The final budget adopted this week by county supervisors will
maintain services and staffing at current levels, but not without
raiding reserves.
Hollister – The final budget adopted this week by county supervisors will maintain services and staffing at current levels, but not without raiding reserves.
To balance its nearly $81 million budget, the county pulled more than $1.9 million from a reserve fund, leaving about $12 million. It was the second time in two years that the county had to dip into reserves to balance its budget.
“It’s tight times,” said County Administrative Officer Susan Thompson.
While the reserve is handy for plugging budget holes, it is not without limits, said Assessor Dan Vrtis.
“From a strict numbers sense, sooner or later you’re going to run out of money,” he said.
Supervisors say the solution to the shortfall is not necessarily budget cuts, but rather finding ways to attract new revenue.
“Overall, financially we’re not in bad shape. We have a long history in this county of being very fiscally responsible,” said Supervisor Reb Monaco. “But we need to figure out how to bring more revenue into the county.”
Supervisor Anthony Botelho said the county may need to rezone agricultural land along highways so the property could be used for industrial and commercial purposes. He also said the county could increase its tax base by attracting more tourism.
But the most immediate increase may be found in a fee study currently being conducted. Many county fees have not been raised in more than a decade, and officials are considering increases in selected fees.
Maintaining public services and staffing at current levels was a major priority for board members as they entered the budget process in the summer, according to a June 28 policy memo.
That goal was met in the budget adopted Tuesday, according to Thompson.
“We don’t anticipate reductions in services or programs as related to this budget,” she said.
The board also made one of its top priorities the creation of a county-wide online network that will allow instant communication between county departments. Supervisors hope the system will at least partly make up for the lack of staff in county departments.
“Hopefully it helps in the short-term and the long-term,” said Supervisor Don Marcus. “Improved technology will hopefully raise the efficiency level.”
The fiscal prudence of various county department heads also contributed to this year’s balanced budget, according to Thompson. Many were able to spend less than they had been budgeted for last year.
“It was a group effort,” she said.
For example, Sheriff Curtis Hill was able to return $370,000 to the county’s general fund, while Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts left $277,000 unspent.
The cost-saving ended up benefiting both departments.
The board authorized the Hill to hire two additional correction officers and fund an undersheriff position. The probation department was able to unfreeze a previously defunded probation officer position.
Supervisors were thankful for the frugality.
“We were pleasantly surprised with budget balances that a number of departments were able to turn back,” Supervisor Anthony Botelho said. “That helped this budget process a lot.”
Luke Roney covers politics and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at lr****@fr***********.com
