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Board of Supervisors begins week of workshops to discuss $1.4 billion budget
The fiscal outlook for Santa Barbara County is “stable.”
That was the message given as the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors began its series of budget workshops Monday.
This week the board is holding three budget workshops, which will allow departments to present special issues, allow for public input and provide a summary on departments’ requests, updates and projects. Final budget decisions are expected to be made in mid-June.
On Monday, the board considered departmental budgets for the Health and Human Services as well as General Government & Support Services departments in addition to a budget overview.
The county budget for fiscal year 2022-2023 is estimated to be $1.4 billion. This will be the fourth consecutive year no county departments will need to propose a service level reduction.
According to Monday’s presentation, property, sales and transient occupancy taxes are remaining stable, federal and state pandemic resources are continuing, and money from the American Rescue Plan Act and other one-time funds are helping with infrastructure needs.
Total operating revenues have increased 3.6% from the prior fiscal year, and transient occupancy tax revenues grew by 23% for the upcoming fiscal year, according to the presentation. General fund operating revenues increased 1.7%, and sales tax revenues grew 13.6%, the presentation to the board revealed.
Some departments have requested expansions that would total 52.5 FTEs (full-time equivalents) in staffing. The requests total $12.7 million in ongoing funds and $7 million in one-time funding, according to the presentation.
The Sheriff’s Office recommended an additional seven FTEs for its co-response expansion, which would cost about $1.3 million in ongoing expenses and five FTEs for its narcotics team for nearly $1.04 million in ongoing expenses.
The department also requested an additional five FTEs for the cannabis compliance team, totaling nearly $1.04 million in ongoing expenses, and six sheriff service technicians for the Northern Branch Jail for about $647,000. It requested one FTE (totaling about $288,000) for a human trafficking detective.
The Public Defender’s Office requested $461,000 in one-time funding for three deputy public defenders to assist with a backlog.
The District Attorney’s Office requested two deputy district attorneys to help with court backlogs, which would cost about $313,000 in one-time costs and a cybercrimes unit investigator totaling $182,000 in ongoing expenses.
The Community Services Department requested two Housing and Community Development accountants to assist with COVID-19 rental assistance accounting totaling $240,000 in ongoing expenses.
Many department representatives who presented Monday expressed concerns about staffing attraction and retention.
Today, the Board of Supervisors will review the public safety budget. Under its umbrella are the sheriff’s, district attorney’s, probation, public defender’s and fire departments.
The board will also be presented with budgets for Agriculture, Weights and Measures; Planning and Development; Community Services; and Public Works departments.
Additionally today, the board will hold public comment on maintenance and unfunded capital projects.
Thursday’s budget review will tackle the County Counsel, Board of Supervisors, County Executive Office and general county programs and fund balances.
Public comment will be heard Thursday on digital transformation updates and ARPA funding.
The budget workshops can be attended in-person at the County Administration Building, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, or online at www.countyofsb.org/ceo/csbtv/livestream.sbc or at www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20.
email: kschallhorn@newspress.com.
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