What's at stake?
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved the county budget for the next fiscal year on Monday. The budget avoids service reductions and layoffs.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously approved a $5.5 billion budget plan that avoids layoffs and service reductions.
Paul Nerland, the County Administrative Officer, said the county was able to close its projected shortfall of about $15 million through, among other things, the use of one-time funding sources. However, with an ever changing fiscal climate brought on by the reduction of state and federal dollars heading the county’s way, that might not be possible in future budget cycles.
“We’ve managed to get to this point,” Nerland said of the balanced budget, “but that maneuverability will be less going forward.”
Like last year, Monday’s budget hearings had presentations from eight of the county’s departments — the district attorney’s office, probation office, public defender’s office, sheriff’s office, and the county’s departments of behavioral health, public health, social services and public works & planning. The eight departments, county leaders say, are among the most public facing offices that cover a range of important residential issues like public safety, health and land use and development.
The budget hearings lasted about three hours, though like last year the board approved the proposed budget, first published last month, with no amendments. There were virtually no residents appearing to talk about the budget during the hearing’s public comment portion.
Still, Monday’s hearings provided residents with a better understanding about some immediate future plans for the county’s fiscal solvency and policy plans overall.
The directors for the county’s health departments expressed confidence to the board that they’d at least be best prepared for upcoming federal policy changes that may put a strain on their staff.
Joe Prado, the county’s director of public health, said that through meetings with local stakeholders, the department will increase transparency by more consistently updating Fresno’s public health dashboard.
In the more immediate future, Prado also expressed concern that federal funding cuts brought on by President Donald Trump’s budget policy, known as the Big Beautiful Bill, signed last year, could lead to the reduction of the county’s mobile health programs — “a marquee program for the department” he said.
The year’s budget theme is “Building A Safer and Stronger Fresno County.” The theme was chosen by Board Chair Garry Bredefeld, who will also host the state of the county Sept. 24 at noon at the Fresno Convention Center.
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