El Dorado County's $536M budget eliminates 40 jobs, reduces $13M in costs

With an increase of $4.5 million to CalPers in 2018, changes to some social service programs, the impact of prison realignment, a "challenging" budget for El Dorado County is now available for public review. It is going to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) as well and they will have future meetings on the subject.

“I’m pleased to present to the Board and residents of El Dorado County a budget that is balanced, meets State requirements and fully funds contingency, general reserves and capital deferred maintenance,” said El Dorado County Chief Administrator, Don Ashton. “Additionally, we took great care to present this budget in a format that is easier to read and more understandable, transparent and useful to the public than prior budget documents.”

The budget includes $3 million in local funds for roads, more than $2 million in additional funding to improve the County’s Information Technology infrastructure and includes cuts to every department but law and justice.

The total proposed budget is $536 million while the General Fund budget is $284 million.

County cost reductions to General Government (8.2 percent) and Land Use (17.9 percent), and the elimination of 40 full-time positions are highlights of the proposed budget that is $13 million less than last year’s Adopted Budget and is a $4 million decrease from last year’s General Fund budget.

“Crafting this budget was challenging as we try to balance the cost of essential but discretionary services, the increasing costs associated with providing those services, the myriad unfunded programs the State requires us to provide, and the limited amount of revenue with which to operate,” said Ashton.

When developing the budget each County program was evaluated and had to meet the following direction from the BOS:

- Compliance with State mandated programs and services
- Compliance with Board priorities
- Conservative but realistic revenue and expenditure projections
- Preparing for the impacts of future year commitments and requirements
- Consistency with the County’s Strategic Plan and Board priorities
- Service level and system-wide impacts
- Efficiencies

The fiscal challenges come on top of the reality of the County’s spending priorities such as facility improvements, road maintenance and prior-year funding commitments that will come to bear in the same timeframe.

Job elimination includes not filling some vacant positions and expected retirements.

Formal budget hearings will be held in September during which time final adjustments to the Recommended Budget will be incorporated and the Board will approve the final Adopted Budget for the fiscal year.

The see the 422 budget report: http://www.edcgov.us/CAO/Fiscal_Year_2017-2018_Recommended_Budget.aspx