Fiscal Year 2011-2012 Adopted Budget - County of Sonoma

• Programs in Health and Human Services such as Jail Discharge Planning, Mobile Crisis Team,
Healthy Family premium coverage for an estimated 1,500 children locally, Veteran's Services,
and Employment and Training for food stamp and general assistance clients were partially
supported, allowing for additional time in some of these programs as they transition to reduced
funding levels in the future.
• The Board also restored maintenance funding for 100 miles of roads and maintained seasonal
river crossings for better access to geographically isolated communities along the Russian River.
• In addition, there were a number of other service restorations and the Board of Supervisors was
able to retain 45 out of the 200 public sector jobs in the local economy slated for elimination.
Total restorations were $9.3 million. Specific changes to departmental and agency budgets made during
the budget hearings are summarized in comments entitled "Board of Supervisors' Actions" following
each department's budget summary.
Although the Board and departments worked hard to preserve services, it is clear we are not out of the
woods yet. Future budgetary threats loom large on the horizon. They include the state budget actions to be
taken to address their ongoing fiscal crisis including the realignment of services from the state to counties
in the areas of public safety and health and human services; further "trigger" cuts should state revenue
projections fall short; the federal budget; and the reality that resources will grow very slowly the next
several years as the economy recovers. Additionally, many fixed costs and demands for services will
continue to increase at a faster pace.
The Board and all the county departments are committed to providing the best services to the public with
the resources available and will continue to carefully evaluate on-going financial needs and revenue
availability. We believe multi-year fiscal projections, the continued implementation of the county's
strategic plan, and an effort to enact savings measures early and throughout the year led by our County
Administrator and excellent team of department and agency heads will address trends, decrease threats to
the programs and services that the county provides, and where possible, create new opportunities for the
county and the community.
In the judgment of the Board of Supervisors, the Adopted Budget is a responsible financial program for
providing services to the residents of Sonoma County.
Supervisor Efren Carrillo
Chair and Fifth District Supervisor
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
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