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Budget Cuts Hit County Adult Services Harder Than Most
Staff Writer
When
the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a
proposed budget of $4.3 billion for Fiscal Year 2009-10, the big
losers may have been the county’s seniors and others who rely
on adult services financed through the county.
The approved budget is 20 percent less than one year ago, with a decrease of
8.2 percent in the general fund.
The cuts were necessary due to earlier financial difficulties faced by the county,
combined with a loss of income due to the current poor economy.
Board of Supervisors Chair Susan Peters stated that building the proposed budget “was
a difficult task [under] the most trying circumstances, which may have been the
most challenging period Sacramento County has ever had to face.”
Prior to the vote, Sacramento County had slated 1300 positions for elimination.
More than 790 layoff letters are being sent or have been sent to employees in
44 departments and agencies. The effective layoff date is in early July.
The sheriff’s department and the District Attorney’s Office will
take a hit with the remainder of the eliminated positions. Notices for layoffs
in those offices will be sent in mid-July. As part of the budget cuts, the supervisors
also voted to accept contract concessions with the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff’s
Association.
In presenting his proposed budget, County Executive Terry Schutten noted that “we
have had to make some tough decisions, and the impact is not only on our workforce,
but also with our citizens. This is a very difficult year, without many options.
We have emphasized the funding of county-mandated services and the highest priority
programs.”
Programs that are mandated — required by law — were given the highest
priority for funding and were spared the brunt of the county’s cutbacks.
Discretionary law enforcement programs, were also spared as much as possible.
The bulk of the remaining programs — almost uniformly serving older adults — including
safety net programs, sustainable and livable community programs and general government
were severely cut back.
In most instances, the cuts were made to programs which serve the area’s
seniors. The Community Services Planning Council, which includes the Adult and
Aging Commission, was hard hit when the county supervisors decided not to renew
its contract.
How badly the cutbacks will hurt area seniors has yet to be determined.
“It’s kind of in a holding pattern,” stated Adult and Aging
Commission Chair Geri Esposito. “We’re just beginning to get an idea
about that.”
In Esposito’s opinion, the cuts are a disaster, although a slight glimmer
of hope remains with the possibility that the county will allocate staffing and
other resources saved from the budget axe to preserve some of the critical services
directed to area seniors.
“The managers and division heads are still waiting to find out the results
of further discussions on staffing,” Esposito explained.
The future remains clouded because the county has to wait to see what the State
of California does to local government. The county anticipates adopting the final
budget in September presuming the State of California has resolved it current
budget crisis.
The Board of Supervisors is taking its summer recess from June 22 to July 14,
at which time it will resume its regular meeting schedule. Further action on
the budget is expected after the recess.
Video recordings of the proposed budget hearings, report backs and deliberations
can be seen on the Internet at http://www.saccountytv.saccounty.net/default.htm.
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Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
