Ventura County officials OK $3B budget but state funding still uncertain

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors signed off on a $3 billion budget this week, but officials said cuts still could be on the way.

The board unanimously voted to approve the 2024-25 spending plan, up 6.5% from the current year — an increase largely driven by salaries and benefits, officials said. But without the state budget finalized, there are still unknowns.

“We know there’s more work to be done,” said Scott Powers, the county's chief financial officer.

California is facing a multi-year deficit, a shortfall that led to steep cuts in the governor's updated budget proposal released last month. The drastic cuts would have been a really difficult challenge to meet, Powers said.

One would have eliminated $3.8 million for the county’s public health department, funding that supported more than two dozen positions. The money was restored in a budget bill passed by legislators earlier this month. But a final state budget has yet to be signed by the governor and additional cuts could be included.

The Legislature's budget bill should be seen as a placeholder, the county's legislative analyst Michele Guzman told supervisors.

What happens to the public health positions?

For now, the public health employees’ jobs are included in the county’s spending plan. Powers called it premature to make any drastic cuts locally. It could be the end of the month or longer before local officials have details about state funding.

“We're prepared to adjust the budget when the state budget is finalized, and we understand the implications of it,” Powers said.

Powers said he expects to report back to county supervisors in September or October with recommendations.

Public Health Director Rigo Vargas said he is hopeful the Legislature's version, which funds the positions, will stand. The money pays for emergency preparedness and communicable disease programs as well as laboratory services, he said.

"We might not know for sure until the end of the month," Vargas said.

What did the budget include?

The county's spending plan approved earlier this week included shutting down and relocating Santa Paula Hospital’s birthing center and intensive care unit. Dozens of community leaders, doctors and nurses spoke out before the board's vote, urging supervisors to rescue the services, expected to be relocated to the Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura.

The decision was driven by births dropping to a low of about 10 per month at the hospital and a decreasing number of critically ill patients, officials said. Those opposed said the loss could lead to more complications and inequitable access in a lower-income, largely Latino area.

The budget also included new jobs – 237 full-time equivalent positions – and fewer vacancies than recent years, officials said. New posts included those for homelessness programs in the Human Services Agency and the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Others were added to address rising case loads in social services and for public safety agencies related to an opioid task force.

While officials anticipate state cuts, they also expect local property tax revenue to continue to increase.

Reporter Tom Kisken contributed to this report.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: County officials OK $3B budget but state funding still uncertain