The Riverside County Board of Supervisors is expected to provisionally approve a $8.61 billion budget for the county government in the fiscal year 2023-24. This budget includes increased funding for public safety initiatives and the reopening of an animal shelter.
After conducting hearings on the proposed budget and receiving requests for additional appropriations, the board agreed to allocate $25.3 million in extra funding. Despite these increases, the budget remains structurally balanced as stated by the county Executive Office.
Board Chairman Kevin Jeffries highlighted that the current budget addresses important areas of need in the county.
Sheriff Chad Bianco confirmed that the Sheriff’s Department is on track to end the fiscal year 2022-23 with a balanced budget, but expressed that there were several unmet needs in the proposed spending plan. These needs were related to the implementation of an “enhanced management” policy, which would involve assigning lieutenants to supervisory roles in stations to ensure more sergeants are available to work with deputies in the field.
The board has committed $1.45 million to support this effort.
Sheriff Bianco also expressed the desire to establish a permanent “problem-oriented policing” team specifically dedicated to handling noise and party complaints, particularly during weekends, in the unincorporated mountain communities and the Temecula Valley where most short-term rental properties are located. This team would consist of four deputies and at least four Department of Code Enforcement officers.
The board has set aside $662,000 in support of this initiative.
The sheriff did not request additional funds to fully open the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, as currently only around 400 inmate beds out of a potential 1,600 are being utilized.
District Attorney Mike Hestrin requested $2.5 million more than what was recommended by the county Executive Office in the proposed agency budget. This additional funding would enable the establishment of a full-time call center to assist community members in need of help from the D.A.’s office, as well as the conversion of 15 temporary employees to permanent positions.
Hestrin outlined several challenges faced by the D.A.’s office, including new mandates from the Legislature and a significant loss of personnel due to retirements. The agency currently has the lowest number of prosecutors in the last decade, with an average caseload of 100 per deputy district attorney.
Fire Chief Bill Weiser initially requested $537 million in appropriations, but the county Executive Office recommended $457.3 million. The current-year budget is $443.4 million.
Some of the budgetary needs highlighted by Chief Weiser include expanding the hazardous materials unit, converting three fire stations into municipal stations, and increasing staff at the Cabazon and French Valley stations to ensure sufficient “surge staffing” during the Wildfire Season.
The board has committed an additional $5.7 million to meet the immediate needs of the fire department.
The board has also embraced a proposal from the Department of Animal Services to reopen the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, with a budget allocation of $3.4 million.
The animal shelter had been closed due to budgetary shortfalls in the past.
County CEO Jeff Van Wagenen stated that the proposed budget “creates the opportunity to enhance the efforts of our departments providing vital programs for our constituents countywide.” The budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 is approximately 15% larger than the current year’s budget of $7.45 billion. A significant portion of the budget consists of state and federal “pass-through” funds that are beyond the board’s control.
The budget report also includes a projection for reserve funds to reach $555 million by the end of the fiscal year, compared to an estimated reserve pool of $537 million at the end of the current fiscal year.
The new budget will be reviewed and adjusted if necessary in September, at the end of the state’s fiscal year.
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