County Press Releases

(Placerville, CA)—The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors approved the Chief Administrator’s Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014-15. The budget is balanced and continues to leverage the Board’s adopted Strategic Investment Plan intended to advance long-term strategies geared toward limiting government and enhancing services. These strategies include moving forward with the replacement of costly, inefficient systems that require extensive manual resources to maintain as well as the core principals of spending conservatively, investing wisely and being flexible and ready to act.

“The strategy is to minimize future shortfalls by holding down spending until efficiencies can be gained through system and process improvements,” said County Chief Budget Officer Laura Schwartz. “Any surplus or unanticipated funds should be invested wisely based on the Investment Plan. One-time funds strategically invested result in future on-going operational savings to help close the County’s structural deficit and enhance services.”

The total Recommended Budget for Government Funds for FY 2014-15 was presented to the Board on June 12, 2014 during a budget workshop. It totals $485 million (M), which is $13M (3%) less than the Adopted FY 2013-14 budget of $499M. The County’s proposed General Fund budget, which includes discretionary funds for County services, is $254M or $5M (2%) more than the Adopted FY 2013-14 budget of $249M.

The County forecasts a structural deficit of $12.5 million in FY 2015-16. However, implementation of projects such as facilities upgrades and the new FENIX technology infrastructure are expected to produce new efficiencies that will likely shrink that shortfall.

The Recommended Budget includes slight growth in the General Fund discretionary revenue sources. Non-General Fund revenues are restricted in their use for programs delivered by the Department of Transportation, Public Health, Mental Health, Community Services and Erosion Control. The decrease of $19M within Non-General Fund revenues and appropriations are primarily related to decreases in the Road Fund ($10M), Housing, Community and Economic Development ($4M), Public Health ($6.5M), and the Accumulative Capital Outlay fund ($1.5), offset with an increase in Mental Health ($3M).

The Recommended FY 2014-15 Budget includes funding for a slight decrease in full-time equivalent positions (FTEs) for a total of 1846.34 employees. Other highlights of the Budget include 8% set aside for a “rainy day” including $10.7 million in reserves and $5.6 million for contingencies. There is also $4.8 million designated for Capital Projects.

Budget Hearings on the Adopted Budget are scheduled to begin September 15, 2014.

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