The San Benito County Board of Supervisors concluded its budget
hearings Wednesday, optimistically forging into the new fiscal year
with a $76.2 million budget
– and with several new systems to make county services more
effective.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors concluded its budget hearings Wednesday, optimistically forging into the new fiscal year with a $76.2 million budget – and with several new systems to make county services more effective.
In June the board proposed a $72.9 million budget, which was later increased by $3.3 million in additional state and federal funds, said County Administrative Officer Susan Thompson.
And while officials were cautiously optimistic about the county’s fiscal, the budget could only be balanced by using $2.4 million from a reserve fund.
That fund has $14 million remaining to plug any unexpected holes, said Assessor Dan Vrtis.
Although Vrtis said the reserve fund is healthy, he cautioned that it could be depleted in no time if the board isn’t sensible about its spending.
“If we use it wisely we’re OK, but if we don’t use it wisely, in a couple of years it could be gone,” Vrtis said.
Before the budget’s preliminary approval, which will be finalized in mid-September, several refinements in individual line items were made, Thompson said.
The largest portion of the $3.3 in new funds was a $1.1 million reimbursement from the state’s Vehicle License Fee. An additional $800,000 from the state will pay for the installation of a federally-mandated voting system, Thompson said.
“Overall it’s good news as far as funds available,” she said. “The board has had some hard decisions to make over the last few years. It’s been tight times and will probably still continue to be, but we’ve got a good team and they can manage their way through.”
The voting system, a fully computerized, touch-screen system, will be installed January 1 and will replace the old punch-card system.
County Registrar John Hodges said the system will be far more efficient and will cut down on the possibility of errors because fewer people will be handling ballots.
The board also made one of its top priorities the creation of a county-wide online network to allow departments to communicate with one another with the click of a mouse, Thompson said.
“It will allow us to have the tools we need to do a good job,” she said. “The board made a good decision with that, and I’m very pleased.”
Over the course of the three-day hearing department heads voiced their individual concerns to board members. But according to Supervisor Reb Monaco, in the end they all worked as a team to tighten their belts during this tough economic time.
Staffing issues were a concern in a number of county departments, including planning, public works, health and human services, the sheriff, and the district attorney’s office, Monaco said.
“We realized there’s some staffing issues we need to deal with because we’re operating at bare bones. You burn employees out that way,” Monaco said. “Dollar-wise it’s not the rosiest picture in the world, but since the county has had a long history of being conservative, we’re not in terrible shape.”
The prudent managing practices by the county’s department heads were also instrumental in creating a respectable budget.
Sheriff Curtis Hill was able to return $370,000 to the county’s general fund, and Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts credited $277,000 back to the county by working more efficiently and tripling federal funding levels.
The cost-saving strategies paid off for both departments.
The board authorized the sheriff to hire two additional correction officers and fund an undersheriff position. The probation department was able to unfreeze a previously defunded probation officer position, Thompson said. The department now has 12 officers, including administration.
“It’s an excellent example of our department heads’ commitment to doing the very best they can with the resources they have,” Thompson said.
Botts was ecstatic to hear she could add another officer to her staff after having the position frozen for the past three or four years.
“We have quietly been giving the money back because other departments hurt so badly,” Botts said. “But we’re thrilled. It’s a small increase but it sure makes a difference to us.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
