.
Dammeier has previously said that the $2.5 million would be better utilized in going to a higher priority: stable housing.
According to Pierce County Council Communications Manager Bryan Dominique, there are no plans to try for a veto override vote, which requires a two-thirds council majority. As a result, the supplemental budget ordinance failed to advance through the legislative process.
Now the council is preparing for the mid-biennium budget adjustment. The executive has yet to submit his proposal, but once it is sent, the council will follow a similar process done for the summer supplemental budget.
“In the meantime, I am authorizing the Finance Department to apply American Rescue Plan interest earnings to any ARPA projects that may be at risk of not meeting the Dec. 31, 2024 obligation deadline,” Dammeier wrote in his veto message. “This action ensures the council can thoroughly consider county spending needs and capacity as part of a full budget proposal with the comfort of knowing no federal funding will be lost.”
Dammeier said he will submit a proposal to the city council some time next month. The proposal would include funding to the Aviva Crossing Project, which is working to redevelop the James Center in Tacoma into more significant affordable housing.
