The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors at its September 24, 2019, meeting will adopt the Fiscal Year 2019-20 Recommended Budget after considering $296 million in revisions that represent significant commitments to employees and residents. The budget amendments are largely due to the re-appropriation of capital improvement projects, IT projects, Measure K initiatives and new positions.
The proposed 9.3 percent increase to be presented Sept. 24 brings the budget total to $3.5 billion with 5,850 authorized positions. The proposed general fund budget is $2.5 billion with 4,469 authorized positions.
Changes to the $3.2 billion recommended budget approved in June include the conversion of 64 term positions into permanent positions and the addition of 26 new positions to address increased resident demand for County services. The term positions staffed short-term or pilot initiatives over the last several years. Following the June budget hearings, County Manager Mike Callagy reviewed departmental needs and concluded the permanent positions are necessary to address increased workloads, high volumes of time-sensitive projects and enhance public services.
“The use of short-term employees was and remains very valid for some positions. However, some positions have changed to more of an ongoing function and the retention of valuable employees in a tight market will save the County money,” Callagy said.
September revisions released today also include re-appropriations and new funding for capital and maintenance projects, Measure K initiatives and programs for to manage storm water, recognize employees and help residents more easily construct second unit housing.
Key September revisions include:
- $10 million to plan and build a new morgue facility consolidated with the Coroner’s Office on the San Mateo Medical Center campus;
- $3.9 million in grant funding from the Judicial Council of California which allows the Superior Court to contract with the Probation Department for a new program that uses a validated risk assessment tool to determine pre-trial release eligibility;
- $1.76 million for the first year of a new six-year contract with CAL FIRE, including a new Wildlife Urban Interface (WUI) Program;
- $11.9 million in rollover and grand adjustments for County Parks projects including the Mid-Coast Multi-Modal, GAP and Wunderlich trails, and improvements at Coyote Point and Flood Park;
- $1.14 million to the Elections Division for election security, extra-help staff and voter outreach.
The FY 2019-2020 Recommended Budget is part of a two-year budget cycle. The complete recommended budgets for both FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21 are available at https://cmo.smcgov.org/budget-policy-and-performance
The Board of Supervisors will consider the proposed adjustments and adopt the final budget at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, in Board Chambers, 400 County Center, Redwood City.