The fiscal impact is described in the Fiscal Year 2017-18 Recommended Budget, which is available on-line at http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/45407. The attached line-item adjustments have no impact on net fund costs.
On April 18, 2017, the Board of Supervisors adopted the County's FY 2017-2018 State Controller's Office Recommended Budget Schedules for Countywide Funds and Special Districts. These schedules meet the requirements of State law. State law requires that local government adopt a FY 2017-2018 Recommended Budget for Countywide funds and Special Districts prior to June 30, 2017 in order to spend monies for the coming fiscal year. State law also requires that the Recommended Budget be adopted prior to holding Budget Hearings. These schedules serve as a placeholder until the Board approves a Final budget. The schedules are in a State-required "line item" format as opposed to the program budget format used by the Board during budget hearings. The schedules incorporated the same total net County cost level as is presented in the County Administrator's Recommended Budget. Adoption of these schedules ensured that your Board met the requirements of State law and in no way constrain your discretion with respect to the FY 2017-18 budget.
After adoption of the State Schedules, the Board of Supervisors opened the public hearing on the FY 2017-18 Recommended Budget. The hearings began with an overview of the recommendations in the FY 2017-18 Budget by the County Administrator. The County Administrator advised the Board that the Recommended Budget and the County Administrator's Budget Message contain details on individual department budgets, programs, goals, and recommendations.
The Budget and message represented a work plan to achieve the County's mission and priorities in the coming year. A number of key issues that have informed the development of the Budget were included in the Budget and presentation, such as property tax projections, employment benefits and retiree health care/other post employment benefits, pension benefits, General Fund reserves, infrastructure/facilities maintenance, the status of Labor Negotiations, and the potential impact of other pending issues. Following the County Administrator's presentation, previously selected department heads were asked to present their key issues.
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Dr. Walker presented a summary of the Health Services budget, which can be found on page 247-250 of the FY 2017/18 Recommended Budget. The Public Hearing was opened at the conclusion of Dr. Walkers comments. Supervisor Gioia acknowledged the $500,000 included in the budget for the Contra Costa Cares program and indicated his support for an additional $250,000 if matched by other local hospitals. Supervisor Mitchoff asked questions regarding transportation to medical appointments and emphasized Environmental Health's restaurant app, which is called foodinspector.
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Director Kathy Gallagher presented her powerpoint on the Employment and Services Budget. Supervisor Mitchoff asked how the County could expand the Cal Fresh program and expressed her frustration regarding the In-Home Supportive Service budget.
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Assistant Sheriff-Coroner Mike Casten presented a powerpoint on the Sheriff-Coroner Budget including an additional budget ask of $3.9 million for additional staff. He pointed out that the Sheriff would not be contracting for El Cerrito dispatch services and that made a $500,000 hole in the budget. Supervisor Gioia stated that he felt that the decision was unfortunate and hoped that the decision would be revisited.
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District Attorney Mark Peterson presented a powerpoint on the District Attorneys Office and recent accomplishments including an additional budget ask of $600,000 for staff. Supervisors Mitchoff and Gioia asked questions regarding case statistics.
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County Probation Officer Todd Billeci presented a powerpoint on Probation's budget and thanked the Board for the positions added to his department.
Line-Item Changes (Attachments A, B and C)
A. There are three areas of change included in Attachment A, which the Board voted to approve during the hearings on April 18:
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The first change moves $250,000 in Appropriations for Contingency (0990) within the general fund to Hospital Subsidies (0465) for the Contra Costa Cares program contingent upon an equal or greater match from community organizations;
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The second change moves $500,000 within the general fund to Economic Promotion (0135/1152) for the Northern Waterfront Initiative;
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The third change moves $220,000 in Appropriations for Contingency (0990) within the general fund to the Board of Supervisors/Unfunded Mandates (0001/1110) for the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District contingent upon the Knightsen station remaining open and match from Brentwood, Oakley, and ECCFPD;
C. Attachment C is an administrative line-item change that corrects a miscoding of revenue in Public Health (0450).
All of the line-item changes are in the General Fund and net to zero.
At the conclusion of the discussion, the Board directed the County Administrator to prepare the budget changes along with a position resolution necessary to carry out the Board's direction and return to the Board on May 9, 2017 for adoption of the FY 2017-18 Recommended Budget.
Position Resolution
A position resolution is required to effectuate the position modifications, additions and deletions identified in the Recommended Budget. The resolution is provided to the Board as a companion item (Resolution No. 2017/117) on today's agenda. Resolution No. 2017/117 includes positions in the Auditor-Controller, Clerk of the Board, County Administration, Employment and Human Services, Human Resources, Probation, Public Defender, Public Works, Risk Management, Sheriff- Coroner, and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District departments. Additional positions in various departments will be held vacant in order to achieve prescribed vacancy factor dollar savings. It should be noted that three of the four positions to be eliminated in the Probation Department are currently filled and that lay-offs are expected.
Changes to any recommended programs will require an equivalent reduction in funds from other County priorities in order to adhere to the Budget Policy to adopt a balanced budget.
Speakers: Robin Lipetsky, Public Defender; Mark Peterson, District Attorney; Zuleika Godinez, Ensuring Opportunity Campaign.
APPROVED recommendations 1-7 and 9-10; APPROVED Recommendation No. 8, line-item appropriation adjustments (attachments A,B,C) as modified today:
$250,000 in Appropriations for Contingency within the general fund to Hospital Subsidies for the Contra Costa Cares program contingent upon an equal or greater match from community organizations. If approval for the matching funds is not achieved by June 30, 2017 the issue of allocation of this money will return to the Board of Supervisors;
AYES: I,II,III,V NOES: IV ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None
$500,000 within the general fund to Economic Promotion (0135/1152) for the Northern Waterfront Initiative;
AYES: I,II,III,IV,V NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None
$220,000 in Appropriations for Contingency within the general fund to the Board of Supervisors/Unfunded Mandates for the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District contingent upon the Knightsen station being reopened or other uses as may be approved by this Board, and matching contributions from Brentwood, Oakley, and ECCFPD;
AYES: I,II,III,V NOES: IV ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None
$432,000 from Conflict Defense Services for the addition of three (3) attorneys in the Public Defenders Office for felony cases. DIRECTED the Public Defender to submit a quarterly report to the Board of Supervisors on a) number of cases that are being handled by public defenders b) number of cases handled by the conflict panel c) average case size per public defender d) assurance that the newly hired personnel are reducing the number of cases sent to the conflict panel versus reducing public defender case loads.
AYES: I,III,IV,V NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSED: II