Trickling in … like water
Mono County Supervisors passed the $67 million 2015-16 budget in record time and without much haggling on August 18. Despite the slow economic recovery for the county, the budget was balanced and there’s even a little left over in the reserve.
“The budget Gods were smiling on us this year,” said Leslie Chapman, Mono County Finance Director.
Chapman told the budget’s story, from it’s woeful beginnings to its balanced end. The nation’s economic recovery has begun to trickle into the county and revenues for the 2014-15 year were up $1.6 million, but that was quickly eaten up by higher insurance premiums and retirement accounts. This left a $3.8 million gap between expenditures and revenues with $2 million left over from the previous year.
The county was able to make up the $1.8 million shortfall thanks in part to the weather, lots of tourists, one-time additions and positions left vacant, Chapman explained.
The county road department was able to save some money on plowing and snow removal. Therefore Public Works’ only needed $100,000 of its usual $585,000 for road operations out of the General Fund.
The county received a pre-2004 mandated cost reimbursement from the state, a one-time lump sum of $224,429. Tourism and business was good in the fourth quarter with revenues and taxes from the summer adding $290,000 over budget. Community Corrections Funds from the District Attorney’s Investigator’s Office added $245,000 and another $73,791 in “other agreed upon savings,” as Chapman described it, was added to bridge that gap.
One of the biggest savings for the county has been its reduced workforce. The county’s full-time equivalent employee number has shrank from 340 in 2007 to 265 in 2015. The county has been without a County Administrative Officer or Human Resources Director for months. The Sheriff’s Department has been low on deputies and the County Assessor’s Office has just a handful of employees. The total savings from vacant positions was $481,780.
Some of the supervisors asked Chapman why the budget was done in August, not sooner. She explained that there are last minute reimbursements and revenue that are expected in August. The county’s fund balance in June was only $880,000, for example. But, the extra time meant extra savings on salaries and added revenues helped balance the budget.
Chapman said if it were a “normal year” she would have played the cards differently, like putting the one-time 2004 money into a capital improvement fund and not the General Fund.
Supervisors were able to stash about $40,000 in 2015-16 reserves, far from the $3.8 million recommended by Chapman.
Supervisors were able to finish the hearings in one day. Supervisor Tim Alpers said he had been through 13 budget cycles and this was the first to be completed in a day.
To watch the budget hearings or read the proposed budget, go to monocounty.ca.gov.
