County Faces $88 Million Budget Gap
Thursday, 17 May 2012 14:20
By Amy Sylvestri
San Leandro Times
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors recently announced a projected budget gap of $88.1 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year – a large figure, but significantly less than the $138 million gap that had to be closed last year.
District 3 Supervisor Wilma Chan, who represents San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Ashland, and part of Oakland, said that closing the budget gap gets more difficult each year, as many programs and positions have been eliminated in previous years and what remains is already a lean operation.
“The process is ongoing and just gets harder,” said Chan. “I just got back from a budget meeting and we are starting to outline potential cuts. We are just starting to get an idea of what will be eliminated.”
Chan said the heads of the general government, public safety, heath care, and public service departments are working on prioritized lists for the funding they’ll need for the next fiscal year.
County Administrator Susan Muranishi blamed the shortfall on the national economic downturn, resulting in a rise in requests for the very services that had to be reduced in order to balance the budget, and that county employee costs are driving up expenses.
“After a prolonged recession that ate significantly into our resources, Alameda county continues to be squeezed by rapidly rising employee health and retirement costs, continued high demand for services and a lackluster economy that undermines our chances for growth,” said Muranishi in a written statement.
Another factor is the shortfall caused by lower property tax revenue and less money coming in from state and federal sources, Muranishi said.
To close the last budget gap, over 100 county jobs were cut, the Fairmont Animal Shelter was closed, the sheriff’s department’s Marine Patrol Unit was discontinued, as was the Community Oriented Policing Unit.
Supervisor Keith Carson, who chairs the budget committee, said that Alameda County will also be hurt by the “realignment” of the criminal justice system. Hundreds of inmates that were incarcerated by the state will now be handled by the county and there is no money budgeted for this.
Muranishi added that, in addition to the cost of housing those inmates, the county will also lose about $20 million because they will no longer be able to contract with the state and federal government to hold inmates from other communities in local jails.
Chan said that a series of public meetings will be held in June after a draft of the budget is completed on June 5. The final balanced budget must be set by July 1.
“It’s another year of huge deficits, and, unfortunately, deep cuts,” said Chan.