County Staff Introduces Recommended $590M Budget for FY 2017-18
Author: Whitney Szentesi, Communications Analyst
Date: 6/8/2017 3:24 PM
The County's recommended FY 2017-18 budget is available for the public to review. Budget hearings will take place on June 12, 13 and 14, 2017.
The County of San Luis Obispo Administrative Office introduced the recommended $590 million County budget for fiscal year (FY) 2017-18 to the Board of Supervisors and the public on May 16. The public can review the budget in detail online or at any branch of the County library.
County Administrative Officer Dan Buckshi recommends a balanced budget of $590 million of governmental funds, which is a 0.35 percent growth over the current fiscal year. This includes a recommended General Fund budget of $503.6 million, a growth of 2.1 percent.
People will have an opportunity to weigh in on the budget recommendations during public budget hearings on June 12, 13 and 14, during which time the Board may add, delete, or modify the budget as it deems appropriate.
“The budget outlines the County’s financial plan for the upcoming fiscal year and is intended to communicate and implement Board policy related to County operations,” Buckshi said. “This is perhaps the most important document the County produces.”
The budget prioritizes funding that allows the County to meet legal mandates and debt service requirements, strengthen public safety, and improve road services. The budget also incorporates funds related to groundwater management, commercial cannabis cultivation regulations, and affordable housing programs.
“You do not need to be a financial expert to understand the County’s budget. In fact, we updated the look of our new budget document this year, which will hopefully make it easier for people to understand,” said County Budget Director Emily Jackson. “We also used new budgeting software that will allow us to conduct a greater budgetary analysis in future years.”
The County government publishes a budget document every year that reflects its organizational values by attempting to strike an appropriate balance between financial detail and discussion of the bigger picture. The document is intended to inform a meaningful discussion about resource allocation decisions among the public, the Board of Supervisors, and staff.
