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The Nevada County Board of Supervisors adopted the county's 2009-10 budget on June 16. The budget is balanced, includes healthy reserves and continues core services. It addresses current economic conditions.
The budget also considers impacts of the governor's February 2009 budget proposal. We are hearing it could be the end of summer before the governor signs a state budget for 2009-10.
The Board of Supervisors can't wait until September, or later, to adopt a spending plan. The board will amend the county budget as economic conditions change and the state makes decisions to balance their $24.3 billion deficit.
The county's $185 million budget is 3 percent, or $5.6 million less than the 2008-09 budget and includes 64 fewer positions for a total of 912 employees.
One reason the county is smaller is because workloads and revenues have decreased in direct relation to declining real estate activities in the county. This has impacted our community development agency departments and the recorder's office.
We are also smaller because of the decline in consumer spending, vehicle purchases and gas consumption resulting in less sales tax, gas tax and vehicle license fee revenues in departments dependent on these funding sources.
While service demands have not declined for the library, transit and public health, the depth of the services the county provides in these areas has decreased to ensure the continuation of services most used by the public or to sustain core services.
You may have already noticed these changes as they were put in place during fiscal year 2008-09.
The library has reduced hours but is still open 160 hours at six branches. The transfer station now closed two days, is open Wednesday through Sunday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
While the Colfax and North San Juan routes were eliminated and others consolidated, transit still offers about 300 hours of service five days a week, over seven bus routes.
The Public Health Teen Clinic in western Nevada County has closed, but three other local clinic options are available. To balance these operating budgets some service reductions became necessary. The choice was not to cut unnecessary services, but to use funds most efficiently to serve the greatest demand and sustain the most critical services with available tax dollars.
The good news in the budget is that the county's core services have been sustained. Public safety services are intact. In addition, some taxpayers received property tax relief due to property tax reassessments. Virtually all county fees have remained flat.
Mental health services have expanded with funding from the Mental Health Services Act. The one-stop job center on Maltman is fully operational and provides a variety of job assistance, training and placement opportunities.
The board has sustained funding level support for community nonprofits and has provided additional support for fuels management. The board has nearly finished its economic development initiative and will be offering marketing grants this September to organizations that plan to bring visitors and/or revenue generating businesses to the county.
The board's philosophy over the past several years has been to stick to the basics, funding core services, saving in good times for one-time expenditures and emergencies.
The board has not ramped up new or expanded services only to cut programs when revenues dip. They have reviewed operations for efficiencies, seizing opportunities to purchase rather than lease county assets.
The county has not depended on fund balances for operations. This philosophy has served the county well to adjust to the current economic environment, react to the state budget and insure the county's economic health in the future.
The state and counties are in a partnership to deliver certain services to the public.
When the state's financial situation is unhealthy, this partnership becomes lopsided and local plans are easily impacted by state decisions.
The governor's worst-case proposal for counties would put a greater burden on local jail populations, shift state costs for services to the county for sheriff operations, probation, district attorney, in home supportive services, health prevention activities, and aid to the poor, and will essentially eliminate planned local road projects for some time to come.
Most significantly, the proposal to borrow at least $2.7 million from the county would put stress on our local ability to deliver core services.
As the Legislature decides what is best for Californians this summer, the county will shift to the state's new priorities and ensure your tax dollars are spent only those programs the state still supports in order to best preserve local discretionary funds for basic county services.
The budget also considers impacts of the governor's February 2009 budget proposal. We are hearing it could be the end of summer before the governor signs a state budget for 2009-10.
The Board of Supervisors can't wait until September, or later, to adopt a spending plan. The board will amend the county budget as economic conditions change and the state makes decisions to balance their $24.3 billion deficit.
The county's $185 million budget is 3 percent, or $5.6 million less than the 2008-09 budget and includes 64 fewer positions for a total of 912 employees.
One reason the county is smaller is because workloads and revenues have decreased in direct relation to declining real estate activities in the county. This has impacted our community development agency departments and the recorder's office.
We are also smaller because of the decline in consumer spending, vehicle purchases and gas consumption resulting in less sales tax, gas tax and vehicle license fee revenues in departments dependent on these funding sources.
While service demands have not declined for the library, transit and public health, the depth of the services the county provides in these areas has decreased to ensure the continuation of services most used by the public or to sustain core services.
You may have already noticed these changes as they were put in place during fiscal year 2008-09.
The library has reduced hours but is still open 160 hours at six branches. The transfer station now closed two days, is open Wednesday through Sunday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
While the Colfax and North San Juan routes were eliminated and others consolidated, transit still offers about 300 hours of service five days a week, over seven bus routes.
The Public Health Teen Clinic in western Nevada County has closed, but three other local clinic options are available. To balance these operating budgets some service reductions became necessary. The choice was not to cut unnecessary services, but to use funds most efficiently to serve the greatest demand and sustain the most critical services with available tax dollars.
The good news in the budget is that the county's core services have been sustained. Public safety services are intact. In addition, some taxpayers received property tax relief due to property tax reassessments. Virtually all county fees have remained flat.
Mental health services have expanded with funding from the Mental Health Services Act. The one-stop job center on Maltman is fully operational and provides a variety of job assistance, training and placement opportunities.
The board has sustained funding level support for community nonprofits and has provided additional support for fuels management. The board has nearly finished its economic development initiative and will be offering marketing grants this September to organizations that plan to bring visitors and/or revenue generating businesses to the county.
The board's philosophy over the past several years has been to stick to the basics, funding core services, saving in good times for one-time expenditures and emergencies.
The board has not ramped up new or expanded services only to cut programs when revenues dip. They have reviewed operations for efficiencies, seizing opportunities to purchase rather than lease county assets.
The county has not depended on fund balances for operations. This philosophy has served the county well to adjust to the current economic environment, react to the state budget and insure the county's economic health in the future.
The state and counties are in a partnership to deliver certain services to the public.
When the state's financial situation is unhealthy, this partnership becomes lopsided and local plans are easily impacted by state decisions.
The governor's worst-case proposal for counties would put a greater burden on local jail populations, shift state costs for services to the county for sheriff operations, probation, district attorney, in home supportive services, health prevention activities, and aid to the poor, and will essentially eliminate planned local road projects for some time to come.
Most significantly, the proposal to borrow at least $2.7 million from the county would put stress on our local ability to deliver core services.
As the Legislature decides what is best for Californians this summer, the county will shift to the state's new priorities and ensure your tax dollars are spent only those programs the state still supports in order to best preserve local discretionary funds for basic county services.
Laura Matteson is assistant executive officer for Nevada County.
