June 13 marked the beginning of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ budget hearings concerning the 2011-2012 fiscal year. With major cuts expected, the budget overview and proposal, provided by County Executive Office employee Jason Stillwell, looked bleak.
The new budget contended with such issues as an exponential increase in salaries and pension costs, which have increased by $20 million in the past year. This dramatic splurge in required spending is coupled with years of declining tax revenue.
With a $72 million budget gap that’s been growing since 2010, one of the supervisors’ primary concerns was closing that gap and preventing more deficit growth.
In his presentation to the board, Stillwell pitched several strategies to balance the current budget, such as reducing expenditures, increasing discretionary revenue, reducing service levels, and the use of one-time funds.
The proposed budget, if accepted, would draw most of its funds from the county’s reserves and savings to soften the impact on services and prevent more cuts to other departments, such as health, public safety, and education. However, it would create a grim situation for the next fiscal year.
In addition to this blow, the recommended budget would decrease the amount of funds designated for future use from $79.8 to $22.6 million.
A point of contention during the hearing arose when Stillwell announced that $1 million had been set aside for future jail operations. Second District Supervisor Janet Wolf questioned the practicality of this move, citing the fact that operating the prison for one year alone would cost roughly $17 million.
Santa Barbara County residents also voiced their concerns during the hearing. There were several complaints about the efficiency of the hearings, including claims that the same problems discussed in previous years continue to be ongoing issues.
Only one issue, however, is certain: Sacrifices will have to be made to deal with the county’s economic struggles.
On June 14, the supervisors listened to recommendations regarding the city of Santa Maria’s proposal to develop a new landfill at Los Flores Ranch. This proposed site would provide approximately 90 years of disposal capacity. The intended 1,774-acre landfill dwarfs the current Santa Maria landfill, which is only 291 acres.
Mayor Larry Lavagnino spoke on behalf of the project, indicating there was no other feasible alternative that could be implemented before the existing Santa Maria Regional Landfill reaches maximum capacity in 2015.
The Board of Supervisors will either adopt the resolution approving the landfill proposal or continue the item until July 5 so staff members can gather more information regarding possible adverse impacts to the county.
Budget hearings were scheduled to continue throughout the week as of press time. Other topics include the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, concerning the Diablo nuclear power plant at Avila Beach.
This article appears in Jun 16-23, 2011.