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By BLEYS W. ROSE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Sonoma County government’s projected budget deficit has ballooned to $61.6 million, leading administrators and supervisors to consider cutting an additional 200 jobs, reducing more services and seeking price reductions from private contractors and equipment suppliers.
The deficit for the budget year beginning July 1 is nearly three times larger than the $23.8 million estimate that had shocked county supervisors last January. Last year, they managed to close a $21 million gap in the general fund budget, but not without encountering heavy opposition from residents ranging from users of social service programs to health clinics, from taxpayers angry about everything from cutbacks in roadside trash collection to delays in pothole repair.
“We said last year that next year may be worse and we hoped it would not be,” said longtime Supervisor Mike Kerns. “Well, there is no doubt about it now.”
County Administrator Veronica Ferguson, who took office last January, said her staff would present supervisors with final budget-cutting proposals on June 1 and budget hearings would begin June 14.
She said she will recommend several ways to plug the $61.6 million deficit in the $430 million general fund, but she cautioned that supervisors will have little leeway because the deficit is so large. The general fund represents the largest chunk of discretionary money in the $1.2 billion county budget, which is constricted by state mandates to fund the criminal justice system as well as health and human service programs.
“The ugly truth is that the community will be impacted,” Ferguson said. “It will hurt across the board. We will be doing less with less.”
Ferguson said the administration will ask private consultants and bulk-item suppliers that contract with the county to reduce their costs of services and goods by 10 percent.
Officials are already negotiating with unions representing about 3,000 of the county’s employees for a second year of mandatory time off savings, she said.
Shirlee Zane, the supervisor with the closest connections to the county’s labor unions, said employees will be asked again to agree to a voluntary reduction in salary, as they did last year when five days of mandatory time off saved about $4.3 million. However, she also said “it is high time to ask” companies with government contracts for goods and services to make sacrifices.”
“I have found it enormously discouraging to see vendors requesting contractual increases,” said Zane, who has questioned the basis for many private industry contracts over the last year.
The county workforce, which stood at a high of 4,406 full-time budgeted positions in fiscal year 2007-2008, may be trimmed down to 3,160 positions in the 2010-2011 fiscal year if cost savings are not found, she said.
About three dozen county employees have lost their jobs over the past two fiscal years; most of the positions eliminated were vacant. Officials were unable to immediately determine how many of the 200 positions that might be eliminated are unfilled.
Cutbacks in government employees and services are being blamed on the economic recession, which has curtailed sales tax revenues and finally had an adverse impact on property tax revenues.
On Tuesday afternoon, supervisors began a round of fee hearings that will likely result in hikes in charges for all kinds of services, ranging from use of parks, response to fire and emergency services and supervision of agricultural services. A separate hearing on increases in development and building permit fees has been postponed until May 4.
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I refer to politics as currently practiced in this country as a scatosphere…it has proven itself to be the lowest and most abject form of white collar welfare fraud—this county in specific has run up 61.6 million worth of red ink and yet the Board of Stuporvisors, during the time of this financial self-mayhem of the valley voted themselves a 10% salary hike—that alone should be grounds for impeachment and a federal grand jury indictment. A county stuporvisor gets a current 155,183 out of the tax slaves plus per diem and travel pay and God knows what else yet the pot holes go right on growing to the dimensions of bomb craters…does anyone remember what happened to King Charles I? Maybe the tax slaves who are forced to subsidize all this opulence in the lives of nonproductive and largely useless bureaucrats should start remembering.
The article says the county saved 4.8 million dollars with 5 days off. A possible solution is to force everyone to take one unpaid day a week off (i.e. 20% cut). This will result in a ~50 million dollar savings for the year. I am sure other employees can cover for the 20% reduction in staff without anyone losing their job.
Asking the tax payers for more money is NOT the way to go. So many of us taxed to death and don’t have any pensions to look forward to!
are they cutting their salaries by 10% and getting mandatory furlough like the rest of the county employees?
Why are they not proposing the county government affairs guy, who they just hired to send out press releases at $230k a year be cut, THey certainly can get a secretary to do that in these terrible economic times.
By county ordinance, the salary for members of the Board of Supervisors is set in line with salaries for Sonoma County judges: $169,000 annual salary and benefits valued at $69,000.
Just curious…what are Sonoma County supervisors being paid these days?
Just do what all other private service business do; reduce employees, and reduce pay.
This crazy notion from Zane that because the departments gave up “vacant” positions and employees took 5 days off they some how did their part? What planet is she from?
The unions have ruined public service with their inept rules and stole from the taxpayers in salary demands for FAR too long. Their day is a’coming, Good Bye and Good Riddance
Sonoma County “government” apparently can’t plan beyond tomorrow. I guess this $61 million budget deficit just sort of snuck up on them. With all those layers of staff no one is paid to think or plan ahead? If cuts are implemented the supervisors and ALL senior management must have their pay cut too. Sonoma County, which didn’t do well with no budget deficit, will finally have to learn how to do MUCH MUCH MORE with MUCH MUCH LESS. Maybe even those absurd 4 day work weeks will have to go too so phoes will be answered on Fridays. Let’s get with the program county! It’s overdue for you establish and and manage with a realistic budget. Taxpayers sure as h— can’t and won’t bail you out…that’s Obama’s game.