Rising salaries, falling revenue, and the need to raise $178 million for the Northern Branch Jail expansion by next summer were a few of the issues raised during Santa Barbara County’s budget meeting Monday.
The Board of Supervisors is discussing its $1.69 billion budget for the 2025-26 financial year.
Heading into the meeting, County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato indicated that the county has a status quo preliminary budget that would avoid cuts to services next year. In her comments, Miyasato said the county will need to make strategic decisions about what is essential and said the goal was to “out DOGE, DOGE.”
“For us, let DOGE stand for democracy, opportunity, good governance, and effectiveness,” Miyasato said. “Let’s use that as a framework for resilient, responsive public service.”
The county has been forecasting lower revenues for the upcoming year, and national economic insecurity has only worsened these concerns, budget staff said. Additionally, California’s economic growth has slowed down compared to recent years.
During her report to the board, Miyasato praised the supervisors for their past choices in funneling away funds from property taxes into savings. The county saw an influx of additional revenue from property taxes during the 2020 pandemic as more people purchased homes.
The county supervisors decided to save these extra funds and save them for future hardships. These funds have started to be accessed as the county saw its operating costs begin to rise and revenues begin to fall.
One of the major expenses for the county is the cost of operating two jails, the Northern Branch Jail and the Main Jail. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has a preliminary budget of $224.9 million for the next fiscal year.
Additionally, weeks after approving an expansion at the North Branch Jail, the board was informed that it will need to raise $178 million to fund the project if it hopes to avoid relying on debt service. The expansion is expected to begin next summer.
Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown said a significant cost for his department is the Main Jail, which he called “archaic.” Under the expansion plan, the Sheriff’s Office would diminish operations at that facility.
Another issue that the sheriff raised was the continuing staffing issue, which Brown stated was a national problem. The department spends millions of dollars on overtime every year and staffing shortages have negatively affected morale, officials have said.
“Retention challenges that have been a nationwide phenomenon, that we have not escaped. Challenges that have continued to some degree despite significant gains in recruitment that included your board’s help in providing incentives,” Brown said.
Sheriff’s Office salary costs increased by $5.1 million between this year and next year, and the cost of medical care and pharmaceuticals increased by $8.8 million.
The board was also informed that the Sheriff’s Office might lose federal grants due to policy changes enacted on the federal level. New changes would require the office to collaborate more with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Brown stated that the new federal requirements conflict with California state law and his office cannot comply with the changes. Brown continued by saying a lack of compliance could result in a loss of federal grant funds of about $500,000.
During his comments, Supervisor Bob Nelson asked about a patrol boat that the sheriff’s office acquired that would be used to patrol the Santa Barbara coast.
“We pick up these grants for these one-time funding for overtime, while we have this issue with staffing and overtime. So, we need additional relief factor, but we’re creating overtime by picking up some of these additional programs,” Nelson said.
Brown explained that the program was supposed to be funded by one of the federal programs, but said the future of the grant is unclear. He continued by saying the program is meant to be reactive and would not operate full-time.
The other public safety departments also briefed supervisors on their budgets and goals for the next year.
Chief Probation Officer Holly Benton shared a preliminary budget of $76.5 million.
Benton stated that her department has lost revenue over the past year, including a cut from the state of about $2.2 million. She also stated that the cost of utilities, liability insurance, and other services have increased by $1.5 million over the last year.
Despite this, Benton stated that her office has not cut any services for the upcoming year.
Benton also shared that her office was looking into using artificial intelligence for some of its duties, which she said would allow staff to focus on the human aspect of their jobs.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office offered a proposed budget of $37.6 million for the next year.
In his report, District Attorney John Savrnoch reported the complexity and severity of open felony cases in his office have increased in recent years.
Savrnoch said the number of open felony cases in his office has increased by 29%. Cases involving murder, attempted murder, and sexual assaults have increased by 28% since 2020.
He also shared that his office has lost two attorneys who were hired with grant money to deal with a backlog of cases due to COVID-19, but the funding for those employees ended.
Additionally, an investigator was lost due to budgetary cuts from the Department of Social Services, but a full-time equivalent was hired for the DA Office’s Consumer Protection Division, he said.
After Nelson asked about what his department may need in the future, Savrnoch said that in the long term, he would like to look into building a new facility to replace the current Santa Maria office.
“The facilities there are woefully inadequate in terms of technology, in terms of safe space, basically just in terms cleanliness and safety,” Savrnoch said. He said they exploring the feasibility of the project and hope to have a proposal for the board by the end of the fiscal year.
The Public Defender’s Office presented a preliminary budget of $25.7 million, with cost increases being driven by salaries and benefits.
In her comments to the board, Public Defender Tracy Macuga stated that her office is dedicating more resources to addressing mental health and diversion for low-level cases.
Macuga also said the office is working to incorporate artificial intelligence into its system to help handle cases. She said cases have become more complex due to the abundance of digital evidence, and AI would streamline the process.
“The AI revolution is here. We’re not resisting it, we are embracing it, and we are preparing for it,” Macuga said. “This means up-skilling our team to use AI ethically and effectively. It means investing in tools that truly enhance people.”
She continued by announcing that her office is developing a five-year strategy to incorporate smart technology and double down on the use of data.
Additionally, Macuga said the Public Defender’s Office is developing a mental health unit to help clients who are in crisis.
Macuga also expressed support for building a new office building in Santa Maria. Her department shares a building with the District Attorney’s Office.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department proposed a “no growth” budget of $128.5 million.
Like other departments, Chief Mark Hartwig stated that salaries make up a significant portion of expenses and said the proposed amount reflects ongoing salary negotiations.
“The essential services remain fully funded without overburdening reserves and reinforcing financial stability,” Hartwig told the board.
Budget workshops continue Wednesday starting at 9 a.m. in the County Administration Building in Santa Barbara, at 105 E. Anapamu St. If the supervisors need more time, they’ll meet again at noon Thursday.
In recent years, most major funding decisions get discussed and made during these workshops.
A recommended budget will come out in May, based on board direction from the workshops, and the supervisors will adopt a 2025-26 budget in June.
