Placer County reviews recommended 2022-23 budget

The Placer County Board of Supervisors on June 14 reviewed and conducted a public hearing for the proposed budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year. According to Placer County Deputy CEO Daniel Chatigny, the budget for the upcoming fiscal year is projected at $1.2 billion, reflecting a 19.2-percent increase ($196.8 million) from the 2021-22 budget. The highest revenue sources of the proposed budget include intergovernmental, local taxes and other financing sources. Chatigny noted the highest expenditures for 2022-23 include employee salaries and benefits and cost of services and supplies due to inflationary impacts across the county. According to Chatigny, 2,795 funded positions are included in the 2022-23 budget, including the addition of 12 positions for the Community Development Resource Agency due to demand on land use, eight positions for the District Attorney's Office due to caseload and the body-worn camera program, 27 positions for Health & Human Services due to expanding services in pandemic response and 14 positions for the Sheriff's Office for addressing the use of retired annuitants and the body-worn camera program. "To maintain the high level of service provided by the county, several departments are in a growth cycle for staffing," Chatigny said. District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes noted he would like to see the need for more county code enforcement officers included in future discussions. Acting County Executive Officer Jane Christenson noted the board's request for additional code enforcement resources was heard but would be a future-to-be-determined item, as the report was after the budgeting process. Holmes noted the request for a 9-percent increase in funding over a six-year period for the Placer County Library should also be included in discussions. Board Chair and District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson added the board should have a discussion on setting funds aside for housing opportunities in the county. During the public hearing, the board received one comment inquiring where gas and electricity fall within the county's budget and noting concern for a decrease in services like the response from Sheriff's deputies due to the cost of gas increasing. Chatigny confirmed fuel and energy costs are budgeted in each specific department that utilize vehicles and adjustments using available budget and revenue sources to fund higher cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance. The board approved the intent to adopt the Fiscal Year 2022-23 recommended budget in a unanimous vote. The budget will return to the board for adoption during the June 28 meeting.