LAKEPORT — The recommended county budget was unanimously adopted Wednesday by the Lake County Supervisors.
Interim County Administrative Officer Matt Perry along with administrative staff and other county department heads presented the final 2012-13 recommended budget.
Perry recommended $179 million in appropriations, which reflected a decrease of about $3 million from when the budget was initially presented in June and was about $6 million lower than the previous fiscal year budget.
Perry outlined four budget priorities: develop a responsible and sustainable budget to meet short-term and long-term needs; preserve the county”s general reserves; minimize or avoid any reductions in service levels; and avoid harm to county employees and the local economy by not imposing a large number of layoffs, work furloughs or other forms of compensation reductions in order to balance the budget.
In a PowerPoint presentation that preceded the discussion of each department”s budget, Perry used a data table showing the number of county employees stayed mostly constant, with 913 total employees for this fiscal year versus 968 employees during the 2008-09 fiscal year.
Salaries and benefits are the county”s largest expense with more than $66 million in appropriations. Second to that is services and supplies with just under $58 million in appropriations. More than $20 million is appropriated for various construction projects in the county.
A pie chart broke down the county”s revenue sources: 34 percent comes from the state government, 17 percent from fund balances and reserves, 15 percent from taxes, 13 percent from the federal government, 9 percent from service charges, 5 percent from utility charges, 2 percent each from other government and miscellaneous sources, and 1 percent each from licenses permits and franchises, fines, forfeitures and penalties, and interest, rent and concessions.
Another pie chart broke down the county”s appropriations: 24 percent went to social services, 20 percent to the criminal justice system, 15 percent to Public Works, county roads, Lampson Field Airport, and flood and lakebed management programs, 10 percent to health services, 10 percent to water, sewer and lighting services, 5 percent to community and economic development, 5 percent to general government, 3 percent each to education and recreation, general fund contingency and insurance, and 2 percent to other services.
Perry outlined various county capital assets. He said the final carryover balance from the last fiscal year was greater than anticipated in June.
Those projects include the completion of the Middletown Senior Center and Library, rehabilitation of the Middletown building that will serve as a Sheriff”s Office substation, continued renovations at the Lucerne Castle, a lighting, sidewalks and gutter project in Clearlake Oaks and plans for parks in various county communities.
Funding was also set aside for the possible purchase of a Sheriff”s Office substation in Clearlake Oaks.
The supervisors reviewed each county department”s budget. All were unanimously approved.
The final budget was adopted after four hours of discussion and review.
Departments including the Sheriff”s Office and Registrar of Voter”s Office indicated last-minute changes to the department budget were needed, which the supervisors said could be done at a future meeting.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14. Follow on Twitter: @KevinNHume.
