San Luis Obispo County operates on the following budget: about $1 billion For 2023-2024.
On June 20th, San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors It passed the $966 million budget 4-1, opposed by Supervisor Debbie Arnold.
Mr. Arnold disagreed with the Board’s priorities, which no longer included road maintenance.
The Board’s continuing priorities are meeting legal requirements, meeting debt service requirements, and public safety.
Assistant County Administrator Rebecca Campbell said at the June 12 budget hearing that Phase 1 priorities included homelessness, health behaviors and housing, while Phase 2 priorities included storm recovery, He said economic development and water resilience were included.
From key spending areas to the multi-million dollar deficits facing SLO counties, here are five things you need to know about the 2023-24 budget.
Sheriff’s Office Earns $63 Million From SLO County General Fund
of San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office According to the County Budget Report, it will receive $63,602,650 from the County General Fund during the 2023-2024 fiscal year, an increase of about 6% from the 2022-2023 budget.
This represents approximately 23% of the county’s General Fund expenditures to the General Fund departments and is the largest amount allocated to these departments.
Despite a large budget, the sheriff’s office is struggling to keep the department fully staffed, Deputy Sheriff Jim Voge said at a June 12 meeting.
Voge said 28 sheriff’s office employees were on leave in June, 68% of whom were away on worker’s compensation.
This means the office spends a lot of money on overtime pay for its staff, he said.
“The sheriff’s office operates 24 hours a day, and when someone leaves, they usually have to pay someone for overtime,” Voge said. “We don’t have a staffing buffer that big.”
Voge said the sheriff’s office is working with the San Luis Obispo County Personnel Department to hire more officers to fill vacancies during the next fiscal year.
Funding the homeless services sector
Campbell said the board agreed to allocate $1.4 million to fund the homeless services division.
The board has instructed staff to set up the division in August. carry out the county’s five-year plan to halve homelessness.
Led by manager Joe Zvonik, the division works with local homeless service providers and cities to develop more affordable housing. Expand mental health, addiction and case management services and identify new funding sources.
Construction Begins at Nipomo Sheriff’s Office Substation
The board resolved to allocate $1.2 million to begin the design process for Nipomo’s much-anticipated Sheriff’s Office Patrol Substation, according to the county budget report.
In March, Sheriff Ian Parkinson asked the board to designate funding for the substation.
with Population about 18,176According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city of Nipomo is about the same size as the city of Arroyo Grande, home to approximately 18,456 people.
But Arroyo Grande’s population is concentrated in an area of 5.8 square miles, while Nipomo’s population is spread over almost 15 square miles, Parkinson said.
Parkinson said sheriff’s office agents are currently responding to Nipomo’s calls from the Oceano substation, so it will take some time to get to the scene.
A substation at Nipomo would reduce emergency response time for the Minami County community and provide a place for residents to report crimes, Parkinson said.
According to the report, the county’s General Courthouse Replacement Fund contributed $894,000 to the project, with $306,000 coming from utility charges for the trilogy of Monarch Dunes housing developments.
SLO County Budget Includes $5 Million Deficit
Campbell said the SLO county budget for 2023-2024 is a deficit of $5.3 million.
The county will use one-time funding, including $1.4 million from Congress, to fill the gap. Community Support and Tribal Unity Fundcreated by the Commonwealth. American Rescue Planning Act
The county also plans to use $3.9 million in the General Fund’s rainy day reserve, according to the county budget report.
“While this structural imbalance is acceptable, it is not ideal as it will need to be addressed in the future,” Interim County Administrator John Niron said at a June 12 meeting. .
SLO County isn’t the only government agency suffering from deficits.
California’s budget for 2023-2024 includes a deficit of more than $20 million, according to the report. county budget report.
The state is expected to run a $9 billion deficit in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, according to the report, which could reduce state funding to SLO counties.
About 39 percent of the county’s General Fund income comes from state funds, according to the report.
San Luis Obispo County Superintendent Bruce Gibson said he expects more budget cuts in the future.
“It’s true that the next fiscal year[2024-2025]will face additional challenges,” Gibson said at a meeting on June 12.
SLO County Superintendent John Pesshon agreed, but was a little more enthusiastic about tightening the budget.
“I’m looking forward to next year’s budget, which includes budget cuts,” he said.
Temporary Expiration Funding for Employees
The 2023-2024 budget relies on $5.9 million in ad hoc federal funds to pay 26 employees, according to the county budget report.
The funds include U.S. Rescue Programs Act funds and COVID-19 Designated Reserve funds, according to the report.
The Board will approve this funding in 2021 and will run through the 2023-2024 academic year.
When the county formulates its 2024-2025 budget, it will need to find alternative sources of funding for these 26 positions.
