Last week, the County finalized
its budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004 and ending June 30, 2005. Changes
from our preliminary budget were needed because of: (1) the amount of revenue we are
getting in the finalized State budget; (2) having less balance to carryover in the General
Fund than had been projected; and (3) the cost of funding the many homicide trials we have
in the works.
Prior decisions to use $1.8 million of reserve funds and directing
tobacco settlement revenue into the General
Fund to balance the budget were confirmed. Restrictions on the purchase of “fixed
assets,” (vehicles, equipment,) were continued. All future vacant positions will
remain vacant for a minimum of three months, when they will be reviewed as to continued
department need.
Disputes over State redirection of County Vehicle License Fee
revenues and shifting of local property taxes to pay the State’s obligation to ERAF
(Educational Revenue Augmentation Funds,) were settled on the State budgetary level. If
Proposition 1A passes in November, County budgets will be stabilized in the short term and
receive a certainty that the State will provide pledged County revenue in the fiscal year
06/07. The County will also be able to review unfunded mandated programs and decide
whether they wish to continue them at local taxpayer’s expense.
It had been projected that the General Fund, (the pot of money
funding the Sheriff, D.A., jail, Auditor, Recorder, Treasurer, Appraiser, Clerk,
Administration, etc.,) would have a $2,000,000 fund balance to be carried over to this
year. The actual amount turned out to be only $349,919.
The State budget did provide reinstatement of Rural Crime funding of
$500,000 and booking fees at $108,000. This added revenue enabled the Board to reduce the
General Fund contribution to the Sheriff by $250,000, which helped to offset the fund
balance shortfall. The Sheriff was able to save almost half to potentially be used for
additional law enforcement on the streets.
New vehicles were approved for Public Health and Probation. These are
a grant funded expense and the used vehicles will be rotated into other departments.
There is an ongoing deficit of $2,782,118 in the landfill budget.
Some of this is in the form of a loan for closing of landfills around Siskiyou County due
to environmental concerns and some for construction of the Black Butte Transfer Station. A
portion of the deficit is being worked down through the restructuring of fees imposed last
year on haulers.
The County had also approved an additional $2,000,000 long term loan
to help pay for the new $7,000,000 juvenile hall out by the fairgrounds. A shortfall had
occurred because of the delays in finding a suitable site. (Payments will be made from a
special revenue the County receives each year for court construction.) A State grant will
pay for $4,000,000 of the costs.
Currently there are four homicide trials in process in Siskiyou County.
One of these has seven defendants. The cost of each trial is estimated to be $3 million
per defendant. It is estimated that the total cost over the next two years could easily
exceed $19 million. There is a formula where the State shares the costs with the County.
It is estimated that the County cost from the General Fund will be $463,00 per defendant.
Obviously, this is a substantial blow to the budget. Our reserves have already been
substantially depleted. In a June 17 letter to Assemblyman La Malfa, County Auditor Leanna
Dancer has stated that “Without assistance on these trials, we will not make it
through the year.”
A Senate Bill 592 was introduced in the California legislature. This
bill proposes to fund 100% of the Laci
Peterson trial costs, change of venue homicide trials and all homicide trials in a county
with a population of 50,000 or less. (That would include Siskiyou County.) Unfortunately,
the legislature left without considering the bill. It would take Governor Schwarzenegger
to reconvene the legislature for the bill to pass.
Behavioral Health Children’s System of Care was determined to be
running at a deficit of $540,000. It was expected that, without some changes, this deficit
would also occur in the current fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors approved a change in
systems administration, freezing of a position, closing the Ream Office in Mt. Shasta,
raising the State billing rate and increasing Medi-Cal billable minutes as a strategy to
prevent a reoccurring deficit.
New websites of interest: Siskiyou County Chapter of the Red Cross http://www.siskiyouredcross.org/
NorCal Bioterrorism and Disaster Preparedness http://www.norcalbt.com/region3/
Upcoming dates: October 5, Board of Supervisors, Courthouse in Yreka, grading ordinance
discussion, (time to be announced.) October 12, 6:30 p.m. Miners Inn Yreka, Water
Quality/TMDL presentation on sediment. October 13 and 14, Yreka Community Center, 9a.m.
– 5 p.m., (8 a.m. start on the 14th.)
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