Sacramento County approves $6.5 billion budget with more for homeless and social services
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved a $6.5 billion annual budget this week, directing more funding to a number of social services, health and criminal justice programs.
The five-member board was unanimous Thursday in its approval of the spending plan, which relies heavily on $3.1 billion from the general fund. Another $2.4 billion is drawn from money collected through fees and utility services and $947 million from the state and federal governments that is limited to specific purposes.
The budget passed smoothly after a raucous year for the county that saw the departure of longtime county executive Navdeep Gill. He retired in February after an outside investigator was hired to probe allegations that he instigated a toxic work environment.
Gill was also roundly criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, namely his defiance of social distancing protocols and a public outcry over spending priorities for federal COVID-19 relief money.
Despite early concerns about the county’s fiscal health, the employer of more than 12,700 government employees landed on solid ground.
“We are fortunate that in spite of the pandemic, the county is in relatively good fiscal shape for the upcoming fiscal year,” said Board Chair Sue Frost. “This budget avoided significant reductions in programs and included new investments in a number of important areas.”
Like many local governments, Sacramento County continues to face increased public pressure to robustly fund social services programs that would aid the homeless and improve treatment of incarcerated people and those coping with mental illness.
To further those causes, the county will direct $5 million to a monitored pretrial release program that started as a state-funded pilot in the probation department. The plan faced some public objections during budget hearings and will rely on $3 million from the county and $2 million from the state.
The county will also spend $12 million on a team of psychologists who will operate a call center and respond to emergency mental health calls in unincorporated parts of the county and all cities except Sacramento. The alternatives to 911 program is one of the county’s most high-profile endeavors aimed at reducing police involvement in mental health crises that can often turn deadly.
The budget also includes nearly $6 million for a homeless encampment initiative. Following in the footsteps of the city of Sacramento, the county wants to create two government-sanctioned campsites where as many as 100 homeless people can live without disturbance in unincorporated areas.
Close to $7 million was directed to funding efforts to comply with a consent decree stemming from a federal lawsuit over conditions inside the county’s two jails. Sacramento County continues to face steep costs related to the court agreement, particularly after county officials set aside a plan earlier this year to build a medical annex at the Sacramento Main Jail.
The budget also included $22.5 million in funding for road maintenance projects and $4.4 million for parks to address a $72 million backlog in capital improvement needs.
The final budget will be approved by the county supervisors in September. Some estimates will likely change after the state Legislature passes its budget and the impact of any revenue adjustments are known.
“We have been faced with many profound challenges both locally and nationally this past year,” said Interim County Executive Ann Edwards. “As we look forward to the next fiscal year, I am excited to implement initiatives, plans and processes to accomplish real change and advancement in the County.”