In past years, the budget hearing process in San Benito County has taken up to six days, allowing for department heads, members of the public and supervisors to discuss the details of every budget unit in the county. But this year, supervisors are considering a different process.
“It has been lengthy and at times tiresome,” said Ray Espinosa, the interim county administrative officer.
He said staff members reviewed the process in Monterey County, a county with more departments than San Benito County that manages to keep its budget hearings to six hours.
“Most items on the budget hearing are consent items except for public safety aspects of the county,” Espinosa said, of Monterey’s process. “It shows a way or avenue to reduce the amount of time.”
Supervisor Robert Rivas, who works for Monterey County, said he was happy to see the item on the agenda at a special meeting Tuesday devoted to budget issues.
“Although it is an important responsibility, our process is exhausting,” Rivas said. “By the end, we are dealing with the most critical items and we are exhausted.”
He said he would support taking non-general items in consent form to allow supervisors to focus on those items that are funded by the county. Non-general fund departments include those that receive money from the state or federal government, such as behavioral health.
Supervisor Margie Barrios said she wants to be sure supervisors retain the ability to pull items from the consent agenda if they want discussion.
“I don’t want to lose sight,” she said. “We do have an enormous job, even in the non-general fund departments.”
She requested a tentative agenda from the CAO’s office by the middle of February so supervisors can see what department budgets would be on a consent agenda versus a regular agenda that would be open for discussion.
“I do appreciate this, after going through the budget session the last several years,” said Supervisor Jerry Muenzer, of shortening the process. “It needs to be streamlined.”
Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz said he was more concerned about having a clear understanding of the “numbers going in or numbers going out.”
“Let us worry about the political hot spots,” he said.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho said he agreed with Barrios that supervisors should see an example of the budget hearing agenda well in advance of the tentative June 17 hearings.
Espinosa agreed to bring back a tentative agenda on Feb. 19.
Espinosa also presented a tentative timeline for supervisors with dates leading up to the budget hearings. He said the main differences between the timeline this year and past years is that it set a deadline to send out layoff notices in May to allow for a 60-day notice to employees so that the layoffs can be effective as of June 30, if needed.
“In the past layoff notices went out in July or August, for a 10-1(Oct. 1) start date,” said Jackie Credico, a management analyst with the county. “With the May deadline the purpose is to be effective the first day of the fiscal year.”
The timeline also set a date to begin budget hearings, which in the past had been moved beyond the end of the fiscal year.
