What happened: Madera County supervisors Tuesday approved a regional agreement for a four-year plan to continue using grant funds to help unhoused individuals transition into housing and prevent homelessness.
The Board of Supervisors also heard a report on the county’s second-quarter 2023-2024 budget showing that the previous $8.8 million deficit is projected to drop by about $3.6 million as a result of cutbacks.
To reduce the deficit, hiring controls were put in place, and departments were provided with staffing targets that resembled fiscal year 2021-22 levels, according to Joel Bugay of the county’s Administration Department
“We will continuously look at hiring controls and other cost-control measures to bring that deficit in line,” Bugay said.
He told the board that department expenditures of one-time costs such as small equipment may also need to be deferred when “feasible and prudent.” He said capital projects may need to be postponed. He said staff has also been directed to identify one-time funding sources reserved for emergency needs.
The board also unanimously approved entering into an agreement with the city of Fresno, Fresno County and the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care to participate in the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Round 5 Grant Program for a term ending June 30, 2028, that delivers a regionally coordinated action plan to address homelessness.
The plan includes outreach and site coordination and a plan to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness when they leave an institutional setting. In addition, the agreement includes plans to use local, state and federal funds to end homelessness and to connect people experiencing homelessness to all eligible benefit programs.
And also: Dr. Julia O’Kane, chair of the Madera County Arts Authority, updated the board on the status of the revitalization of the downtown arts and the arts center project.
She said a four-phase approach is underway, with participation from city and county government, the Madera Unified School District and the Madera County Arts Council.
The first phase includes small-scale downtown projects, the second phase is the redesign and rehabilitation of Courthouse Park and Yosemite Avenue, the third phase will restore and repurpose the former Madera County Library and the final phase is construction of a performing arts center. O’Kane said the arts center will anchor the downtown and benefit the entire community.
“We think doing this is going to create tremendous positive energy in our area,” O’Kane said. “Economic growth, housing growth, more people on the streets doing things, more restaurants will make the center of our county a great place to come, stay, have fun and I think to live.”
The Madera County Board of Supervisors will meet again March 12.
