Heading into Tuesday’s budget hearing, Santa Barbara County leaders pushed a philosophy of “prudence and progress” in the face of rising costs.

The Board of Supervisors voted at the meeting to approve a $1.59 billion budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The recommended budget represents an increase of 7.3% from last year.

Board members had signaled that they were looking for a “status quo” budget that would resemble the last few years without significant increases or decreases in spending or services.

The county will avoid service-level reductions and will maintain a staff of 4,763 full-time equivalent positions, according to budget documents.

The two areas that make up the bulk of the operating budget are public safety, and health and human services. Departments made detailed presentations to the board during workshops earlier this year, and supervisors’ feedback was incorporated into the recommended budget.

At Tuesday’s budget hearing, Supervisor Bob Nelson of the Fourth District said the county has worked hard to make safe financial choices even in years where it had more funds.

He continued by stating that these smart choices have allowed Santa Barbara County to maintain its budget while others were struggling. This budget puts the county on track to pay off its pension debt, he added.

“I was one of the first people out there a decade ago who said, ‘There’s no way, no how that we’re ever going to be able to do that.’ And now that is in sight, and it’s because of the fiscal discipline of this board and past boards,” Nelson said.

First District Supervisor Das Williams echoed the sentiment but said that despite the strict budget, he believes there are still “bold new initiatives” that will help future generations and will not increase the county’s deficit.

“We as an institution are investing in the future, without borrowing against the future,” Williams said.  

The decision to avoid increasing the budget too much comes as a response to the projected state budget deficit.

Gov. Gavin Newsom released a budget with cuts as an attempt to handle the growing deficit facing California. The legislature released its own budget, and is continuing to negotiate with him over next year’s spending plans.

In the face of this, county leaders are choosing to be more cautious as they wait to see how the financial debate turns out.

Additionally, the county has seen lower revenue growth than previous years, while expenditures continue to increase.

Funding Updates to the Board

The Board of Supervisors also heard updates from department heads regarding a few specific projects or programs.

The state notified the District Attorney’s Office in May that federal funding for the Victim Assistance Grant Program will be cut by 44.7%, according to budget staff.

They are waiting to see if the final state budget makes up for that shortfall.

District Attorney John Savrnoch said his office can mitigate the effects this year through salary savings and grant funding, but will likely feel the impact of the cuts next year, unless they can find additional money.

“We are committed to have no reduction in our services for our current year,” Savrnoch said Tuesday.

Chris Sneddon, the head of the Public Works Department, updated supervisors on the construction of the Modoc Road multipurpose path.

The department is trying to get an easement on a piece of land to build a portion of the path, by negotiating with the Land Trust and the water company, he said.

“That will provide for a better user experience because people will be separated more from traffic, and they’ll just have a better experience traveling,” Sneddon told Noozhawk.

Sneddon could not comment on how much more funding the department will need, but says it will have a better idea in the fall when it knows if the easement is approved.

Supervisors also had questions for Kirk Lagerquist, the head of General Services, about plans to purchase electric vehicles and the costs of maintaining them.

Nelson expressed concern that the department was moving too quickly in purchasing electric vehicles, and asked whether those costs were taking funds away from roads or other projects.

Lagerquist said the department was following the timeline needed to meet a state mandate to have vehicles at all state and local agencies be zero emission by 2027.

To see the full presentation and budget breakdown, click here.